3 Budget-Friendly Ways to Sell Your Home Quickly

Putting your home on the market is a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, you think about the experiences and memories you made in your home. Meanwhile, on the other hand, you are excited and eager for the new adventure ahead. Of course, you can imagine how that excitement might fade when weeks and months go by with your home stagnant on the market. Buyers come to browse, but they aren’t staying to submit an offer. Suddenly, that eagerness to move on transforms into worry and frustration that you’ll never make the sale.

While a lot depends on price and location, there are ways to get your house to sell more quickly. Here are three easy ways to generate more interest in your home without going over budget.

Cut the Clutter

Getting your home to sell quickly means doing everything you can to help buyers imagine their life in your house. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to remove the clutter that often builds up in home offices, and depersonalize the common spaces. Clear up piles of paperwork, unopened mail, and manuals. You can put these items in desk drawers, baskets, or in closed bins in closets — just be sure they are completely out of sight. You can organize your clutter without breaking a sweat — or the bank — by checking out cashback offers and weekly sales from major retailers like Target.

For your home office, try to pack away some of the desktop knick-knacks and create clear and open space. In the living room, dining room, and family room, take down some of the family photos and portraits. Try to put only one piece of decor on a furniture surface. While you don’t want the house to look too sparse, you also don’t want it to feel overly lived in.

Create Curb Appeal

Buyers will form an opinion of your home before they even set foot in the door, which is why curb appeal is crucial to a quick sale. The first impression — your opportunity to wow them — happens the moment a car pulls up to your house. You can boost the appeal of your front space by focusing on elements of curb appeal. Paint the trim and the front door, add some colorful potted plants to your porch, hang modern address numbers, and keep your lawn trim and tidy. If you have flower beds, add some high-quality mulch. You can make many of these changes for under $100 by shopping smart — look for online savings and discounts from home improvement stores like Lowe’s.
 

Many buyers are often charmed by stone or tiled walkways and manicured shrubs. Curb appeal can give you an advantage over the competition by creating a welcoming setting that not only makes your home more approachable but also gives house hunters less landscaping to manage when they move in. That being said, be sure to limit your curb appeal to items and activities that don’t require too much upkeep. You don’t want potential buyers to see your yard as a burden or be dismayed if you aren’t able to keep it up when they come looking.

Add the Accessories

Home staging is a proven way to not only get homes to sell quicker but also bring in higher bids. You can add splashes of color, comfort, and class to furniture with throw pillows, vases filled with fresh flowers, and wood floors with area rugs. Take a look at your dining room table — is it bare and uninviting? Add covers to the chairs and center the table with a bowl of brightly colored fruit. Create warmth in an older bathroom with soft lighting around the mirror and add space by replacing a cabinet sink with a pedestal one. In bedrooms, use neutral colors on the walls and let the pillows, rugs, and curtains be bold and inviting. You can add these extra touches on any budget by shopping at retailers like HomeGoods, second-hand stores, antique malls, and estate sales.

There’s never a guarantee that you will sell your home quickly, but if you take these steps, you can certainly make it more appealing. Doing a lot with a little goes a long way. However, be aware of current trends and be mindful that oftentimes less is more. With the right mindset, you can take your home to a new level on any budget.

Author

Suzie Wilson is an interior designer with more than 20 years experience. What started as a hobby (and often, a favor to friends) turned into a passion for creating soothing spaces in homes of every size and style. While her goal always includes making homes look beautiful, her true focus is on fashioning them into serene, stress-free environments that inspire tranquility in all who enter. The Ultimate Guide to Prepping Your Home for an Open House is filled with tips, tricks and other advice based on Suzie’s years of experience in interior home design that will set you up for success.