Green Staging Packs a Punch when Selling your Home

Staging is a way of arranging your home for sale to appeal to the widest amount of buyers. Green staging means preparing your home to sell using environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient products and services. Personally, I’ve been an advocate of home staging for years because I’ve seen that time after time staged homes sell quicker and for more money than un-staged homes. In the current real estate climate replete with foreclosures and short sales it’s never been more important to do whatever you can to add marketability to your home.

With the Austin Energy Ordinance days away from taking affect, buyers have an eye on energy efficiency and green living. So, why not have gain an advantage when selling your home by committing to not only staging your home, but doing it in an environmentally-friendly way? You’ll not only help the environment, but you’ll help your home outshine the competition.

Let’s start with the big picture. If your home is over ten years old, lies in the City of Austin, and receives utility service from Austin Energy, you’ll be required to do an energy audit before you close on the sale. If you’re not required to do an audit you may want to do one anyway and if your budget permits, go ahead and do a few of the things the auditor recommends. Anything you do to improve your home’s energy efficiency will give you extra points with buyers. And make sure you or your Realtor® creates a notebook for buyers with all the improvements you’ve done.

If you want to paint to freshen up your home, make sure to use low or no- VOC paints. VOC means volatile organic compounds. These toxic substances get released when painting. Low or no VOC will cut down on toxic gases inside your home are another positive to sell to buyers. And don’t forget to use clothe, not plastic drop-clothes when painting since plastic is not as environmentally-friendly.

On to flooring. Some natural flooring can be updated with merely a good cleaning. HH hardwood floors can be repaired in isolated spots, or can look new with sanding and restaining. If you need new flooring and are trying to decide between installing carpet or using a more natural product like wood or stained concrete, I’d suggest using the most natural flooring your budget can afford rather than installing new carpet. Many buyers these days are don’t want carpet - carpet gives off toxins and usually aggravates allergies.. If you currently have carpet and don’t want to take on putting in a new floor have the carpet cleaned and re-stretched if necessary. If those options don’t make a difference, I recommend talking with your Realtor® about offering buyers a carpet allowance. This way will give buyers the decision on what flooring they’d like to get.

If you are going to replace any major appliances such as an oven or dishwasher, look for an Energy-Star rated appliance which uses less energy than appliances from former years. (And don't forget to buy certified appliances for your new home!) Bathrooms are another place where you can use Energy Star rated appliances ca. Low-water flush toilets can save a lot on water and water-efficient shower heads are a great selling point.

Now, down to more budget-friendly green-staging ideas. Compact Flourescent Bulbs save money in the long-run and come in many different varieties. You can re-lamp spotlights, down lighting, table lamps and anything else. Have your Realtor® include this in your marketing materials. Need accessories to perk up “dead” areas? Instead of buying new, why not save some of your own “green” and go to Goodwill. Or repair, re-cover, and/or re-paint what you currently have. Many chairs and tables only need a couple of turns of their screws to steady out wobbles and a new coat of that recycled paint can make them shine again. You can also buy or make inexpensive slipcovers to quickly and easily cover your couches and chairs to harmonize with your living and bed room walls. Secondhand, good quality bedspreads can completely transform the look of your bed, as can a coat of paint applied to most frames. In the kitchen, cleaning and staining old kitchen cabinets can give them an entirely new look, which is cheaper and less wasteful than buying new ones.

Good, old-fashioned cleaning is the cheapest and most effective tool you can use to sell your home. Nothing can take the place of soap and water when it comes to marketing your home. Clean homes smell better - even if you or the buyer doesn't notice it - and look better. Invest in naturally smelling, cleansers for a fresh citrus scent and scrub everything. Remember to use environmentally-friendly cleaning products and cleaning services that use these product.