40+ Home Staging Tips

Why it is important to stage

• Similar to a job interview, you want to put your best foot forward – for your house
• It helps your house stand out from the rest of the homes.
• If you are not staging and others are, what does that mean for you? 
• It helps buyers, “see and feel” them living in that home 

Things to Keep In Mind: 

• Buyer’s only know what they see, not how it’s going to be. 
• You can’t sell it if you can’t see it. 
• You can’t sell it if you can smell it. 
• The way you live in your home and the way you market and sell your house are two different things. 

Home Staging tips list: 

• In every room, stand in the doorway and look at the room through the eyes of a buyer. What do you see? Be tough on yourself: What can you do without while your home is on the market? 
• Most carpets need to be cleaned. Have them professionally cleaned before coming on the market. If they need to be replaced you should replace them unless you don’t want to ask top dollar. 
• Check all light fixtures. Are they working properly? Replace all burned out light bulbs. Look for dark hallways and corners and increase the wattage of bulbs in those areas. Make sure there are lamps with adequate bulbs in dark corners and turned on for showings. 
• Repair and repaint cracks on all walls and ceilings. 
• Repair or replace broken light switches and switch plates. Clean any dirty areas around them. 
• Keep all curtains and blinds open during the day to let in all light and views. The extra cost of heating or air conditioning is a necessary cost of selling. 
• Pack up all valuables to protect them. If necessary, take them to a safe deposit box. 
• Take a hard look at those beloved house plants. In most cases they need to be pruned and/or the number of plants reduced to create more space. If plants don’t look healthy and are barely clinging to life, give them away.
•  Fireplaces need to be cleaned out. Glass doors should be cleaned. Mantels and hearths need to be cleared off except for a very few necessary items. 
• To create more space you may want to remove some furnishings. Pack up all collections (you need to pack them sooner or later anyway). They distract buyers from the desired focal point…your home. 
• Reduce the number of books on bookshelves. Pack up the books early! Reduce the number of family photos on shelves, pianos and tables. 
• Reduce the number of wall hung photos and paintings in every room to one large piece on a wall or a small group of three. Make sure they are hung at eye level. Most people hang their pictures too high. 
• Be sensitive to odors because buyers are! 
• Wash all windows inside and out and make sure they operate freely. Repair items that are broken. This will show that your home is well taken care of. In most cases, buyers will ask for them to be repaired anyway, so do it now. 
• Rearrange furnishings or move furnishings from room to room as needed to create more space.
• In general, pack up the little things. Little things create clutter and they need to be packed up anyway, so pack them up now. 

Living Room, Family Room, Den: 

• Clear off all coffee tables and end tables. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items. 

Dining Room:

• Clear off the dining table except for one nice centerpiece. 
• Remove extra leaves from tables to make the room look bigger. 
• Remove extra chairs from the table if they crowd the table or fill up corners of the room. Four or six chairs are enough. 

Bedrooms: 

• Make beds daily. Invest in a new bedspread if necessary. 
• Clear off bedside tables, dressers, etc. except for a very few necessary items. 
• Store extra books and magazines underneath the bed. 
• Keep closet doors closed. If you have a walk-in closet keep the floor clean and free of laundry and clutter. 
• Remove all posters tacked on walls and repair holes in walls. 

Laundry Room: 

• Put soaps and supplies in cupboards. 
• Keep counters and sink clean and empty. 
• Make sure that light bulbs are working and have adequate wattage. Most laundry rooms are too dark.

Kitchen:

• Put soaps and supplies in cupboards. 
• Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops leaving only a very few items you use on a daily basis. 
• Clear refrigerators of magnets, pictures, messages, etc. 
• Clean tile grout with bleach if needed. Repair broken tile or loose corners on Formica counters. 
• Clean the stovetop and oven. Replace burner pans if they are badly stained. 
• Clean all exhaust fans, filters and hoods. 
• Keep the kitchen sink clean and empty on a daily basis. 
• Keep all soaps, sponges and cleaning supplies out of sight under the sink. 
• Empty the garbage regularly to reduce odors. 
• Move cat and dog dishes so they don’t interfere with the buyer’s walk around the room.

Bathrooms: 

• Clear off all surfaces. Put toiletries in drawers or cabinets and only keep a few necessary items out in baskets or a tray. 
• Make sure you have a bottle of hand soap or a clean bar of soap. 
• Coordinate towels in one or two colors. Fold in thirds on towel racks daily. Purchase new towels if you need to. 
• Clear all items out of shower stalls and tubs except for necessities. Clean or replace the shower curtain. 
• Repair any cracking or peeling areas and clean any moldy areas. Paint if necessary. Many tubs and showers need a fresh new bead of silicone caulking around the edges to make them look neat and clean. 
• Take all cloth toilet lid covers off and keep toilet lids closed. 
• Hide garbage can and cleaning supplies out of sight. 

Closets: 

• Make sure you can open the door freely without any thing falling on potential buyers

This list of home staging tips is one of many resources I give to my clients when selling their homes. Want me as your realtor?