How to Stage Your Home on a Budget

I bought my first apartment at the tender age of twenty. It was a rare time in the market when rent was more expensive than a mortgage, and the market was teeming with apartments ripe for the taking. I lived in it for three blissful years, and luck struck again! My partner and I were beginning to outgrow our space and the market was simultaneously taking off. It was a buyers market and we would have been crazy not to jump at the opportunity, so we did! We acquired a real estate agent, and had our first meeting. We had taken exceptionally good care of our apartment over the years, and our agent relayed to us that our place didn't require any major work, however, we might want to consider staging it, to ensure our chances of getting quality offers. I had no idea what staging was, but I was about to learn.

Staging is adding or removing pieces to a space to make it looked lived in. When a buyer walks into a space, it's essential that the furniture and home decor they see, helps them visualize themselves living in the space. Apparently, our apartment was in desperate need of some staging, but we were budget constrained, so we had to get creative. Now, you don't need to become an interior designer, but it does help if you have an eye for design. So it's time to marry your creative skills with your ability to make a dollar out of 15 cents.

1) De-clutter and de-personalize. Sometimes, the best things in life are free! Though you may think your family photos are endearing, buyers will walk in and judge, immediately. You want to maximize your bottom line, so getting rid of anything that might put a name to a face is important. You want them to feel like it's their home, not that they're walking through a stranger's home.

2) Colour evokes emotion. This is in expensive, but ingenious way to change the natural flow of the space. With $60 worth of paint, you can take a room from ultra personal, to sell-ready chic.

3) Home Decor. Those gorgeous rooms in House & Home Magazine are brimming with furnishings that probably cost more than your entire house! It's not necessary to blow your budget on fancy vases, luxurious window coverings and silk pillow covers. I can guarantee that no one stepping into your home is not going to buy your home because the pillow covers are the cotton ones that you picked up at the Target sale! If your couches and love seats look like they need a little refreshing, pick up some inexpensive accent pillows from Ikea.

And lastly, don't worry about making it perfect, that is what your real estate agent makes the big bucks for!