Do-it-yourself home staging Niles MI

Every writer needs an editor, the saying goes. Turns out, so do most homeowners – at least when it comes to staging a home for sale. Fortunately, you can “edit” your home without busting your budget.

Editing a home is all about taking away everything that doesn’t show well when you’re trying to sell a home, says Vicki Dye, who teaches home staging and decorating classes at her company, The Center for Creative Redesign in Minneapolis, Minn.

For some people, it might make sense to hire a professional stager to walk through the house and check off a list of items that should be “edited,” or removed. That budget-friendly alternative gives you expert advice at a fraction of the cost of having the professional stage the home for you.

“The best thing you can do is get rid of all the junk,” Dye says. “Once you get all the clutter out of the house you’re able to see the structure and the architectural details that might need changing.”

If it turns out you need to replace the carpeting – highly recommended if yours is worn or stained – contractor-grade carpeting is a budget-friendly option, Dye says. It looks good, passes the buyer test of lasting at least five years, and costs much less than higher-grade carpeting, she says.

Some other tips from Dye for staging a home on a budget:

• Put all the kitchen countertop appliances away, except the microwave. “You need pops of color, not clutter. Add a bowl of fruit, a plant or some flowers.”
• Make sure the refrigerator is spotless inside and out. People will look inside.
• Pick up everything off the floor that doesn’t belong there. This includes newspapers, magazines and toys.
• Make sure potential buyers can walk all the way around the dining room table. If you have to remove the hutch or other furniture to make that happen, do it.
• Buy new bedding in the master bedroom. You don’t have to buy neutral colors, but the bedding has to be fresh and crisp. Remove all personal items from the nightstands and dressers.
• Buy new decorative towels for the bathroom. Towels from the nearest big-box store are fine. Remove your toiletries, but consider adding a decorative candle or a small pot of greenery if there’s room on the vanity.

Dye also points out some caveats for do-it-yourself budget stagers. Adding a pot of greenery to the front porch can lend some welcome color during gray winter days, but forego the pot or a door wreath if it makes the porch or walkway appear crowded, she says.

In the spring, summer or fall, staging splashes of color in the yard can lend curb appeal, whether they are potted plants or bedding plants. Dye says even just one nice pot of colorful flowers, strategically placed, can make a difference. She also recommends buying a new doormat.

But Dye doesn’t like the popular trend of staging the dining room table for a dinner party. “My question is, who’s coming to dinner?” she says with more than a hint of exasperation in her voice. “It’s way overdone, in my opinion.”

You’re the editor, so the choice is yours.