January Real Estate on the Cheap: For the budget-minded, staging a home for sale may seem like an expensive hassle. But making a small investment, whether DIY or with a pro, can lead to higher offers. Here's what to do.

That brings us to our first tips to save on staging:

1. Consider hiring a professional. Do a little math and make a few calls to see what it would cost to hire someone to handle the staging for you. Professional stagers have an arsenal of furnishings at the ready and can hammer out a neutral, professional design much quicker than you can. If you're determined to do the work yourself, see about getting a consultation from a professional stager.

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"Even if the homeowner chooses to do the work themselves, they'll get an objective opinion about what needs to be done," says Jill M. Banks, who runs Happily Better After Room Design & Home Staging in southern New Jersey and says most consultations cost about $200.

2. You don't need to stage the whole house. Whether you hire a pro or decide to go the DIY route, you don't need to stage every single room, Green says. Stage the main living areas — living room, dining room, kitchen — and at least one bedroom, preferably the master, he says. You should also stage any room that has a confusing purpose to show how it can be used. So if there's an awkwardly sized bedroom, stage it to show that it will fit a bed and dresser comfortably, for instance.

"But you can leave several rooms empty, and you can leave the basement empty, as well," Green says. "That can be a big saver."

If you decide to go it alone
Homeowners can do many things to stage their home at little or no cost. The most important thing to keep in mind is that buyers must be able to envision themselves living in your home.

"No one will buy your home until they can mentally move into it," Schwarz says.

3. Clean, get rid of clutter and depersonalize. Staging is about making your home look nice, but remember that buyers have other senses and that a bad smell can be a deal-breaker. Nothing smells better than clean.

"Check that all rooms are spotlessly clean, have washed windows, smell good and have been aired before showings," says Lauri Ward, president of Use What You Have Interiors, which focuses on using a client's belongings to redecorate or stage the home.

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"By packing up your clutter, you create more space for the buyers to mentally move into," Schwarz says. And, she adds, "If you keep out all your collections and family photos, the buyers will spend their time looking at them and not your house."

Don't forget that buyers will be looking in your closets, too.

"You want the buyer to have the perception that, 'Oh, there's so much storage in here,'" Green says. "If it's chock-full of stuff, it automatically gives the perception that there's not enough storage."

You don't have to empty the closets and other storage areas, but Green advises paring them down to about 20% of what you normally store there.

It's nothing personal
When it comes to furnishings, Green warns that you may not want to use only what you have.

"Most people have a design aesthetic that matches them as a person," he says. "Usually, the stuff you have isn't fantastic for staging. Staging is going to need a fairly neutral design." He advises DIY stagers to be selective when finding furniture. "Take the time to hunt for pieces that really are effective with the concept," he says.