Not every Waterloo region home staging project has to be long, complicated and expensive in order for it to add value to your home when you are getting ready to sell. Here are a few fifteen-minute projects that will improve your home, and the experience of living in it, both for you and its soon to be new owners, without breaking the bank or taking away too much of your free time.
Fix a Squeaky Door
A squeaky door, although not a huge structural problem in itself, is enough to drive you nuts and Murphy’s Law says that it is bound to be something that potential buyers stumble across the very first time they view the place!
To stop the annoyance, try spraying a little WD-40 onto the hinges, moving the door back and forwards in order to work the lubricant into them. Alternately, you could try lubricating the hinges with a little Vaseline instead. If all else fails, lift the hinge pins themselves up halfway and apply a few drops of three in one oil, making sure that you use a rag to catch any errant drips.
Peeling Wallpaper
You like the wallpaper you have, it looks pretty good for the most part and you really don’t want to redecorate when you hope not to be around much longer anyway. But, looking a little more closely, you realise a few corners are peeling up, ruining the overall look.
To fix the problem, apply a small amount of wallpaper paste onto a blank white piece of paper and then rub it against the underside of the section of wallpaper that is peeling. Press the wallpaper against the wall, then slowly slide the paper out and smooth any bubbles away with a clean, slightly damp cloth.
Clean a Stained Bathtub
Over time, most bathtubs become rather grimy, especially if the water running into your home is of the hard variety and definite stains often develop. To remove these unsightly blemishes you don’t need scary – and expensive chemical cleaners though. All you do need to do is take equals parts of baking soda and cream of tartar and combine together with just enough lemon juice to make a paste.
Work the paste onto the stain and allow it to set for an hour. Rinse away with warm water and in most cases, the stain should be gone the first time around. if not, rinse and repeat until it is.
Remove a Stubborn Decal
Older decals, especially the kind that go in the bath or shower area, can be very hard to remove properly. To do so turn once again to that trusty can of WD-40. Spray the decals, and the area around them with it, allow to sit for a few minutes and then begin removing the decal from the edges with a credit card. To de-grease the bath afterward, rinse it out with a solution of warm water and washing up liquid.
Puff Up Flattened Cushions
The furniture in your Waterloo Region home for sale will almost certainly be leaving with you but for now, it still needs to make a good impression on potential buyers as well. One thing that can look very jarring is a chair or sofa that boasts cushions that have seen better days and are looking rather flat and sad. There is an easy fix though. Take flattened cushions and place them out in the sun for a few hours (not in direct sunlight though or you will fade the colours) The heat of the sun will evaporate moisture that builds up in pillow fillings over time and then the cushions should all plump up nicely again.