The importance of staging a home for showing to prospective buyers cannot be over emphasized. Staged homes sell faster, that is a fact. Appearances are everything and you only get once chance to make a great first impression. But what if you are on a very limited budget and cannot afford to shell out $50 to $150 per hour to hire a professional stager? 

Kelly Broaddus, a Realtor with eXp RealtyFlagstaff, Arizona shares these 5 inexpensive home staging tips that home owners can do to sell their home quickly and up the selling price.

1. Clear out your Clutter

Even slightly messy or dirty home will cause a prospective Purchaser to look for every flaw.

• Clear all clutter from kitchen and bath counter tops
• All closets need to be clean and organized , including the pantry. Some stagers would recommend emptying closets to emphasize storage space. 
• Toss out newspapers & throw away garbage
• Make your living room more welcoming and appear larger with less furniture and a great seating arrangement
• Be sure all the beds are made, no clothes or dirty socks lying around.
• Remove family pictures, religious items, any animal trophies, like rugs, head mounts, or full animals. "You will lose a potential buyer if they don't hunt or are against hunting. The goal is to eliminate reasons why people will not want to buy your home," says Kelly.

" It is important that whomever the person is, they need to be able to visualize themselves in your house," adds Kelly.

2. Enhance Curb Appeal

The outside of a home is as important as the inside, a jungle yard  may deter a home buyer from ever seeing the inside of the house.

• Mow the lawn, trim trees & bushes.
• Potted plants and mulch are attractive substitutes if you don't have a lawn/garden

• Check out our blog on Curb Appeal for more ideas

3. Paint

Adding a fresh coat of paint breathes life on an old home. Sellers who paint the interior of their home will see a large return of investment.

4. Scrub down

Every conceivable surface in the house should get a scrub down

• Clean windows, wash patio furniture, gutter
• A sink with dirty dishes is a definite turn off
• Wipe water stains from kitchen and bath sinks, the tub and or shower and polish metal to a shine
• The bathroom should be spotlessly clean, keep toilet covers closed
• Make sure all kitchen appliances are spotless and working properly
• Keep washer and dryer as well as laundry and laundry room clean and empty

5.  Make the little repairs that you’ve been meaning to get to

• Repair all leaky faucets and freshly caulk bathtubs and showers
• Fix that broken fence 
• Replace burnt out light

Ask your Realtor about furniture and additional staging suggestions to make your home appear larger to  prospective purchasers such as removing to storage any superfluous items of furniture