99 Home Staging Tips and Tricks from the Pros

Inside: A comprehensive list of the best home staging tips I learned working as a home stager to help you ready your home to show to its full potential!

Moving is stressful. And overwhelming. And your wallet is taking hits every time you turn around like it’s a game of Whac-a-Mole.

But in trying to cut down on the chaos of this big transition, there’s one part of selling your home that you shouldn’t skip. Staging.

Why? Because according to the National Association of Realtors, 81% of agents said staging a home for sale “made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.” If that isn’t enough, they also report that staging can increase dollar value and sell a home faster.

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A few years ago I worked part-time for a professional home stager. It was a side job made for me because it involved organizing, decluttering, and a bit of creative redecorating. Plus, it was never a dull day seeing how people really lived.😲

I also picked up some invaluable insider tips and tricks to get one of our largest investments ready for the big show.

So if you’re looking to DIY the staging of your home because your real estate agent isn’t picking up the cost, I’m sharing everything I learned from the pros to help you get your home spruced up and ready to put its best face forward!

What Exactly is Home Staging?

Home staging is just what it sounds like—setting the stage for what your home has to offer potential buyers.

It is not, I repeat not, the same thing as decorating. The purpose of home staging is to:

• Highlight the features of the home
• Make everything look more spacious
• Give hints of what each room could be used for
• Let prospective buyers visualize themselves living there

A well-staged home doesn’t look lived in. It should be devoid of the owner’s personality. And that’s an overwhelming thought. Unless you aren’t living in the house, it’s not realistic that you’ll be able to accomplish every one of the things in this post (not even for someone who’s worked as a stager 🙋‍♀️).

But if you’re committed to getting top dollar for your home, here’s a comprehensive list of staging tasks to help you focus on the right things to get it ready.

SH&H Tip: If you can’t stage every room fully, concentrate on the kitchen, living room, bathrooms, and master bedroom first, as these are the areas that sell a home.

Tasks for Every Room.

Let’s start with the tasks that apply to the entire house:

Declutter and Remove Furniture and Decor.

You want to make each room look as spacious as possible to create the illusion of more square footage. And buyers are shopping for your house, not your furniture and decorations, so removing distractions helps them see your home’s best features.

This is where using professional stagers is a good idea for their unbiased eye. We become used to seeing things in certain spots in our homes and something seems off when they aren’t there—especially pieces we bought just to “go” in a particular place. Try to disconnect from your belongings to see your rooms with fresh eyes.

Remember that staging is more about undecorating than decorating. Fewer things in the room, plus a neutral colors and styles mean buyers have less to overcome visually to imagine their belongings in a room.

SH&H Tip: Make room in the garage or rent a pod or storage unit for the items you want to keep. Donate or sell on Facebook Marketplace what you don’t want to move.

To make every space seem larger and let the features be seen:

• Remove excess furniture from every room, leaving only the basics to suggest what the room is used for.
• Clean off unnecessary items from bookshelves and furniture surfaces, leaving minimal decor and more blank space.
• Remove most of the artwork and wall hangings, except for generic pieces like landscapes or mirrors in key focal points.

SH&H Tip: Don’t cheap out on the size of artwork, or it will also make your house look cheap and you’ll get lower offers. And if you need help with how high to hang it, see the post “How High to Hang Pictures and Artwork (with Printable Guide)“.

• Move anything that impedes traffic in walkways, like benches and console tables.
• Remove area rugs and runners (one anchoring the living room seating area is okay).
• Set up vignettes that suggest what the area is used for. (i.e. a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses on the bar.)

Depersonalize.

Help the buyer picture their belongings in your home by:

• Removing all family photos
• Removing personal items
• Removing religious artwork and other wall hangings, home decor, and books
• Removing political items or books
• Avoiding too many decor signs with sayings (those things seem to multiply in people’s houses)

Maintenance the House.

Buyers are looking for a home that looks well taken care of and well-maintenanced.

• Spackle and paint all cracks, dings, and nail holes in the walls.
• Paint over any marks and scuffs on walls, trim, corners, doors, and cabinets.

SH&H Tip: Don’t forget to look up at the ceilings. There may be a nail pop or water stain that you hadn’t noticed before, but buyers and inspectors surely will.

• Touch up scratches and marks on stained wood cabinets, trim, doors, floors, and stairs with matching stain and an artist brush, or a stain marker.
• Change air filters, then clean and dust vent covers and air intake covers. Replace them if they look old or rusty.
• Straighten and tighten loose cabinet hardware.
• Check all the light fixtures for burned-out lightbulbs and make sure the color cast of all of the bulbs within a fixture matches in warmth.

Clean, Dust, Polish, Shine.

A clean home is always more attractive to buyers—no one wants to live in someone else’s dirt and dust bunnies.😝 When giving your home a thorough, top to bottom deep cleaning, remember to:

• Wipe grime and fingerprints from cabinet doors and light switch covers
• Get the spider webs from up in the corners
• Dust window sills and ledges
• Have your windows cleaned
• Clean the carpets
• Scrub the grout

Does your grout still look dirty even though it’s clean? See my favorite solution in the post “The Only Way to Refresh Dirty Tile Grout That Really Works“.

Paint the Walls.

A fresh coat of paint in a light neutral shade makes rooms feel larger and doesn’t distract or turn off buyers. If you’re repainting the whole house to sell, use the same light color throughout.

• Pick a shade of white, light beige, or light greige.
• Strip any wallpaper unless it’s neutral.
• Paint over any colored accent walls.

Get the Lighting Right.

To make every room look light and bright:

• Open all shades, blinds, and drapes to let in as much natural light as possible.
• Remove window treatments that cover any part of the window.
• Turn on all the lights, accent lighting, and lamps for showings and real estate photos.

Address the Smell.

We truly do become nose blind to how our home smells, but it’s one of the first things new people notice.

• Deal with unpleasant odors like stinky garbage, pet or cooking smells, mustiness, and smoke, just to name a few.
• The best smell is no smell at all, but if you’d like to add a universally pleasing scent make it a smell that people associate with clean, fresh, and the comforts of home, like citrus, laundry, or vanilla.
• Avoid strong fragrances, plug-ins, candles, room sprays, or chemical smells that may turn off buyers who are “scent-sitive“.

For a complete list and details for each of these house scent tips, see the post “How to Make Your House Smell Incredible: Real Estate Expert Secrets“.

Remove All Pet Items.

Even pet lovers don’t like the thought of other pet’s hair, messes, and smells in their potential new home, plus all the pet accessories double as clutter. For every showing:

• Put away pet bowls, beds, and toys
• Clean hair off of furniture
• Wipe nose smudges on windows
• Check the doors and windowsills for nail scratches

Once your home goes on the market, see the post, “Last Minute Home Showing Checklist” that explains how to get it show-ready quick. There’s a free printable comprehensive checklist that tells home sellers exactly what they need to do right before showings and open houses to take away some of the guesswork and stress!

Tasks By Room.

Now let’s address each space’s special staging needs.

Kitchens.

The kitchen can make or break a deal. Here are some tips and tricks that pros use to get this all important space ready:

• Remove everything from the counters. This includes small appliances, decorative items, drying racks, soap dispensers, dish towels, rag, sponges, paper towel holders, etc. Add back staged vignettes to a counter and the island.
• Take down any decor from the tops of cabinets.
• Put away the trash can (and empty smelly garbage before showings).
• Shine and wipe away fingerprints and spots on stainless steel appliances and sinks with baby oil.
• Deep clean floor and counter grout and recaulk counters if necessary.
• Remove floor mats or rug runners.
• Clean the inside of ovens.

See my simple way for cleaning the oven without chemicals in the post “How To Clean Your Oven Without Harsh Oven Cleaner“.

Staging Items for Kitchen Counters:

• Coffee maker, tray, and a couple of plain white coffee cups
• A beautiful cookbook
• Wood or white marble cutting board
• Trays to tie vignettes together
• Green bottles of Pelligrino mineral water.
• A vase of flowers or greenery (nothing that looks dead or obviously fake)
• A simple white bowl filled with lemons or green apples

Staging Items for the Kitchen Table:

One simple centerpiece like a bowl of lemons or green apples is best for the kitchen table. But if the surface of the kitchen table has seen better days and needs disguising, set it with some neutral color placemats or napkins and simple white dishes to take attention away from the wear and tear.

Family Rooms/Living Rooms.

• Remove furniture: The living room usually has too much furniture for a showing situation because it is where we actually “live”. Take out everything you can except for the sofa, coffee table, TV console, and an end table or two. If your room is truly large enough you may want to leave an accent chair or two. (In the houses I staged, we always took out oversized chairs in the family rooms—it made a world of difference.)
• Rearrange the room: Rearrange the furniture that’s left to make the room feel even more spacious. If you have an amazing view of the backyard, arrange the furniture to highlight it.
• The Sofa: If you have a dark colored sofa, add light colored throw pillows and drape a throw blanket to lighten things up. And a little trick we used when there was a huge sectional sofa that took up too much of the room? We took out the corner piece and separated the sides into two “sofas”!
• Floors: Buyers love hardwood floors, so if you have this sought-after feature or another desirable floor material, remove all the area rugs to show them off. (One is okay to anchor the seating area as long as there is still plenty of floor showing elsewhere.)

• Fireplace: Clear off the fireplace mantel. Remove family portraits and hang or prop a sizable more generic piece of artwork or a mirror as a focal point. If desired, add a plant or a set of candlesticks back to the mantel. If you have a dark, outdated fireplace, try whitewashing the brick or stone. Disguise dated brass accents with a little black paint.

See how to lighten up your dark, dated fireplace with paint in the post “How To Whitewash A Fireplace: Easy Step By Step Guide“.

• Decorations: Clear off all of the furniture surfaces, empty the contents of built-ins, and move any floor decor. Then minimally add a few staged items back in.

Staging Items for the Living Room or Family Room:

• Lamps
• Home accents with clean lines (light colored objects help lighten the room)
• Faux green plants
• A floor basket with rolled up throw blankets
• Books (turning the spines backward for the uniform lightness of the pages is a common stagers’ trick)

Bedrooms.

• Remove everything but the bed, one nightstand (two if there’s room), one dresser or chest of drawers, and a chair(s) in sitting area if there is one.
• Put away all personal items from the nightstands like clocks, chargers, books, glasses, remotes, sound machines, etc.
• Completely clear off the dresser or chest surface and add one or two staged items back.

Staging items for the Bedroom:

• Lamps
• Home accents with clean lines (light colored objects help lighten the room)
• Faux green plants

How to Make a Bed for Real Estate Photos.

The toughest thing in staging the bedroom is making the bed for real estate photos. Because let me tell you, every wrinkle and lopsided layer will glare at you in the pictures!

• Bedding: Use white or light colored bedding with little or no pattern if possible. (In lieu of buying new bedding use light colored pillows and a blanket or white down comforter folded at the end of the bed.)

• Sheets, quilts, bedspreads, and coverlets: Pull these covers all the way up to completely cover the sides of the mattress. Make sure everything is completely smooth and even. Tuck the sides behind wood or upholstered side rails for the neatest look. Add a folded comforter and throw blanket to the end if desired.
• Pillows: Tuck bed pillows behind the decorative pillows with the pillowcase opening facing in. Layer in front euro pillows and/or shams and a decorative pillow.

Bathrooms.

• Remove all hygiene items from the counters, tub, and shower—they are personal and turn buyers off.
• Remove any added storage accessories, including those over the toilet storage racks—they imply there isn’t enough storage in the bathroom.
• Remove everything from around the toilet—i.e. toilet brushes, magazines, steps.
• Scrub every crevice of the toilet and replace the seat if needed.
• Scour away any mildew or mold from the sinks, tub, shower, shower doors, or shower curtains.
• Recaulk if needed.
• Pick up the bathmats.
• Completely clear bathroom counters and tub surrounds and add a few staging vignettes or items back in.

Staging items for the Bathroom:

• Rolled up white towels (buy brand new ones, don’t wash them, and tell your family not to use them)
• A faux green plant or a vase of greenery snipped from the yard (replaced every couple of days)
• A pretty wood bath brush
• Candle
• Trays to hold staging vignettes
• White Dove bar soap in a white dish (it also makes the bathroom smell fresh)
• Small glass jar filled with cotton balls
• Apothecary jar with white bath salts

Closets, Pantries, and Storage Spaces.

Thin out items in storage spaces and closets, leaving a third or less if possible. Storage is a good selling feature but can backfire if overfilled because it looks like there isn’t enough storage. Removing all items from the floor can also give the illusion of a larger area.

Laundry Rooms and Mudrooms.

Don’t keep any laundry, dirty or clean, in the laundry room while showing your house. Remove everything from the floor, counters, hooks, cubbies, and top of the washer and dryer. Add one or two staging items to decorate.

Staging items for the Laundry Room or Mudroom:

• Rolled colorful beach towels
• A cute pair of rain boots
• Pretty laundry basket (not plastic)
• Green faux plant
• Glass canisters with laundry powder or clothespins

SH&H Tip: For showings, throw items you need to hide in the washer and dryer or into the laundry basket and stick it in the car.

Dining Rooms.

• Take leaves out of the dining room table to make it smaller and remove the extra furniture if possible to make the room seem more spacious.
• Thin out items displayed in china cabinets.
• Use one simple centerpiece on the table.
• Clear off buffet surfaces and add back one or two simple staging items.

Staging Items for the Dining Room:

• Lamps
• Ginger jars
• Vases
• Updated floral arrangements or faux greenery in a vase

SH&H Tip: Make sure the dining table is centered (this applies to the kitchen table too). Often we don’t notice that it’s off until we see it in the listing photos and it’s too late.

Home Offices.

Where we work is typically the most cluttered, and I found this the area that sellers were least willing to stage. Here is what professional stagers recommend, but do what you can:

• Completely clear the desk except for a laptop or one monitor and a couple of accessories.
• Remove extra desk chairs, side tables, and everything on the floor.
• Hide cords and wires for real estate photos.
• Put away trash cans and paper shredders.

Staging Items for the Study or Home Office:

• Green plants
• Desk or floor lamps
• Books
• Sculptural home decor objects
• Neutral decorative boxes

Playrooms, Craft Rooms, Bonus Rooms, and Basements.

Stage with just enough furniture and accessories to show what activities these rooms might be used for. Hide everything you can in the room’s closet, or pack it in bins and move it to the garage.

Game Rooms.

Remove most of the decor, wall hangings, and memorabilia. Instead of your complete carefully curated sports team collections, leave just a hint.

Media Rooms.

• Hide wires and remotes.
• Remove all the furniture except the main seating, coffee table, and TV console (i.e. tired beanbags, spare chairs).
• Lighten up the room with light colored throw pillows.
• Fluff and straighten the couch cushions. This room’s furniture can look saggy and tired and that will show in photos.
• Set the movie scene by draping a cozy blanket and putting a cute popcorn box on a tray.

Curb Appeal and Backyard.

A home’s curb appeal is the first impression for a buyer and can hook them right away. And the backyard is usually the final impression, so don’t skip the outside of your home when staging.

• Check the welcome mat and consider buying a fresh new one.
• Paint or restain the front door.
• Add a pot or a pair of pots with fresh flowers of the season flanking the entrance.
• Have the windows cleaned.
• Touch up paint as needed. If repainting the entire house to sell, use a neutral color.
• Clean the gutters.
• Prep the garden beds. Weed, remove dead plants, and apply fresh mulch.
• Keep the lawn mowed and edged.
• Remove dead tree branches, dead bushes, and dead plants.
• Remove junk from the yard
• Make needed fence repairs, including repainting or restaining.
• Pick up most garden pots except for ones in key focal points. Make sure the plants are healthy.
• Clean patio furniture.
• Blow off porches and patios for showings.
• Park cars in the garage or away from the house.

The real estate market is a competitive, y’all. I hope you’ve found these insider home staging hacks helpful to make your house show its to its full potential. If you have any other favorite tips for getting your home ready to sell, share them with us in the comments!

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