Professional Real Estate Staging Tips: Impress Buyers and Sell Faster

Are you looking to sell your home quickly and for more money? If so, professional staging can help you impress prospective buyers and expedite the selling process.

Here’s why good real estate staging tips are so important. According to a 2021 study of 4,600 properties completed by the Real Estate Staging Association, 73% of staged properties were sold over the listing price by an average of $40,000 per home. The average seller spent 1.3% of the home’s selling price on a staging service and recouped a 7.1% profit. Another study by the National Association of Realtors found that 81% of real estate agents found that home staging made it easier for each potential buyer to envision themselves living in the home.

As you can see, investing in home staging with a professional home stager is worth it! However, it’s important to go about the process correctly to maximize your investment.

Room-by-Room Real Estate Staging Tips

During the home staging process, focus on the following action items to impress potential buyers and recoup home staging costs with a well-staged home.

Living Room

• Remove unnecessary furniture in the living room — less is usually more.
• Open curtains and blinds to boost natural light, and add stylish standing and table lamps for additional lighting that doubles as elegant decor.
• Choose furniture in a lighter, neutral shade and add a stylish pop of color with throw pillows, blankets, wall art, and other smaller items. You can rent furniture from a professional stager.
• Add a few touches to give the living room a “lived-in” look, like coffee table books and candles on the end tables or potted plants and a mirror on the fireplace mantle.
• Soften up tile or hardwood floors with an oversized rug. This is also a great way to add a burst of color to an otherwise neutral room.
• Replace personal photographs on the walls or fireplace mantle with stylish artwork or a mirror.
• Need some more tips for staging a living room? Read through our living room staging guide.

Dining Room

• Help buyers imagine hosting dinner by staging the table with simplistic place settings.
• Add a centerpiece, like a vase of fresh flowers, a plant, or a bowl of fresh fruit.
• Open all blinds and curtains to enhance the room’s natural lighting, and consider adding a statement lighting piece above the table, like a chandelier.
• If your dining room is on the smaller side, add a mirror on the wall across from the window to make the entire room appear larger.
• Want more help staging a dining room? Read through our dining room staging guide.

Kitchen

• Remove all used food from the pantry and the refrigerator. Consider keeping a few “staple” items, like pasta and cereal, in organized and eye-catching containers in the pantry.
• Deep clean all appliances inside and out — specifically the refrigerator, oven, microwave, and stovetop. Store away smaller appliances, like the coffee maker and toaster. If you want to keep a small, attractive appliance on display, ensure it is sparkling clean.
• Remove unnecessary clutter. Keep one attractive set of dishes, silverware, cups, glasses, etc., in the cabinets and drawers, and pack the rest away.
• Scrub grime and stains from the countertops and cabinets, and vacuum and mop the floors.
• Decorate the countertops with a cookbook and a vase of flowers.
• Modernize outdated cabinets with a fresh stain or paint and new hardware.
• For more advice about staging a kitchen, check out our kitchen staging guide.

Bedrooms

• Place the bed in the center of the room, making it the focal point, and decorate it with beautiful bedding, throw pillows, and blankets.
• Choose a neutral color scheme in the master bedroom.
• If you’ve had the same bedroom set for decades, consider renting more modern and universally appealing furniture for the primary bedroom.
• Soften up tile or hardwood flooring in the bedroom with an oversized plush rug.
• Declutter the closet and keep only a few season-appropriate clothing items hanging on matching hangers. Consider trading cheap plastic hangers for elegant wooden ones.
• Instead of staging all guest bedrooms as bedrooms, consider turning one into a home office or a kids’ playroom to help buyers envision how they might utilize these rooms on a day-to-day basis.
• Check out our bedroom staging guide for more helpful bedroom staging tips.

Bathrooms

• Clean the shower, tub, toilet, countertops, mirrors, and floors until they’re sparkling clean.
• Replace leaky faucets and shower heads with stylish, functional new fixtures.
• Remove personal items, like toothbrushes and razors, from the countertops, drawers, and cabinets.
• Hang a new, neutral-colored shower curtain and invest in new, clean bath mats and rugs.
• Decorate countertops with a decorative soap dispenser, candles, and small plants, and consider burning the candles during showings.

Home Exterior

• Power wash the exterior, walkway, steps, and front porch to remove dirt and grime.
• Add a fresh coat of paint to the siding boards and the front door.
• Trim trees and shrubs and add flower boxes near the front door to add a pop of color.
• Purchase a cheery welcome mat to greet potential buyers as they enter your home.
• Check that the outdoor lights work; if not, replace any burnt-out bulbs with new ones.
• Don’t overlook your outdoor living space. A patio or deck can be staged like a second living room with stylish outdoor furniture, a rug, a fire table, and twinkling string lights.

General Staging Tips

• Keep all the lights on and open the curtains and shades to make each room feel spacious.
• Remove personal items from the home, including family photos and family portraits. Replace personal photos with simplistic artwork.
• Paint darker walls with a lighter, neutral shade, like white or beige.
• If you have cats or dogs, hide beds, litter boxes, food bowls, and toys while showing the home, and invest in deep cleaning to remove pet stains and pet odors.
• A finished basement or finished attic is a great upsell for future buyers. If the attic is large enough, professional stagers typically recommend staging it as a guest bedroom or organizing it as a storage space. A basement makes an excellent entertainment room or home gym.

Help Home Buyers Envision Their Future Home with Professional Staging

Home staging can make all the difference when it comes to selling your home quickly and helping it stand out from other online listings, but as you can see from the list above, it is a lot of work!

That’s why hiring a professional staging company, like THE STAGING COMPANY, is a smart choice and totally worth the home staging cost when you’re ready to sell your house in Texas and Florida. While you work with your realtor on finding a new home, we’ll ensure you’ll receive the best return on investment on your current home with expert staging in every room to dazzle potential buyers.

Learn more about our staging services, and contact us when you’re ready to get started!