Staging: Tips to make your home look its best

Key takeaways

• Staging can improve buyer perception without a big budget: While professional staging can be costly, simple do-it-yourself steps like decluttering, cleaning and neutral styling can still make a strong impact. 
• Clean, bright and neutral spaces sell best: Removing personal items, improving lighting and keeping surfaces clear help homes feel larger and allow buyers to picture themselves living there. 
• Small updates go a long way: Fresh bedding, towels, light décor and odor control are low-cost changes that can make a home feel polished, inviting and move-in ready. 

Staging a home can help a seller attract quality buyers — and higher offers. Seventeen percent of buyers' agents who responded to the National Association of Realtors' annual "2025 Profile of Home Staging" said staging a home increased the dollar value offered between 1% and 5%. Forty-one percent said it made no difference in the dollar amount.

But hiring a professional stager isn't always in a homeowner's budget. The median amount spent when using a staging service was $1,500, compared to $500 when the seller's agent personally staged the home, according to the NAR report.

Stagers said there are a few steps anyone can take to spruce up their property. The tips include removing family pictures, clearing countertops and making the home smell good.

Here are some ways to make your home look its best.

The very first step in the living room is to declutter and remove any personal pictures, said Kishah Langham, a Houston-area home stager and Texas state president of the Real Estate Staging Association.

After that, deodorize the space (especially if you have pets) and rearrange the furniture so the living room looks more open.

Be sure to refresh all of the lighting fixtures in the living room. "You're making sure that all the light bulbs in the lamps and ceiling fixtures are matching," Langham said. "They have to be able to see the space."

Once the room looks open and smells fresh, it's time for light decorating. Homeowners should focus on adding art to the walls and subtle splashes of color on furniture.

"Large-scale graphic art in the living room can make the room feel grand and sophisticated," said Gabrielle Hamill, a home stager in New York City and creative director at Urban Staging. "Adding in plants, throw pillows, blankets in different colors and textures can then add a softer layer to the room."

Living room checklist

• Remove family photos and personal items. 
• Clear surfaces and reduce furniture. 
• Deodorize carpets, upholstery and pet areas. 
• Rearrange furniture to create openness. 
• Replace mismatched or burnt-out light bulbs. 
• Check all the lightbulbs to ensure they match. 
• Add neutral art, plants and textured accents. 

Hamill and Langham said homeowners should focus on decluttering and deodorizing the bedrooms and lay down fresh bedding.

"Make sure that you purchase nice sheets, comforters and pillows that you'll only be using for the showing," Langham said.

The final touches to make bedrooms presentation-ready include organizing closets, removing any personal pictures, cleaning carpets and making the rooms as well-lit as possible, the stagers said.

"If you have a dark corner, use a large, round mirror to reflect more light without adding sharply angled pieces," Hamill said.

Bedroom checklist

• Declutter surfaces and closets. 
• Remove personal photos and items. 
• Deodorize the room. 
• Use new or freshly laundered, neutral bedding. 
• Clean carpets or rugs. 
• Add mirrors to brighten dark areas. 
• Turn on all lights and open window coverings. 

Remove all storage bins, medications, toilet brushes and plungers from the bathroom, Langham said. If your budget allows, hire a professional to clean your bathroom, she added.

Once the room is clean, buy fluffy white towels, roll them up and place them on the countertops. Then, take the hand towels and drape them over the towel rack, Langham said.

"In the bathroom, buying fresh, bright white towels and bathmats will create a luxurious feel," Hamill said. "If your bathroom is all white, use some colorful, patterned towels to bring some personality to the room."

The final step in the bathroom is adding "a bud vase of fresh flowers, a new bar or bottle of soap on the sink and maybe even invest in a new white cotton shower curtain," Hamill said.

Bathroom checklist

• Remove bins, medications and cleaning tools. 
• Deep clean or hire a professional cleaner. 
• Replace towels with fresh or white sets. 
• Roll towels and display neatly. 
• Add a small vase of flowers. 
• Use new soap and, if needed, a new shower curtain. 

Clean as much of the kitchen as possible or hire a professional, the home stagers said.

Homeowners should then clean and organize the refrigerator and take things off the front of the appliance, Langham said.

Next, store away all countertop appliances, such as toasters and blenders. The countertops should be mostly empty.

"You might want to put a wooden bowl with some fake fruit in it or a cutting board with a cute, small plant," Langham said.

Why fake fruit? "Just for the visual effect, and someone could be allergic to certain foods," she said.

Kitchen checklist

• Deep clean counters, cabinets and appliances. 
• Organize the refrigerator. 
• Remove magnets, notes and photos from appliances. 
• Store small appliances out of sight. 
• Keep countertops mostly clear. 
• Add minimal décor, such as a bowl or small plant. 

Follow the same steps used for the living room — decluttering, cleaning off surfaces and reorganizing furniture for an open feel. Make sure the basement smells fresh, a step that might include using a dehumidifier to eliminate musty smells, the stagers said.

If possible, try to guide natural light into the basement by opening shades or curtains, the stagers added. As a final tip, if your basement includes the laundry room, make sure there are no clothes in there, Langham said.

Basement checklist

• Remove excess items and unused furniture. 
• Clean surfaces and floors. 
• Rearrange furniture for open flow. 
• Eliminate odors with ventilation or a dehumidifier. 
• Open shades or curtains for natural light. 
• Remove laundry, baskets and clothing. 

This story was updated April 22.