Sometimes sellers just don’t have the budget to rent furniture and accessories to stage their homes. With low budget staging all you need is a little creativity to transform your home into something your potential buyers will love.

The most important thing to do is clean and pre-pack anything personal (photos, awards, diplomas, degrees etc.) as well as anything you know you won’t use in the next couple of months. By doing this,
you’ll depersonalize your home and make it seem larger.

Tackle any unfinished repairs and consider painting. It’s amazing how a fresh coat of paint can transform your home.

Now the fun part – showcasing your home. Search every room, closet and your basement for forgotten furniture, blankets, pillows, candles, artwork and accessories. You may end up borrowing furniture or accessories from your living room to stage your bedroom, the most important thing is to keep an open mind on where to place everything. Don’t be afraid to remove a comforter from your bed if the bunches are beyond repair. Sometimes a neutral sheet will work as a replacement. Good luck on your quick sale!

Check out the other before & after shots from this home:

– Kitchen
– Living Room
– Dining Room
– Bathroom
– 1/2 Bath

Before: Bathroom before staging. Sometimes bathrooms are beautiful on their own. However, it never hurts to add the finishing touches to them to make them the best they can be. Sometimes it’s the finishing touches that can leave a lasting impression on your potential buyers. By moving the towels from the countertop to their proper place on the towel racks and adding a small plant, this bathroom feels fresher.

After: Not many changes were required to stage this bathroom, however by moving the towels to their proper place, the room feels finished. Check out the other before & after shots from this home: – Kitchen – Dining Room – Sunroom – Office

Mary Madden wrote an amazing article titled “Avoid decorating faux pas by featuring your space properly”. She’s got some great tips on how to properly hang window treatments, artwork and how to choose the right style of rug for your space.

Right now I’m working on my first DIY tiling project, I’m replacing some backsplash above a new countertop. I went down to Home Depot on 130th Avenue SE to purchase all of the materials I need to move forward. I was quickly greeted by an employee who asked if I needed any help and I responded with yes and what I wanted to achieve. He explained the tiling process, helped another customer and then seemed to vanish.

I then chose the tile I wanted to use and read the directions on the back of the packaging to make sure I was getting all of the correct materials to install it, but didn’t feel 100% sure about everything.

Just as I was about to leave, another employee came by and asked if I needed help. I asked him to check over everything I was going to purchase. It turns out there was an easier (and less expensive) mortar they carried and they carried smaller quantities of spacers than what I was going to purchase. He then asked me if I had ever installed tile before and if I would like a quick tutorial. Did you know if you seal porous tiles (slate or marbel) before you put your grout on, it prevents the dull/foggy appearance?

I’ll keep posting how the project turns out. If anyone is interested, here is a blog on “How-to Tile” from www.hometime.com.