When it comes to selling your property, a huge factor that affects how quickly your house sells, and how much more value you can get from your property is how much work you put into staging your home. Below, we discuss tips and tricks that allow you to stage your home properly on a budget. In Toronto, you do have the option of hiring a professional to stage your property for you. However, this will be money out of your pocket before you’ve even gotten your house on the market because typically the cost of home staging in Toronto ranges from $2000-$10,000. Alternatively, the right realtor will offer these services for free. As an example, all of our clients receive free home staging on any property they list with us.
You have come to this article looking to stage your home on a budget and there are two ways to do this. You can either do it yourself or find the right agent who offers this service for free. Having an agent do it for will result in a professionally staged Toronto home and you will not have to worry about the headache associated with staging your home on a budget.
Staging a home in Toronto while living in it: Is this feasible?
When you are thinking about staging your home while still living in it, it is important to realize that ending up with a result that looks like a model home is a false reality. There are factors that professional stagers have studied throughout years of experience and many of these factors are not so obvious to those who are staging their home for the first or first few times. However, there are a few things you can do to your home to get it ready for showings that help it sell faster and for more money, as well as help you to get a start on decluttering and packing.
Home organization is key
Start by organizing belongings that you have acquired throughout the years of living in your property. This will help you to throw away unnecessary items as well as pack away the ones that are of sentimental value rather than decorative. Go from room-to-room and try to minimize all of your collections – towels, cutlery, unused sheets and pillows etc. When working with our team, a part of the service we provide is that we will store your extra boxes or items that you aren’t using. When you remove the 30% from each room as mentioned above, you will not have to worry about finding a place to store your belongings.
Detach yourself and depersonalize the property
The people that are interested in viewing your home want to see themselves in that particular space. Family photos and sentimental items take away from their vision of how they will personalize the space. Keep everything neutral but add a few pops of colour. It might be worth investing in bright coloured pillow covers or blankets that will add life to the room.
Related: Yes, Staging A Home Is Worth It Because The Benefits Are Priceless!
Deep Clean and Prep your Home
After decluttering, you should have gotten rid of at least 30% of items in each room. This will expose more space in each room which means exposing more stains and dirt that you may not have noticed throughout the years of living in your property. You could go in with a vacuum followed by a deep clean but it is quicker and more efficient to invest in hiring a professional cleaning service. Refer to this article for cleaning services in Toronto that will not break the bank. Again, if you hire the right realtor (like us) they’ll assist with this step too. We always have a great cleaning service on standby and will even make all of the arrangements for you. That’s one more item checked off your to do list.
Tips for staging an empty home in Toronto
Curb appeal
Curb appeal is an easy way to increase the value of your home when staging a house for sale, especially in Toronto homes as many properties, if renovated, look a lot nicer from the inside. Putting effort into the way your house looks from the outside is an easy way to create a great first impression for potential buyers, and it is very doable on a tight budget. Some ways to make sure your home looks like it is visited often is making sure the grass is cut, the landscaping is well maintained, and the exterior paint is in good condition or re-painted. You might even consider swapping out a few accessories, like new door hardware, the mailbox, street address numbers. Don’t forget a few fresh plants as they can work wonders to make your property feel fresh.
Related article: How to prepare your house for sale in under 30 days in 2023
Painting Tips for selling an empty house in Toronto on a budget:
It is definitely recommended that you add a fresh coat of paint to your Toronto home to increase its property value. This doesn’t mean that your entire home needs to be painted as choosing to repaint the most ‘used or beaten’ space if you’re on a budget is just as effective. It is important to choose neutral colours that compliment your flooring for a clean, refined outcome. Refer to this article for interior painting tips.
Furniture Rental – How adding the right furniture will benefit when selling my Toronto home
Potential home buyers are impacted by a fresh and modern space that they are inspired by to call their own. This means that any outdated furniture you have may need to be replaced by newer, more stylish models that leaves people with a positive impression. You don’t want to make the space look unoccupied so it is important to have the right amount of furniture in the right places. This doesn’t mean overdoing it and breaking the budget – it is as simple as adding a divider or rug to add a little more depth where it is necessary. Each room needs a focal point and wall decor is a great way to add in detail without going overboard. Refer to this article for a list of focal points that bring your space to life.
Overlooked spaces within your home that have an impact on house staging
Organizing your storage spaces
There are a few areas in your home that are often overlooked by the seller and not by the buyer. The first on the list is clearing out your closets. Consider the season that you are listing your house in and remove the clothing that you won’t wear that is taking up space. Storage space is a huge element that buyers will look at in homes. Everyone is conscious of how much storage they need in each room and reflects on their own methods of organization within “closed door” spaces. If your property shows a perfect example of organized closed spaces within the home they are going to buy, it is more likely that the interest will spike because they will picture their items in those particular spaces. Less clutter makes a space feel larger and buyers will see more space for storage. You wouldn’t want a buyer to look at a jam-packed closet and think they won’t have enough space for their own items.
Cabinet Space
When staging a home to sell, revamping your cabinet space is just as important as every storage space in the house. Having proper shelving in your kitchen gives the buyer’s an idea of how much space they will have to work with. It is as easy as going to the dollar store to get jars and baskets for your spices and wiping down the area to make it look presentable and spacious.
Garage
The garage is a space that may seem to be out of sight out of mind but some buyers are drawn to a home because of the extra space. People may be interested in using this extra space for different purposes, and the way you organize it must pertain to all. Your potential buyers may have a hobby of working on cars or they are genuinely looking to see if the “2 car garage” parking spot on the listing is legitimate. It is important to clear clutter and make sure that your listing matches the description.
Ask us about our complimentary staging valued at over $5,000. Book a call here.
