How to stage a house for sale, prepare it & get a profit

Knowing how to stage a house for sale will help you showcase your home’s best assets. There’s no doubt that it will help you impress prospective buyers. More importantly, it will help you sell the property quickly and for the best possible price.

Remember that buyers are not solely seeking a dwelling; they are also looking for a means to realize their aspirations and enhance their way of life. Beautiful staging techniques help create a more emotionally charged buying experience – leading to increased financial gains for the home seller.

Keep in mind that before you stage your property, there’s another smart project you should undertake – to prepare your home for sale. In this blog, we’ll talk about both – preparing your home by making the right home improvements and staging it to make the best impression on prospective home buyers. 

What is home staging?

Good staging is all about flattering a house while being subtle about it. The idea is to show off its best features, create the right emotional connect with the buyers, and let them imagine themselves in the house. 

Why is home staging important?

Home staging plays a significant role in maximizing the appeal and market value of a property. When potential buyers or renters visit a home, they form an immediate impression based on its presentation. By professionally staging a home, it is transformed into a welcoming, aesthetically pleasing space. It allows prospective buyers or renters to envision themselves living there. 

Home staging enhances the overall ambiance, highlights the property’s best features, and minimizes any potential drawbacks. This attention to detail increases the likelihood of a quick and successful sale or rental.

Moreover, home staging has been proven to attract more offers and potentially fetch higher prices, making it a worthwhile investment for homeowners and real estate professionals.

After all, when it comes to selling a home, your aim should be to avoid settling for a lower selling price. Or, endure a longer marketing period than necessary.

What are the benefits of good home staging?

There’s no doubt that staging a home enhances its visual appeal and enables prospective homebuyers to envision its potential – giving it a move-in-ready appearance.

When a home is furnished well, it creates a more inviting atmosphere compared to empty rooms and bare walls.

Staged homes appear more attractive in online listings, contributing to the effective marketing and sale of the property. In a report on home staging by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 47% of buyers’ agents agreed that staging made a positive difference in buyers’ opinions of a home. And, 82% of them agreed that staging helps buyers visualize a property as their dream home.

The most popular rooms for staging include the living room, kitchen, master bedroom, dining room, home office, and bathroom. And the least common area is generally the children’s room. 

Read more: Some cool bathroom staging tips. 

What is the average cost of staging a house?

The cost of home staging for sellers by professional staging services usually ranges between $780 to $2,851 – the average being $1,500. Generally, home sellers can expect to spend 1% to 3% of the property’s selling price on staging.

However, the actual price can vary considerably. For example, if a house is lying empty, the home staging cost can be notably higher. Just renting furniture can amount to $2,000 per month or more. You’ll also need to factor in the cost of the paintwork, rental furnishings, floral arrangements, and cleaning supplies.

In many states, the staging costs are divided between the homeowner and the real estate agent’s anticipated commission.  

How to stage a house for sale?

Here are some useful house staging tips to help you attract the best home buyer out there.  

• Clean the house thoroughly: Ensure every part of the house is spotless, including appliances, bathrooms, and hidden areas. A clean home instantly appeals to potential buyers. 
• Declutter and organize the space: Remove unnecessary items and store them away. Clear out expired food, outgrown clothes, and toys. Maximize empty storage space.
• Depersonalize the rooms: Remove personal items, family photos, and keepsakes. Hide clothes and clear out the bathroom counters. The idea is to let the homebuyer imagine their things in that space. 
• Freshen up the area: Use potted plants strategically for a fresh feel. Eliminate odors by baking or burning pleasant scents. Wipe down the kitchen sink and take out the trash. Make sure the house smells great. Add fresh flowers, open windows for fresh air, and light aroma candles.
• Take care of the walls: Replace wallpaper with neutral-colored paint. Avoid custom paint colors or very bright colors. Opt for warm, neutral tones instead.
• Focus on the room flooring: Replace dirty carpet with hardwood floors for added value and appeal. Use ceramic tile or high-quality vinyl in kitchens and bathrooms.
• Ensure good lighting: Professional home stagers swear on the power of good lighting to highlight the interior design of a home. Utilize natural light by opening all the curtains and blinds. Ensure all lights are on during showings. Replace outdated or broken light fixtures.
• Choose the right furniture and furnishing: Choose appropriately sized, inviting furniture. Get some trendy throw pillows and curtains to make the room feel cozy and comfortable. 
• Don’t forget the ceiling: Repair cracks in walls and ceilings to avoid signaling foundation problems. Address foundation issues if necessary.
• Enhance the home exterior: Enhance curb appeal by pruning plants, removing weeds, and washing windows. Power wash the exterior and ensure clear pathways. Showcase pools and create outdoor living spaces.

You can read in detail on home staging tips here. 

How to get your house ready to sell?

A few changes to your home can make all the difference to your home-selling process. A well-maintained and comfortable house appeals to potential buyers. And, gives you the confidence to justify a higher sale price. 

Preparing your home for sale is a huge task; it requires careful planning and a thoughtful approach. And not to forget some elbow grease. The smart way to go about it is to take the help of experts on the matter.  

A good start on how to prepare your home before selling it is to utilize Kukun’s specialized tool How to get your house ready to sell. 

All you have to do is give a few property details and within minutes, you will know what changes are needed to make your home fetch a better price on the real estate market. And, how much will the home renovation cost you.

The tool takes your home’s resale value into account to suggest which home improvement projects will give the most value to your house. 

And once you take care of the recommended upgrades, you can sell your home quickly, seamlessly, and profitably.

How does preparing a home before a sale help the seller?

Remodeling before selling a home can significantly benefit a seller. It enhances the overall appeal and aesthetic value of the property, making it more attractive to potential buyers. A well-executed home remodeling project can transform outdated or worn-out areas, such as kitchens or bathrooms into modern and visually appealing spaces. 

Furthermore, upgrades can increase the market value of the property, potentially leading to a higher selling price. Keep in mind that making relevant changes will help you sell your home for a lot more money than the remodeling cost. 

Buyers are often willing to pay a premium for a move-in ready home with updated features and finishes, making remodeling a worthwhile investment for sellers.

Read more: What is GLA in real estate?

Last thoughts

First impressions matter. And, so do features and additions that make a house a home. You need to get your home ready before selling it and then know exactly how to stage it for a lucrative sale. 

While some upgrades and staging techniques can be employed over a weekend, other home features may take you a little more time and some serious planning. 

You can let Kukun help you with the gargantuan task of making your home stand out the minute a new buyer pulls up at your curb. You will know exactly the kind of modifications your home requires. And, the total cost to make your home someone else’s dream home.

Read more: How much do realtors charge to find a rental

Written by Ramona Sinha. August 31, 2023

Ramona is the Senior Content Writer for Kukun. This experienced blogger uses simple and succinct words to decipher the complex phenomenon called life. She has written articles covering a broad range of topics, such as real estate, lending and mortgage, finance, business, taxation, home designs, home improvement projects, decor concepts, and more. An avid traveler, she’s a digital nomad at heart and an animal lover from the depth of her soul.