How to Stage Your Home Like A Pro & Sell Fast

Written by: Olivia Forgette

According to HomeAdvisor, homes that have been staged spend between 33 percent and 50 percent less time sitting on the market. A 2021 National Association of Realtors (NAR) survey found that more than 80 percent of real estate agents representing buyers said staging makes it easier for them to see themselves in the new space. We hope you enjoy learning how to easily stage your home like a pro.

If you’re aiming to sell your home fast, and for top dollar, it’s clear that adding some home staging elements to your humble abode can make an impact. We have scoured the internet to bring you expert home staging tips and tricks to get your house sold quickly.

Interior Design Versus Home Staging

You may be thinking to yourself, ‘what is the difference between home staging, and interior design?’ The two topics run in the same vein but are actually quite different. The first major difference is their purpose. Interior design has a goal of beautifying a space and adding comfort. Interior design incorporates elements of your personal style and flare.

On the flip side, home staging is used to stroke the imagination of potential buyers by putting on a show to get a higher selling price. While interior design is all about letting your personality shine by way of design, home staging is meant to keep things neutral to appeal to the most buyers.

The other major difference between interior design and home staging is the cost of professional help. Interior designers deliver unique, curated designs to match your personal style. This comes with a higher price tag, as they spend more time searching for unique pieces to make your space represent you. Home stagers often cost a bit less because they don’t necessarily need to find unique gems, and their main purpose is to increase your return on investment.

75 percent of HomeLight agents surveyed mentioned that they have offered their clients free home staging services, either using their own skill and knowledge or by partnering with local stagers. This statistic adds to the fact that home staging often comes at a much cheaper price point than interior design.

Basic Staging Tips to Help Sell Your Home Fast

1) Stage Where it Counts

Not all rooms are necessarily essential to have perfectly staged when you’re trying to sell your home. Focus your efforts on the rooms that have the biggest impact on a buyer’s decision. According to an NAR report, rooms that hold the most importance to buyers are the living room, master bedroom, and kitchen. This being said, aim your focus on theses spaces and put less effort into a child’s room, office, or bathroom.

2) Declutter & Depersonalize

As stated previously, the goal of home staging is to help buyers imagine themselves in your space by stroking their imagination through design. In order to achieve this goal, you must declutter and depersonalize your space. Make your home a blank canvas so the buyer can let their imagination run wild with how they would like to personalize the space.

Start by removing personal photos, keep clothing stored away, and keep personal items such as your toothbrush off the bathroom counter.

Another essential part of home staging is decluttering and cleaning. Click here to read more tips on how you can declutter, clean, and make an epic first impression like a pro!

3) Make Fresh A Focus

A few potted plants and a fresh coat of neutral paint can make your home feel more inviting to potential buyers. Remember, home staging like a pro is all about getting the buyer to imagine themselves living in your house.

Another key element is to keep your home smelling fresh. Keep the scent airy and light by opening windows, and removing any trace of pets, kids, or last night’s dinner. Keep wet, musty towels out of the bathroom, and burn vanilla scented candles to add an inviting finishing touch.

4) Define Your Space & Stage Like A Pro

Another pro home staging tip is to make sure each room is clearly defined with a purpose. This will help buyers see how they can maximize your square footage and help them imagine how they can use the space.

Think about reworking your room layouts by utilizing furniture. Consider putting the couch on the opposite wall to make things flow nicer or swap the way your dining table is facing to maximize space in the room. Furniture should define your space in a practical way, so don’t place a table in front of a cabinet that needs to open. But remember to get out of the rut of how things have always been to give a creative, fresh flow to your home.

5) Furniture That Fits

When staging your home, make sure the furniture you select for each room fits the space. If a room is cluttered with furniture, it makes the space feel small (uh-hum, a negative in buyers’ eyes). On the flip side, a space with too small or too few furniture pieces can feel cold and uninviting. Find a good balance by ensuring there is space to move around, but still feeling cozy and inviting.

If you don’t feel like your personal furniture fits this ticket, you can try renting furniture to stage your home! This is a service that will ensure you have modern, clean furniture that buyers will adore.

6) The Finishing Touch

Once your home is depersonalized, neutral, scrubbed clean, and staged with furniture to fit the space, the final step is to add some thoughtful finishing touches. The home can end up looking a little sterile with it being such a blank canvas, so try adding some fresh cut flowers for a hint of color. Or add a pretty tablecloth to deliver a little pop of homey feel. Consider adding some comforting throw pillows with a some fun color, or a décor accessory on a shelf to give a hint of style. Don’t go crazy with these touches, just a few elements will take the staged space to the next level.

Final Home Staging Tips & Tricks

• Avoid staging with dated design by picking up some home staging and interior design magazines, or looking on Pinterest for inspiration
• Stage your home to suit its age and style (click here for tips on staging an older home!)
• Don’t forget to stage your outdoor spaces as well

We hope you now feel more prepared than ever to get your home staged like a pro, and your house sold fast! If you are interested in listing your home, contact top-selling real estate agent Maureen Forgette to get your home on the market today!