6 Best Home Staging Tips To Sell Faster and Increase Sale Price

Selling a home isn’t as simple as sticking a “For Sale” sign in the yard anymore. Buyers have endless options—and even higher expectations. To really stand out, you need more than a listing; you need to create an experience. 

That’s where home staging comes in. It helps your place shine and makes it easier for buyers to picture themselves living there.

What Is Home Staging?

Home staging is all about preparing your house and highlighting its best features in a way that appeals to potential buyers. The process involves decluttering, rearranging furniture, and adding design elements that create a welcoming, spacious atmosphere. Your objective is to make the space feel well-maintained and help buyers visualize themselves living there. 

By making simple, cost-effective changes, you increase the home’s appeal and perceived value, which can lead to a quicker sale at a far higher price. With effective staging, you can take buyer psychology and current market trends into account, ensuring your home stands out in the competitive real estate sector.

Why First Impressions Matter With Home Staging

Home staging is critical because first impressions of anything or anyone, including a house, matter. Research reveals the brain’s ability to make fast decisions, highlighting that buyers often make emotional choices within the first 15 seconds of a showing.

A well-staged home instantly draws them in, creating an inviting setting that encourages further exploration. Staging also enhances how your home appears in listing photos, which is usually the first introduction online buyers have of the space. 

A visually appealing space can grab attention, increase showings, and boost the chances of attracting competitive offers. Make sure your home makes a strong statement from the get-go.

Best Ways To Stage a Home

Staging is about strategically showing off your home’s best features. Start by touring a newly built home, as builders often spend tens of thousands researching the best strategies for making properties look appealing to buyers. By walking through these houses, you can get some wonderful ideas for how to stage your own home.

Here are the most effective ways to stage a property and help it stand out from the crowd with potential buyers.

1. Spruce Up the Exterior To Boost Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is your first chance to capture and hold a buyer’s attention, helping to draw them inside the space. 

Simple upgrades can make a big impact, from power washing the exterior to touching up paint and trimming the lawn and bushes. Add a few potted plants or flowers by the entrance or even fix any broken outdoor fixtures, like lights or fences, to create a welcoming vibe and show that the home is well-maintained. 

An immaculate, polished exterior sets the tone for the rest of the property, which can make buyers eager to see more.

2. Declutter To Make the Space Inviting

Decluttering and depersonalizing a home is key to helping buyers focus on the space’s potential rather than distractions. Start by removing up to 80% of personal items like photos or excess decorations, and clear countertops and shelves. Simplify the space by storing away non-essential furniture or belongings that make rooms feel crowded. 

A clean, open space not only looks larger but also invites buyers to picture their own furniture and style. Use the “three-box method” to decide what to keep, donate, or relocate to another part of the house, creating a welcoming atmosphere that helps buyers picture themselves living there.

If needed, you can even utilize your garage as a storage space, too. While a garage is important to buyers, the most crucial element for creating that emotional attachment is the open, staged, cleanliness of your home’s interior.

3. Go With Neutral Colors To Attract More Buyers

When staging your home, opt for neutral tones like beige, light gray, or soft whites. These colors appeal to a wide variety of buyers and allow them to picture their own style in the space. Neutral hues create an immaculate, serene backdrop, making the home feel more spacious and modern. 

Conversely, it’s good to add a few bright color accents to your home as well. While these won’t be the main staging colors, using colorful pillows, a candle, or a sunflower pot in the kitchen can draw some color to the photos and the overall feel of the home when walking through. With that said, you’ll want to avoid utilizing these bright colors on entire walls or in rooms.

This simple approach of staging a house not only helps at least 77% of buyers visualize the property as their future home but also ensures the space remains timeless and built to accommodate various tastes and preferences.

4. Utilize Scents Strategically To Activate Different Buyer Responses

Scents have the power to elevate a buyer’s experience and create a welcoming environment. Choose neutral, fresh scents like lavender, vanilla, or clean linen that are soothing but not overwhelming. 

These subtle fragrances can help buyers feel more at ease and emotionally connect with the home. The goal is to create a comforting space that allows potential buyers to imagine themselves living there, with a well-chosen scent that potentially leaves a lasting, positive impression.

5. Make Use of Music for Added Ambience

If you have a speaker system, try playing some soothing music, such as jazz or contemporary music, throughout the house. Avoid using songs containing actual lyrics to avoid initial confusion from buyers over someone talking in the home.

Adding a musical element to your home staging hits another one of the buyers’ senses, and that’s sound, which can make their home visit more memorable. The volume should be so low that if someone is right in front of the speaker, they can still have a conversation. If the music is too loud, it will have a reverse effect on the showing experience.

6. Use Professional Photography To Showcase the House

High-quality photos are pivotal for staging a home. Most buyers begin their search online, with your photos being their first glimpse of the house. Use natural light to brighten up rooms and arrange furniture to create an open flow of space. Don’t forget to also remove any distractions that might detract from the home’s overall appeal. 

Some of the best staging and photography tips range from using a high-quality camera (with Canon and Nikon as some of the best brands out there) to a tripod, a lightroom, top-tier imaging software, a lighting kit or speedlight to make your pictures stand out more. 

With professional photographs, you can capture the right angles and lighting, ensuring your home stands out, attracts more interest, and ultimately changes how buyers perceive the space to secure higher offers.

What To Avoid When Staging a Home

When staging your home, there are a few common mistakes to avoid:

• Overcrowded Rooms: Too much furniture can make a space feel cramped. Keep it simple and allow rooms in your home to breathe.
• Strong Odors: If there’s dander or a distinct pet smell in your home, Lysol odor eliminators can cover up the smell and eliminate the odor’s source. It’s always best to clean up the source as best you can, then use the odor eliminator liberally throughout the house. If you do use any scents afterwards, avoid using overpowering ones like citrus, eucalyptus, or rose. Stick to subtle, clean fragrances that create a welcoming atmosphere.
• Excessive Personal Decor: Keep your decor neutral and minimal to allow buyers to envision themselves in the space. That doesn’t mean you have to get rid of all your personal belongings, including family photos. While family photos shouldn’t be the equivalent of a shrine to your children, having some fun family photos placed evenly around the home can provide an emotional feel that a family lives here and loves the home, rather than just another property with four walls.
• Poor Lighting: Turn on every light and ensure that each room is well-lit with bright, energy-efficient bulbs to avoid a dull aesthetic. Check beforehand that you don’t have any burnt-out bulbs, and replace them if necessary.
• Lack of Cleanliness: A clean home is essential for staging. From the floors to the ceilings, make sure everything is spotless before showings.

Bring Your Home Staging Vision to Life

Staging your rental or property highlights its best features and boosts appeal. Focus on curb appeal, decluttering, neutral tones, and quality photos to make a space buyers—or tenants—can’t resist. Smart preparation leads to faster interest and stronger returns.

For landlords, RentRedi helps streamline property prep, from managing repairs to coordinating upgrades, so your units shine effortlessly. Learn more about RentRedi’s property management tools to make staging—and everything else—simpler.