Staging your home to sell, with a small budget

Realtors have employed professional stagers as part of their service to sell homes for years. In this market, price is king. Buyers expect homes to be in bad shape; they are becoming savvy to the fact that a bank is not going to upgrade a home, that a short sale is likely to have deferred maintenance, and sellers with equity do not want to spend any of their equity making repairs. We are seeing "as-is" on listings routinely. Your Great Western Realty agent will guide you when they do the initial walk-through.

But with the largest inventory in recent years, sellers still want to stand out. Professional staging can cost several thousand dollars and realtors are no longer willing to front that cost when they are unsure about a sale. Let's discuss some ideas that are budget conscious.

First thing to remember is that the stagers themselves are feeling the pinch. It can't hurt to ask one to come over and give you an estimate. They have inventory that is not being used and they might be willing to lower their prices considerably. If they supply you with the staging items for a reasonable cost, then listen to their advice, ideas. As they walk around your home, take mental notes of what they would put/subtract to make the home more interesting. Then see if you can find those items in your home, or a friend's home. Borrow what you can!

Always unclutter.....this is not a new suggestion and costs you nothing. If you must, pile things in your garage. If you do this though, try and still allow potential buyers the ability to see special aspects to your garage, such as extra storage or work area. Take all unessential knick-knacks off of tables and shelves.

Look through magazines or even catalogs for ideas. Take the ideas from these high end stores and look for similar items in discount stores. Don't feel like you need to overdo, just a few nice touches. Some ideas might be a clear bowl filled with lemons or apples. Treat your family to a fruit bowl and keep filled. Find inexpensive throw pillows to tie in a color pattern, take extras off the counters in the kitchen.

Hire an interior designer for an hour. Most designers have an hourly rate for advice. Use them! They are expert at using what you already have, they might also have floor items they could lend you in exchange for some minor advertising, such as business cards or a small sign. Offer to list them on fliers, your agent will be happy to accommodate this as they want the home to sell too.

These are just a few ideas! Check out the Seller's Tips at www.Great-Western-Realty.com