Staging is one way to prepare a house for sale. It improves the home's appeal to buyers, creates an inviting atmosphere, and emphasizes its selling points.
Doing this step well can help your home sell fast and for more money. In a National Association of Realtors report, 48% of agents said that staging a house for sale decreased its time on the market. Among sellers’ agents, 44% believed home staging increased the home’s value, with 10% of agents saying home staging increased the home’s value by 6% or more.[1]
An experienced real estate agent can give you expert advice on staging your home. If you don’t have an agent yet, we can connect you with the top realtors in your area who charge half the typical commission. Just answer a few questions about your selling situation, and we'll send vetted agent recommendations to your inbox.
Home staging tips
Here are some of our top tips for how to stage a house for sale:
1. Do a deep clean
Vacuum, sweep, and mop all floors, wash the inside and outside of all windows, and wipe down all walls and surfaces. If you have oil splatters on the walls around the stove and dirty grout between bathroom tiles, wipe down and whiten. Scrub toilets, tubs, and sinks so they shine.
Also check the ceilings, curtain rods, and light fixtures for cobwebs. Tend to details like finger smudges on light switches and dust along baseboards.
2. Declutter
Reduce the belongings, unnecessary furniture, toys, cables, books, and other items in your home. If it’s not contributing to a positive presentation, hide it or put it in storage.
Prospective buyers tend to open and inspect built-in closets and cabinets (those that will stay with the house) more than free-standing ones (furniture items you’ll move out). So hide things away in the free-standing ones as much as possible to allow visitors to understand the capacity of the built-in ones and imagine their own belongings in them.
3. Neutralize colors and decor
Part of staging a home successfully is making it appeal to a wide range of possible buyers. Swap out any colors that are too dark, bright, or colorful for neutral tones, such as light gray, beige, and white. Some home staging ideas include repainting rooms and replacing distracting and colorful artwork and decorative items like throw pillows and flowerpots with more neutral versions.
4. Rearrange the furniture
In many homes, the current furniture placement maximizes the convenience of the current occupants, which may not look or flow the best for visitors of an upcoming open house or showing.
Consider the best features of each room — like a fireplace in the living room or a bay window in the bedroom. Move furniture around them to accentuate these focal points rather than blocking or distracting from them.
5. Define each room’s purpose
Keep each room’s function in mind as you decorate and rearrange furniture for staging. The role of some rooms, like the kitchen, will be obvious, while some spaces may need extra staging to clarify their use.
For example, if you have a three-bedroom house, you can outfit the largest bedroom with a queen-sized bed, place two twin-sized beds in the second, and move your desk and a bookshelf into the final one. That way, a future guest may intuitively picture these as the parents’ room, the kids’ room, and the home office, respectively.
If you have a multipurpose room near the back entrance, stage it so that it presents as a mudroom or storage space.
6. Make the home less personal
Minimize anything that hinders a buyer from seeing themselves in the space. Remove photos of you, your family, and your friends. Put other personal items in storage, like trophies on the mantel, travel souvenirs, magnets on the fridge, and the framed diploma above your desk.
Also hide items that show your beliefs, like where you stand on social issues, politics, and religion. Put away anything that might be polarizing to ensure the space is broadly appealing.
7. Make small, impactful updates
Look around your home to see what could be significantly improved with a modest expense and effort. For instance, if you have plastic light switch panels that are cracked, a $30 purchase and 15 minutes of your time can upgrade them from an eyesore to a nice accent. Rusty faucets, broken door knobs, and chipped light fixtures are just some of the items around your house you can update with minimal experience, time, and cost for an outsize return on investment.
8. Take care of necessary repairs
Broken appliances, plumbing, and wiring can signal to prospective buyers that the home wasn't well maintained. To avoid this potential loss of confidence and remove reasons for buyers to make a lower offer, address needed repairs before taking any photos or letting people in the house to look around.
Start with any issues that could be a health or safety hazard, like exposed wires, non-functioning smoke detectors, and mold. Then work your way to fixing quality-of-life items, such as low water pressure or noticeable drafts. Replace broken windows, door locks, and staircase handrails.
9. Let the light in
When deciding how to stage a house for sale, remember lighting. Maximize the amount of light (particularly natural light) in the home as much as possible. Brighter rooms appear more spacious and comfortable.
10. Remove strong and unpleasant odors
While much of home staging is done with photographs in mind, don’t neglect thinking about the sense of smell for potential buyers who will visit for an open house or showing. Off-putting odors will be noticeable to prospective buyers as soon as they arrive and can cast the remainder of their viewing in a negative light.
As with colors and decor, neutrality is key. If you have carpets and rugs, you may want to steam-clean them. Launder or dry clean cloth window curtains and throw pillow covers — anything that can soak up odors over time. Also, pay particular attention to the kitchen, bathrooms, and any areas your pets may frequent.
Remember that the smell of a freshly painted wall can linger for some time afterward, as can the fumes from many cleaning chemicals. Be sure to leave some time between cleaning and when visitors may arrive to ensure potential buyers aren’t overpowered by these smells as soon as they enter.
11. Spruce up all outside areas
If you own a house with any exterior space, tend to those areas. Curb appeal provides the first impression prospective buyers will have of your home and will be their final view as they exit.
Sweep the entryway, mow and rake the lawn, trim the hedges, clean the gutters, and so on.
12. Replace appliances
Laundry machines, dishwashers, air conditioners, and refrigerators can last many years, but they can also get outdated and need repair. Updating older appliances could positively affect the offer price. Since these upgrades are more expensive, check in with your realtor to see if they're worth it.
Many buyers expect up-to-date appliances that maximize functionality and reduce power consumption. Consider other electronic and electrical items as well for possible upgrading. Smart thermostats, energy-friendly heat pumps, and replaced lighting can add value to your home and increase buyer interest.
13. Ask for your agent’s opinion
If you’re working with a listing agent, leverage their expertise. As you stage your home for sale, your agent can point out things that need immediate attention, from furniture placement to weird smells to quick fixes. Use their in-depth knowledge of buying and selling homes to your advantage.
How to stage a house when you're living in it vs. when you've moved out
If you (or a renter) are still living in the home: Clean and declutter as much as possible, moving anything you can do without for several months to storage. Put personal items out of sight, and make sure valuables are locked away.
If you’re not living in the home but you have personal items there: Pack your belongings into boxes and neatly put them in the garage, basement, or a rented storage space. If some of your furniture is in disrepair or boldly patterned, consider renting or buying some items just for when you’re staging your home.
If the home is completely empty of personal items: This is the ideal scenario, but it can also be overdone. Staging your home to sell means buyers can easily picture their lives there. While removing personal items is great, leave (or purchase) decorative items to help make the space more visually appealing. Don't have empty rooms. Having some items can help visitors understand the room's proportions and purpose more easily.
How to decide if you need a professional staging service
While DIY staging will be the friendliest on your budget, it may not be the best for all situations. If you’re staging a home located far away, you're too busy to do the work, or you otherwise don’t think you’ll be able to do it well, a professional home staging service may be a great option for you.
While you may be able to do it all yourself, professional staging companies are well-versed in developing staging plans, arranging furniture for visual appeal, and other big projects. Some may also offer cleaning, organization, and furniture rental services.
| What you can do to stage your home | Tidy up and organize Deep clean Improve curb appeal Neutralize odors, colors, and decor Depersonalize |
| What your agent can do | Help make house staging decisions Refer you to professional home staging companies Refer you to professional cleaning companies Offer advice based on the local market |
| What a professional service can do | Bring in and remove furniture Arrange rooms to maximize appeal Decorate based on current trends |
When considering DIY staging or outsourcing it to the professionals, pull in your real estate agent for advice. If you decide to do it yourself, your agent can help you with staging choices. And if you decide to use a service, they can refer you to ones they trust.
FAQ
Is staging a house for sale worth it?
Staging a home is almost always a worthwhile investment. Prospective buyers will appreciate it if you increase the visual appeal, clean and declutter, and remove personal items. Also, staged homes tend to spend significantly less time on the real estate market and may fetch better prices.
What is the most important thing a seller must do when staging their home?
Deep cleaning may be the most important thing to do when staging your home. Surfaces will shine and appear much newer, and it may help you uncover issues you weren’t aware of. Most crucially, though, the deep cleaning helps to show future visitors that the home is in good shape and has been cared for.
How much does it cost to stage a house for sale?
The typical cost for sellers to stage a home is between $800 and $3,000, with an average of about $1,800. Renting furniture can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000 or more per room per month, depending on the room’s size and purpose. On top of these prices, professional staging services may charge for an initial consultation, usually several hundred dollars, depending on the size and scope of your property.
Who usually pays for home staging?
Property owners are typically responsible for home staging costs, although some agents may include at least some aspects of it in their fee. Check with a real estate agent before hiring them to determine their services when it comes to staging.
