Selling While Housepoor

If you’re prepping to sell your home, you’ve likely researched and googled endlessly to find out how to have the strongest listing possible. You’ll know that curb appeal, staging, and strong listing photos really sell houses. It’s studied, in fact: potential buyers make a decision about buying your house within the first SEVEN seconds of arriving. So, what are you to do when you want to make the most of those 7 seconds but are strapped for cash? Here’s a list of how to put your best house foot forward when you’re broke. 

Paint 

Obviously, paint hides a multitude of sins. However, it’s not just about paint in general. Buyers want to see paint in the *right* places. Don’t worry about repainting the entirety of the exterior and using trendy paint colors in all interior rooms. Not only is that impractical, but it’s expensive. Use your shoestring budget to focus on first impressions: front door and living room. A pop of color on the front door is extremely inviting. People like yellows and reds! And a fresh coat of neutral in the living room, since this is usually the first room someone enters, goes a long way. 

Keep in mind that if you have a front-facing garage door, this can sometimes take up 40% of a total exterior profile. Slap a clean layer of paint on there and your whole curb appeal will level up significantly. 

Purge

A free option that will go a long way is to purge your closet and pantry. Consider donating items you no longer wear or need. Or, if a particular item is in good condition, you could also sell on a marketplace platform or take it to a consignment shop, resulting in cash in hand! This idea of purging as a cheap staging idea has a purpose. Buyers want to see what pantry and closet space they’re working with. Reducing items within by 30% allows buyers to visualize themselves in that space. 

Polish

Have wood floors? Opting for a full refinish of hardwoods can be extremely expensive. However, you could consider passive floor restoration! A deep scrub and then a polish with a water-based polyurethane wood floor restorer is worth its weight in gold. It fills in scratches, camouflages gouges, and breathes new life into otherwise tired floors. Plus, it’s cost effective! 

For more ideas on prepping your house to sell on the cheap, visit Realtor.com.