It’s nothing new that home staging is a wise move. After all, it has the potential to increase the final sales price of your home by 6 to 20 percent. But what you may not realize is that it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to do it. After all, who needs more expenses when you’re moving? If you’re short on cash but want to speed up your home sale and possibly increase that final dollar amount, here are some budget-friendly home staging tips.

Declutter

The first step to home staging is about as budget-friendly as you can get — because it’s free. Donate or trash items such as clothes, extra furniture, books and knick-knacks – anything that’s not being used or that you no longer need. Go through the pantry and donate canned goods to a local food drive. Sift through piles of random papers and shred and recycle what you don’t need.

Hold a pre-moving sale

Hold a garage sale to get rid of what you won’t be taking with you when you move. Not only will you declutter, you’ll also make some extra cash for other home upgrades. Don’t feel like doing a traditional yard sale? Download OfferUp or another buy-and-sell marketplace app to sell your items.

Borrow from friends

A good rule of thumb with home staging is to furnish and stage every room in your home so that no room is left empty. To save costs, you can borrow furniture from friends and family, or you could split up the furniture in other rooms of your home to round out the less furnished rooms. Borrow the treadmill your sister no longer uses and the weight lifting bench in the garage to transform an empty bedroom into a home gym, or add a desk and cabinet to your guest room to help buyers envision both a guest room or home office in that space.

Consider portable storage

After getting rid of the items you no longer want, it’s time to empty your home of excess furniture items, quirky art, and any personal items that may be distracting to buyers. A portable storage container is a popular cost-effective option because it conveniently combines moving and storage.

Here’s how it works: A driver delivers your storage container to your home to fill at your leisure. Once you’ve loaded the items you’re storing, the driver picks up the container and takes it to a nearby storage facility. When your home is sold, have your container re-delivered to your door, fill it with the rest of your stuff, and ta-da! You’re all ready to move. Some portable storage providers can move your container long-distance. For instance, PODS can move your container to your new home even if it’s across the country, in Hawaii, or in some parts of Canada. A solution such as this that combines moving and storage can help reduce the costs of moving by eliminating the need to rent a storage unit or moving trucks multiple times. Moving long-distance with a container can also be significantly less expensive than using a traditional full-service moving company.

Grab your paint brush

Want to transform your home cheaply? Painting gives you the best bang for your buck if you if you’re looking to give your place a makeover. Light, neutral colors are great for staging. If you’re really tight on cash, opt for touch-ups or pick key walls in high-traffic areas to repaint.

Make tiny upgrades that make a big difference

Make your home feel fresh and new on the cheap with some inexpensive updates to hardware, lighting, and faucets. Even new outlet plate covers, vent covers, and kitchen cabinet hardware can give your place a facelift. You don’t even need to buy anything fancy – just shiny and new.

Decorate on a budget

Some simple décor updates can have a surprisingly effective impact on the way buyers view your home. Replace your old, boldly colored shower curtain with a cheap but tasteful curtain. Cover up stained or old couches and chairs with affordable slipcovers. Add some homey cushions to the living room. Just remember to keep things neutral – it’s not the time to express your unique personality! Save that for your new home.

While redoing your flooring or putting in new kitchen cabinets would be ideal, it doesn’t have to take much money to give your home a makeover and make it appealing to buyers. With a little time and creativity, you can turn your soon-to-be-sold home into a beautiful space and have some fun while you’re at it. Good luck with your move!

Spring is finally here, and that means it’s time for spring cleaning!

Here are some spring cleaning and organization tips to help you feel motivated and refreshed at the start of a new season.

List Your Priorities

First thing’s first: you should make a list of your goals and priorities for your home this season. Do you have enough time for a thorough, deep cleaning of your home, or do you instead want to target specific areas and rooms? Do you have a lot of things you need to donate or throw away, or are you focusing more on getting organized? List your spring cleaning priorities in order of importance so you can tackle everything as needed.

Put Away Seasonal Items

Before you start cleaning your home, it can be helpful to first put away the things you don’t need for this season. Set aside all of the winter items in your home so you can organize them and put them away since you won’t be needing them this spring. By putting away seasonal items, you can visualize your home as it will look in the spring without seeing any of the clutter that winter decor and items may have caused.

Do a Once-over of Each Room

As you get ready to clean and organize, you can go through each room one by one, assessing what needs to be done. Chances are, some areas of your home are in need of more TLC than others. As you go through each area, you can throw away anything that you know is garbage, set aside the things you want to donate, and make a more specific note of what needs to be organized.

Clean Larger Appliances and Furniture

Cleaning larger appliances and furniture can often be tiresome and eventful, but you could feel a great sense of accomplishment after you tackle these time-consuming chores. Cleaning the fridge and stove, vacuuming under large items like the sofa and dining table, and giving bulky furniture pieces a good dusting can almost instantly breathe new life into your home. Bonus points if you dust your blinds and have your curtains washed!

Organize Your Fridge, Pantry, and Other Storage Areas

If you want to take spring cleaning as an opportunity to get organized, start with the areas of your home that you frequent the most: your fridge, pantry, and other storage areas. In your kitchen and bathroom, move the items that will spoil or expire sooner toward the front, along with anything you are frequently using. You can also purchase drawer or cabinet organizers so and label your shelves or storage bins to encourage you and your household to continue to keep organized. Organizing the areas you access most often may even inspire you to tackle the areas of your home that you may tend to forget about, or even the ones that may overwhelm you, like your closet.

Don’t Feel Pressured

Finally, don’t let the idea of spring cleaning cause you to feel pressured or overwhelmed. Cleaning and organizing your entire home can often be a stressful task, so it’s important to recognize when you need a break. If spring cleaning is overwhelming to you, tackle each area or item one by one, or recruit a friend to help you in the process. You can even get the whole family involved to make spring cleaning feel less like a chore that you are doing all on your own. Remember that you are in control of your home.

This post is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional advice. The point of view and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Realty Executives International. This post was written by Bailee Abell. Bailee Abell is a writer born and raised in California. A graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara, she loves reading classic literature, sipping warm beverages, and visiting theme parks every chance she gets. Find her at baileeabell.com