Thinking About Selling Your House? Here are 13 Essential Tips for Staging a Home

September 28, 2021 by Julia Weaver

Whether you’re selling your home in Chicago, IL or Vancouver, CA, staging your home and getting professional real estate photos is now more important than ever. After all, listing photos will be the first thing a potential buyer sees of your home, and presenting a well-staged home gives the best possible first impression. A home stager will emphasize the property’s strengths and minimize its weak points. And, a photographer knows the correct lighting, angles, and minor details that give a much better depiction of the home.

We asked the experts to share their best tips for staging a home to capture its selling points, stand out from the competition, and appeal to the majority of buyers.

Think of the camera first

Not staging your home for listing photos is like showing up for new headshots without having your hair fixed and your makeup on. You’re not highlighting it at its very best. Staging provides ingredients the photographer uses to create a positive emotional response in potential buyers. – CricketPix Real Estate Photography

If you don’t stage your home, you’re leaving money on the table

Incorporate design elements that create a pleasant, inviting feel and allow the buyer to imagine themselves living a comfortable, enjoyable life in the space. We often see the buyer copy our staging concepts into their home after they purchase the home or they hire us with design help. Making this connection is beneficial for both the seller and the new homeowner, and statistically brings a quicker sale for top dollar. – Lavender & Birch Home Staging & Design

Home staging tip: The key is preparation

The better you prepare your home, the better your photographs will look. Staging will remove the personal feel of the property and present it in a way that viewers will better be able to imagine themselves living there. –Mikael Lamber Photography

Create a space the buyer can imagine themselves in

Staging your home for real estate photography is essential in this market. As a professional real estate photographer, I find vacant homes to be one of the most difficult things to make look good. Having your home professionally staged will be well worth the time and effort. – Real Estate & Aerial Photography

Sell your home faster, for more money, and experience a far less stressful process

Our tip for staging a home is hiring a professional stager for a consultation to view your property and provide recommendations to improve your ROI. Working with a professional stager will make the selling and moving experience faster, less stressful, and more profitable. They’ll be able to work within your budget and help you invest your dollars for the best ROI. They’ll make recommendations on everything from paint choices, updating or replacing items, what stays and what should go, and sometimes recommend complex upgrades or renovations. Whether the house is occupied or vacant, a professional stager is the first step in maximizing the saleability of your property while putting it in its strongest position possible so it will be on every buyer’s must-see list. – Shell Brodnax, CEO Real Estate Staging Association®

Staging is vital for real estate photography

It makes the houses look 10 times better. Think about those showcases of the furniture stores, that’s the impression the potential buyers will get. – Yzi Yang, Easy Photography Studio

Make repairs, install proper lighting, and remove excess furniture

When getting your home ready for sale, be sure to take care of all maintenance items that could give buyers pause, such as repairing cracks in the ceiling or walls. Additionally, check that light fixtures have bulbs that work and have bright wattage to illuminate your space. Finally, too much furniture can make a property feel smaller. Create good walkways by removing or rearranging furniture to allow for buyers to easily circulate through your open house. – Red Door Design + Staging

Lighting is everything

A dark room will make your space seem cramped. It’s best to let in as much natural light as possible by removing dark window coverings or opening all the closed blinds. If natural light is not possible, add modern light fixtures or install overhead lighting to save space if the rooms are small. Use area rugs to create an illusion of space or define separate areas of an open room. Remove all personal photos on the wall and/or counters so buyers can imagine themselves living in the home without feeling like they’re intruding into someone else’s home. – EZ STAGED

Appeal to more home buyers with this home staging tip

Professional staging ensures a clean, modern, and neutral look, which helps a wider group of potential buyers identify with the space. – Margo Photography

Get rid of red

One tip for home staging is to remove any red in rugs, pillows, art. It is too distracting in online photos and always make sure to place a mirror at the top of the stairs. – Home with Keki

Don’t neglect your outdoor space

Until now, a balcony was an asset in real estate, but not a necessity. After all the pandemic isolation, the balcony has become a premium feature, and not the only one – buyers also pay attention to all kinds of courtyards, additional green areas in estates or gardens. So even if you don’t have a large home staging budget, check this new industry trend. Use a minimum budget to make the maximum arrangement of the balcony. – Insta Staging

Home is a feeling

New home builders have understood the magic of presenting a home and emotions in connection to “home” at its best by using models. Home staging is the same philosophy. Staging a home with current furniture art and accessories in appropriate scale, updated decor, and well-placed furniture can help potential buyers to see a home presented at its best. Giving meaning to unusual spaces, solving furniture placement concerns, and breathing new inspired life into what might be dated or challenging design. – Rethink Interiors

Beat out the competition

Staging a home is so important for home sellers because it is the best way to beat out the competition of other houses on the market. Other homeowners may not take the time to get their home ready to sell and their property will sit longer on the market. By staging it, you show buyers that you mean business and are ready to move out. – Blue Diamond Staging & Design