Home Staging - Here are 10 inexpensive tips for increasing offer prices

1. Curb Appeal.  Nothing speaks better of a home before entering its interior than the surrounding yard.  If it’s in the budget, try adding a few small bushes to bring the entryway to life. Alternatively, closely-spaced potted plants may do the trick, and in Pittsburgh’s colder months, planters filled with pine branches or holly can make an empty house feel like home.
   
   
   
2. Make an Entrance. To foster a safe and secure feeling for potential homebuyers, it is important to create a welcoming entrance to the home. One way to do that is by updating hardware like front door handles and locks. Luckily, “rustic” can also be affordable. 
3. Un-decorate. No one needs to strip a home down to its bare bones, that’s for sure. However, try to neutralize the space by removing some highly personalized items and style preferences. This puts the focus back on the house and its own appearance, instead of on the current occupant. What’s nice about this is that toning down the rooms in a house helps potential buyers to envision their own decorations, belongings and family inside of the space.
4. Re-purpose.  A major trend today is the desire to have a master bedroom on the first floor, or at least a spare bedroom. An unused den or office may easily be converted into a bedroom for future occupants so try decorating it accordingly. Additionally, a spacious patio in the back may serve as added seating space or an alternate dining room for warm weather days, so highlighting this with a simple table and seating will add function to the space.
5. Mind the Carpets. Replacing carpeting in a home would cost thousands of dollars, be it for one room or the whole house. A money-saving option, then, is to have the carpets professionally cleaned. This is especially important for pet owners, whose furry friends may have misbehaved a time or two.
6. Increase Storage. Everyone wants somewhere to keep their vast collection of whatevers, from clothes to shoes to plain old junk. That makes closet space a hot commodity. However, many homes lack closets in bedrooms, especially old homes, so creativity is in order. Luckily, inexpensive wardrobes and shelving units are usually available and may be added to bedrooms to fit buyer needs.
7. Update and Match. Our modern families gather and talk, share meals and have a drink with friends there. Therefore, the appearance of the kitchen is often a priority. One way to spruce up the kitchen is to either update or match major appliances. Swap out the old faucet for a shiny new one, for instance. Also, consider matching the colors of appliances, like all black rather than a mix of white, black and stainless.  Did you know: some dishwasher faces can be removed and turned around, revealing the black front for the unit which has white on the other side? Might be worth a try. 
   
   
   
8. Change the Cabinetry. By “change” we mean “reinvent.”  Kitchen cabinets are pricey, so to avoid breaking the bank, consider replacing just the doors (rather than the whole unit) or adding a coat of paint to change the look. Alternatively, hiring someone to do this is still affordable.
9. Light the Way. Believe it or not, there are trends in lighting design. Brass fixtures, for instance, are now outdated and should be swapped out. Bronze or nickel lighting fixtures are common today. Style-wise, pendant lights are the thing to have, especially in the kitchen. These hanging units create a clean, neat look.
   
    
10. Floor Them with Flooring.  Aside from kitchen and bedroom spaces, bathrooms come in high on the list. A few things to avoid, though, are grungy or ancient-looking flooring. It shouldn’t look like Grammy has been living there with all of her cats, so anything that’s dirty or looks super old should be removed or covered. An inexpensive option for this is either vinyl tiles or sheet vinyl. Additionally, consider cleaning up the tub or shower tiles by re-grouting the unit.
    Many houses need a little love before selling, but this doesn’t have to be a pricey endeavor. These tips make changes that buyers like, without going overboard or skimping on the details.