The Woods Team's Blog

Home staging is one of the most tried-and-true methods of selling your home faster. It can also help you increase the purchase price of your home by between one and five percent.

However, working with a professional home stager--while a good investment--is not always in everyone’s budget.

The good news is, there are a lot of simple and inexpensive ways to stage your home that will give visitors a good first impression, make for great photos for your online listing, and hopefully help speed up your home sale.

In today’s post, we’re going to break down six of the most effective and inexpensive home staging tips to help you sell your home faster.

1. Declutter everything

Cleaning out your home is one of the best ways to make it appear more spacious and welcoming. It gives you the chance to start packing items you won’t need until you move into your new home, and it opens up space to use a few choice decorations around the home.

For things like cabinets and closets, remove all of the items you won’t need until you move. A closet that is half-full will look much larger for guests viewing your home.

2. Clean carpets and polish wooden furniture

Carpets, flooring, and furniture make up a large percent of the visible space in your home. Leaving these items dirty or worn when selling your home is missing out on a huge opportunity to make your home look up-to-date and well-maintained.

You can rent a carpet cleaner for as little as $20, and a gallon of wood polish costs around $15, making these two items a solid investment for staging your home.

3. Paint with bright colors

When we paint our homes we usually choose colors that we like, rather than ones that appeal to the largest number of people. And although that’s a great thing while you own a home, it can be detrimental when it comes time to sell. Repainting dark walls in bright, neutral tones will make the room feel larger and well-lit.

4. Paint the front door while you’re at it

A freshly painted, bright colored front door can be the secret weapon when it comes to making your home stand out amongst your neighbors. It is a cheap way to quickly freshen up the exterior of your home and increase curb appeal.

5. Purchase a new welcome mat and mailbox

Welcome mats tend to get a lot of use and wear down. Similarly, mailboxes often get dented and faded over the years.

These two items can be excellent accents to improve the curb appeal of your home. Choose colors that match the overall color scheme of your home to establish a sense of continuity.

6.  Rearrange furniture to allow foot traffic

When someone comes to view your home, you’ll want to sure they have ease of access to each part of the house. Rearrange the furniture in your kitchen, dining room, and bedrooms to make it easy to tour the home.

If you buy or sell a house, you may need to hire a moving company as well. That way, you can work with an expert moving company to ensure all of your personal belongings can safely make it to your new address.

Ultimately, there are lots of things you can do to put yourself in the best position to conduct a successful search for a moving company, such as:

1. Reach Out to Multiple Moving Companies

There is no shortage of moving companies available in cities and towns nationwide. Thus, if you reach out to several moving firms, you should have no trouble finding one that matches your budget.

Account for your moving timeline as you search for a moving company, too. The top moving companies may be in high demand. But if you can give a moving company plenty of notice about your upcoming relocation, you can boost the likelihood that this business can help you on moving day.

2. Request Client Referrals

Sometimes, it can be tough to differentiate one moving company from another. If you ask a moving company for client referrals, however, you can learn from a business' past clients. Then, you can use these client referrals to help you decide if a particular moving company is right for you.

A moving company typically can provide client referrals upon request. Meanwhile, you should ask a moving company's past clients about their experiences. You then can use these clients' insights to determine if a moving company can match or exceed your expectations.

3. Evaluate a Moving Company's Services

Moving companies may provide a wide range of services for residential and commercial customers. As such, you should examine a moving company's services to find a business that can help you accomplish your desired results.

If you need a moving company that can help you pack and move your belongings from Point A to Point B, for example, you should hire a business that can fulfill your request. On the other hand, if you need a moving company that can handle an out-of-state relocation, you should hone your moving company search accordingly.

When it comes to finding the right moving company, you may encounter myriad challenges along the way. Lucky for you, a real estate agent may be able to help you speed up your search to find the right moving company.

In addition to helping you buy or sell a residence, a real estate agent may provide moving company recommendations. He or she also may be able to put you in touch with the top moving companies in your city or town.

For those who want to streamline an upcoming move, it generally is a good idea to hire a moving company. Thanks to the aforementioned tips, you can conduct a comprehensive search for a moving company in your area. As a result, you may quickly find a moving company that can take the guesswork out of transporting all of your belongings to your new home.

Once you discover your dream house, you probably want to do everything possible to acquire this residence. However, it is important to remain calm, cool and collected as you navigate the homebuying journey. Because if you act too hastily, you risk overspending to purchase your ideal residence.

Let's face it – the temptation to submit an offer to purchase your dream home that may require you to break your homebuying budget can be overwhelming. Lucky for you, we're here to help you consider your offer to purchase closely and ensure you provide a competitive homebuying proposal that won't force you to exceed your budget.

Now, let's take a look at three tips to help you craft a competitive offer to purchase your dream house.

1. Analyze the Housing Market

The real estate market may have major ramifications on the offer you submit to acquire your dream residence, and perhaps it is easy to understand why.

For example, if you are operating in a buyer's market, there likely is an abundance of sellers and a limited number of buyers. If you find your dream house in a buyer's market, you may be able to acquire this residence by submitting an offer to purchase at or near a seller's initial home asking price.

On the other hand, navigating a seller's market may prove to be tricky. In a seller's market, there is a shortage of high-quality houses available and an abundance of buyers. Therefore, if you want to purchase your dream residence in a seller's market, you may need to submit an offer to purchase at or above a seller's initial home asking price.

Consider the housing market closely as you prepare an offer to purchase. If you can differentiate a buyer's market from a seller's one, you can submit an offer to purchase your dream house that falls in line with the current housing market's conditions.

2. Weigh a Home's Strengths and Weaknesses

When it comes to putting together a competitive offer to purchase, it helps to consider a house's strengths and weaknesses. That way, you can account for the costs of any potential home repairs or improvements in your homebuying proposal.

You should consider a home's location as well. For instance, a home in a remote town may prove to be more affordable than a comparable house near a big city. And when you craft an offer to purchase, you should always account for a house's location.

3. Consult with a Real Estate Agent

A real estate agent can help you submit a competitive offer to purchase at any time. This housing market expert is happy to provide a recommendation about how much to offer to acquire your dream home. And if you have homebuying concerns or questions, a real estate agent is ready to respond to them at your convenience.

Want to buy your dream residence? Use the aforementioned tips, and you can avoid the risk of spending too much to acquire your ideal house.