3 Cheap & Easy Ways to Make a Home Presentable
If you’re like me, you’ve viewed too many homes for sale or rent that are unpresentable.
I’ve visited homes with clothes strewn all over bedroom floors, dirty dishes stacked three feet high in kitchen sinks, filthy bathrooms, and living rooms that look like they’ve been worked over by a pack of rabid wolves.
I understand that it’s a drag to keep a home sparkling clean when it is occupied, but the sellers could have at least tidied it up so I didn’t have to stretch my imagination too far.
That’s the problem with unpresentable homes in real estate. They force potential buyers and renter to imagine what it would be like without all the clutter. When seller agents force home-hunters to imagine what the house would look like after the leaky ceiling is repaired or the antiquated kitchen is replaced, they are also imagining the huge bill to renovate the place.
When they start to imagine renovation costs, one of two things is going to happen. Either they will expect to receive a huge discount or they will walk away.
I’m not saying sellers should cover up structural problems. This would be dishonest and destroy the seller’s reputation when the inspection uncovers it. However, seller agents should properly home stage the house so it makes a good first impression.
Home staging is a term used in real estate that refers to preparing a residence for sale. The idea of staging is to get the right price as opposed to settling for less because the seller didn’t take the time to clean the house. The last thing any seller should want is to lose a few thousand dollars because he or she didn’t make the home presentable.
A good real estate agent will work with the seller to improve the property’s appearance so that it is welcoming and attractive to as many potential buyers as possible.
In most cases, staging is more about attitude than spending money. Yes, the seller might need to pay someone to come in and paint the walls and fix the leaky faucet, but the effort and expenses are minor. The seller stands to lose much more money and time by leaving the repairs to the next owner.
A smart agent can stage a home for sale for very little money, but the seller must help. Here are three cheap and easy ideas for home staging:
1. Declutter. Get rid of loose items like boxes and excessive shoes that are pouring out of your closet. Clutter makes the home appear smaller and closet space insufficient. If you have outgrown your home with clutter, move it over to your sister’s place or rent a storage locker.
2. Sanitize. Give your home an industrial-style cleaning. Make sure all the grease is removed from the kitchen and that the house has been fumigated. A fresh-smelling home is worth much more than one that smells like last week’s laksa. 
3. Present it. Make your home inviting and welcoming to potential buyers. Put some coffee table books and flowers on a coffee table. (Just enough so it does not look cluttered). Puff up the cushions on your sofa and maybe place a folded blanket on it. Put flowers in the kitchen and in the bedrooms. Flowers are a great way to spruce up rooms, make them feel cozy, and improve on a first impression. 
A good first impression helps the buyer imagine the potential in the house rather than its flaws. As a result, the buyer is more likely to conclude, “I like what I see, I’ll make you an offer.”