9 Home Staging Tricks the Pros Use

1. Make a good first impression

If the entrance to your home looks unkempt or dated, a potential buyer will be set up for disappointment from the get-go, Saft says.

Add a fresh coat of paint, or create a “high-impact moment with affordable wallpaper,” update doorknobs and other hardware, and if there’s enough room, include a console table or bench to showcase functionality, he says.

Saft adds that hanging a mirror can send a positive subliminal message: “As cliché as it sounds, I do believe there is something about the moment a prospective buyer walks in the door: They see themselves in the mirror, and it’s like you’re putting them in the home.”

2. Declutter the living room

While you’ve likely spent years collecting family photos and memorabilia (those teacups), it’s time to depersonalize the living room, especially if you have anything religious or political on display.

“You don’t want to remove all personality — you want to make a home inviting and engaging — but you want to remove your personality,” says Saft.

That said, “a great ceramics selection, art books and really interesting objects” can be tastefully displayed to show prospective buyers how they may use the space,” Saft adds.

Aside from decluttering, remove superfluous furniture that may block walking paths.

“You can quickly have 10 or 15 people in one space at one time, which means there’s an opportunity for it to feel small and cramped,” Saft says.

If your living room is on the smaller side, add a mirror to make the space feel larger and brighter.

3. Spruce up your kitchen

Keep 90 to 95 percent of your kitchen counter completely empty, suggests Kishah Langham, founder of Texas Stagers in Houston.

Aside from a coffee station, counters should look clean and practical, which “emphasizes usability,” says Corcoran.

It wouldn’t hurt to minimize and organize what’s stored in kitchen cabinets and remove photographs, magnets and children’s artwork from refrigerator doors and side panels.

4. Create bright and seasonal bedrooms

New, white bedding offers a lot of bang for your buck and can make a buyer feel as if they’re walking into a five-star hotel, says Kim Magnuson, president and owner of Tampa Bay Home Staging & Design in Florida.

“White photographs beautifully,” she says. “It says, ‘luxury, cleanliness, resort.’ You want people to think, Wow, I want to sleep here.”

Dressers should be lean on accessories. Remove family photos, and unless you have a jewelry box, be sure to tuck away individual pieces in a drawer so they’re out of sight.

Bedroom closets, meanwhile, should hold only current seasonal clothing.

“You’ve got to thin out the herd,” says Corcoran. “You’re going to be moving anyway, so you might as well start packing some of this stuff.”

Arrange what’s left so that lighter colors are in front of darker ones, to make the space feel larger.

5. Set up an outside area people could see themselves enjoying

Pressure-wash patios, and paint “older, outdated or junky outdoor furniture so it looks new and inviting,” advises Saft. And make sure outdoor space is “set up so people can see themselves having a barbecue, lounging in chairs, reading and spending time [there]. Oftentimes people are paying a premium for outdoor space … so you want to make it as attractive as possible.”

Saft recommends setting the tone with plantings. Spruce up the mulch, and add annuals for seasonal colors that pop.

You’ll also want to make sure beds are weeded and appear neat and tidy.

And your beloved lawn decorations need to be put away. “Bunny rabbits, the frogs, the little turtles, the windmills — anything that has your personal taste has to go,” says Langham.

6. Deep clean your home

It goes without saying that your home should be as clean as it can be when selling. But the devil is in the details — and one of those details is the shower liner. Don’t forget to pay attention to it.

“I’ve seen shower liners where you could clone a human embryo — just vile,” Saft says.Make sure to mitigate smells that may be coming from old bedding or rooms that haven’t been aired out for a while. If a potential buyer believes there may be mildew, thoughts of water damage follow, and there likely won’t be an offer.

7. Choose a calming color palette

Homebuyers typically want to see “warm whites, muted earth tones, lighter neutral grays — lighter contrasts,” says Corcoran. “You do want some stark contrasts, but you want to keep things muted.”

Black accents can work well, such as sliding glass doors in black frames.

“Just keep it soft and gentle and not overwhelming,” he says.

8. Tell a story throughout the house

Take inspiration from a pop of color or type of metal in one room, and carry it through each room, recommends Langham.

For example, if you want that design through line to start with a particular green in an art poster, perhaps feature that same green in a bathroom toothbrush-and-soap holder, bedroom pillows, kitchen plate details (if displayed on a table), even barware.

“Now [prospective buyers] can start getting creative about what they’re going to do with their home once they purchase it,” Langham says.

9. Showcase great lighting

Get rid of heavy drapes and curtains to bring in as much natural light as possible. To that end, replace yellowish and dim incandescent light bulbs with daylight bulbs throughout the house, says Corcoran.

 “Of course, when they move in, they’re going to change the light bulbs,“ he says. “It doesn’t matter at that point. You want the house sold.”