7 New Tips for Staging a House

With houses still selling so fast, it’s easy to wonder if staging is even necessary. The answer is absolutely, especially because today’s buyers are ready to make a purchase quickly. If they look at two homes on the same day — and can see themselves living in one but not the other — there’s no question that they will choose the one they can visualize as their own. In fact, according to a 2023 report from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), some buyers will even offer up to five percent more for a staged home compared to similar homes on the market that were not staged. 

But because technology is changing quickly and today’s buyers have a lot of special requests regarding their lifestyle, it’s important to know how to stage a house to meet those needs. We have some new tips to help create a canvas that will appeal to your potential buyers.

The goal for staging a home in 2024 is the same as it was pre-pandemic, which is to have your home reflect a neutral—yet inviting—space where buyers can envision themselves. This requires eliminating or at least dialing back personal style preferences. Staging today also means keeping in mind how buyers want to live in their homes.

Here are some refreshed tips for how to best stage a house for sale:

According to NAR's 2023 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 41% of recent buyers said the first step they took in the home-buying process was to look online at properties for sale. All buyers said they used the internet to search for a home. Needless to say, staging is not just important for in-person viewings, but for first-impression photos and videos that will appear online. 

Some sellers want to put their house on the market and see what happens before spending the money to hire a professional stager. But if buyers browsing online are turned off by what they see in photos and virtual tours, there’s little chance they will ask to view the home in person. Real estate agents and staging experts know how to stage a house for sale inexpensively, and the return on the investment is almost always well worth it. 

Too much of anything personal—art, books, toys, sports memorabilia—is too much for many buyers to look past. Seeing family photos all over the place also makes it hard to see the place as their own. When staging a house for sale, it’s important to remember that less is more. 

We love our homes, so our personal stamp tends to show up everywhere. That might make it a lovely place for us to live... but that personal flair doesn’t mean it will attract buyers. In fact, the opposite usually happens. A professional stager can offer guidance on how to keep the home cozy without making it feel like buyers are intruding on your personal space.

The most recent statistics from PEW Research show that just over a third of workers in the U.S. who can work remotely do so all the time, while 41% are at least on a hybrid schedule. This means there’s a pretty strong chance that buyers will be looking for an office space. 

If your home already has a designated office, be sure to make it look organized and inviting by clearing stacks of files and bills from the desk and only leaving essentials such as a cup of pens, a notebook, a laptop, and a desk lamp. If you don’t have a room that’s currently being used for work, create one. Formal dining rooms are not as much in demand as they used to be, so if you have one, replace the table with a desk and a bookshelf or two.

No dining room? Create a workspace in the spare bedroom, in the basement, or even in a corner of the living room. As long as buyers can picture being able to work from home, they’re more likely to show interest.

Buyers don’t only want to see the living space; they want to see where they can put all their stuff. By removing everything but the essentials from closets, cabinets, the basement, and the garage, you can show them how much storage space there is while also getting a good start on packing. 

Now is a good time to declutter and donate old toys and home decor items to a local church, Goodwill, or Salvation Army. If you have valuable items and would like to make some extra cash, try Facebook Marketplace. And if there are things you need to clear out of closets but know you want to keep, just make sure to stack them in neat, organized boxes in the basement or rent a temporary storage unit.  

A professional stager will have suggestions about what should stay and what should go into storage prior to listing your home. For instance, you might love your huge sectional sofa, but it’s not ideal if it takes up most of the room.

A professional stager will have suggestions about what can stay and what should go into storage. They may bring in furniture that they feel works better in a room. For example, a seller might love their huge sectional sofa, but it’s not ideal if it takes up most of the room. Moving in furniture that is sized appropriately can make a room look much bigger than a room that is empty or filled with oversized pieces.

Open concept living hasn’t cooled off completely, as homeowners still like an open flow for entertaining, or for watching the kids in the living room while cooking in the kitchen. But today’s buyers are all about flexible living; they want the option to have sectioned-off spaces within the main living area if they desire. 

So what does that mean when it comes to staging a house for sale? It means having a sofa facing away from the kitchen, flanked by a couple of cozy recliners where conversation can take place. A play area walled off by bookshelves, where toys can stay contained. A media area where teens can game in the family’s presence – instead of being isolated in their rooms. Every buyer’s needs will be different, but it’s important to show proof that your home offers lots of possibilities. 

A professional stager will know what furniture to bring in and how to create flexible spaces to impress a variety of buyers.

A professional home stager has a slightly different skill set than a typical interior decorator. Instead of learning about the homeowner and decorating to suit their tastes, they deal with the psychology of potential buyers. They decorate homes so they appeal to a wide range of people so those homes will sell.

This means arranging furniture so there is a flow throughout the space. They pay attention to sight-lines and angles, color trends, and finding the right balance between uncluttered space and coziness.  

The rooms they stage are set up to look and feel good, but not necessarily for daily life. For example, the most comfortable seat in a staged room may not have a view of the TV, which it surely would if the homeowner arranged the furniture. Or a room used for sewing or crafts might be restaged as another bedroom, especially in a neighborhood that’s desirable for large families.

Professional stagers bring special skills to their job. They have a talent for seeing homes with an unbiased eye. They know how buyers need to feel to get excited about a house, and are able to create that feeling with their flair for design. They also keep track of trends in home decor, furniture, and paint colors so the house looks up-to-date and fresh. 

Along with an experienced real estate agent, adding a home staging professional to the team can help sell a home faster and for more money. They both know the market and what people are looking for.

Home staging costs can vary, as the price depends on the extent of services. For instance, reorganizing existing furniture will cost less than renting furniture. And staging a few key rooms, such as the living room and master bedroom, will be more affordable than staging the entire house.

NAR’s 2023 Home Staging Profile showed that the median amount spent for a staging service was $600, compared to $400 when a sellers’ agent staged the home. The average cost to rent staging furniture is $500 to $600 per room, per month. For a 2,000 square foot home, a seller can expect to spend up to $2,400 per month. 

While these costs can look alarming, it’s important to keep in mind that staged homes sell, on average, 9 days faster than those that are not staged. So that “per month” price of $2,400 could very likely be just one month. And not only do staged homes sell fast, research shows that buyers are likely to pay up to 20% more for a staged home. 

When working with an expert who is cognisant of your budget and knows how to stage a house for sale inexpensively, the return on the investment is often well worth it. 

Ready to put your home on the market and sell it for a great price? Contact a realtor at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties. We have relationships with professional stagers who are highly knowledgeable about what buyers are looking for, and we work together to get homes sold fast.