Home Staging Dos and Don’ts

Your home is your sanctuary—operative word: “your.” You’ve filled it with personal items representing your life and interests and decorated it in your style. 

But if you plan on selling your property, you’ll want it to appeal to a wide range of tastes. And that means removing the imprint you’ve made on the space and revamping the decor in a way that attracts potential buyers.

This process is known as staging. When you “stage” a property, you aim to amp up its universal appeal by leveraging neutral but trendy decor and removing personal touches. The result is a space in which a buyer has an easier time imagining themselves. 

Use the following home staging dos and don’ts to make your property more viewer-friendly. 

Dos

Staging is an art. You want to strike that perfect balance between “inviting” and “de-personal.” Here are a few tips on getting it right.

Get a storage space

Staging well involves decluttering, depersonalizing, rearranging furniture, and swapping out your decor for universally appealing pieces. All of this work implies moving existing furniture and knickknacks elsewhere. 

Consider renting a storage space where you can put boxes of your stuff in the meantime—until the property you’re staging sells and you move into your next home. With a closing line of credit (CLoC) from Titus, you can cover storage fees with financing and pay back when you sell your home. 

Take your realtor’s advice

Your realtor knows the local market well and is in touch with buyers’ tastes and what’s trending. So, before making any aesthetic changes (including staging) to your property before going to market, do a walkthrough with your real estate agent and get their opinion. Your agent can offer advice on what decor appeals to prospective buyers so you don’t have to rely on your instincts. This professional may also recommend prioritizing other types of cosmetic work, like deep cleaning or light renovations.

Work with a Titus partner agent and team up with a top-notch advisor, negotiator, and guide. Your agent can also give you exclusive access to a closing line of credit (CLoC), which you can use for staging.

Declutter 

Before investing time and funds in redecorating, tidy up your space. Clutter can overwhelm viewers and obscure your home’s best features.

Box up items you don’t use consistently and put them in storage. Take a less-is-more approach to this process, aiming to go as minimal as possible. Not only will you give yourself a clean slate to decorate upon but you’ll also get a head start on packing. 

Depersonalize 

In the decluttering process, you’ll naturally box up some personal items, but go a step further. Remove almost all traces of your life from the home: diplomas, family photos, niche art, and other items that could prevent a viewer from imagining the space as theirs. 

Leaving a few personal items, like a particularly tasteful family photo on a nightstand or an aesthetically pleasing pile of your books on a coffee table, should be fine. Just try to make the home look like a turnkey, model home that’s ready to move into almost as-is.

Rearrange 

Reconsider your current furniture arrangement. Move non-essential pieces to storage to free up space and rearrange remaining items to maximize rooms’ layouts. Aim to keep doors and windows unblocked, let in as much natural light as possible, and make it easy for visitors to move around. 

If, as you work, you find that spaces start to look too empty, consider filling gaps with potted plants, lighting that brightens up rooms, or attractive pieces of furniture and art. 

Improve decor 

You can boost your home’s aesthetics with some easy, budget-friendly swaps. Switching old linens, like curtains, bedspreads, and towels, for new, neutral ones can make a significant impact. These little gestures shift the entire color scheme of a space and help it look fresher and more luxurious. 

And add accents: tasteful coffee-table books, art, candles, plants, throws, pillows, and so on. Stick to a neutral scheme that will appeal to a wide audience, with subtle pops of color. 

Get professional home staging help

Pinterest, Instagram, and interior design websites can offer brilliant decor inspiration and pointers. But if DIY staging seems overwhelming (or simply not in your wheelhouse), get professional help. 

Professional stagers will declutter, depersonalize, and rearrange your home, plus swap your furniture for hip rented pieces. They’ll also lend you eye-catching decor. And since they’re design professionals, your space will achieve a magazine-worthy finish. 

Boost curb appeal

Your home’s exterior is what gives a visitor a first impression, and you want it to be a positive one. Don’t leave landscaping and exterior decor at the bottom of your list. 

Keep up with your lawn and help your home’s exterior look lush and inviting by planting bushes, ferns, or flowers along walkways, porches, and the foundation. Focus on the areas underneath big trees and your mailbox, as well, planting picturesque gardens. 

Consider also transforming your outdoor spaces into inviting, liveable ones, expanding the useability of your property. Stage porches and patios with seating areas that’ll help a viewer imagine holding a family barbeque or having a cup of coffee in them.

Don’ts

Staging is meant to attract interest in your property, not consume all of your time and resources at a time they’re already likely tight. The trick is making a value-driving impact on your budget and avoiding investments that won’t help you sell your home. Here are a few “don’ts” that can save you from an unsuccessful staging process.

Don’t go over the top

While there’s no harm in investing in decor or professional design help that will maximize your sale, beware of spending a ton on low return-on-investments. For example, it doesn’t make sense to purchase all new furniture, especially if you’re not planning on taking it with you. Nor does it make sense to completely overhaul your property (i.e., tearing out a bathroom or kitchen) just to accommodate a design trend.

Rent furniture and decor you can return when your home sells or hire a professional staging service that will take care of this task. And avoid overbuying new linens, art, books, and so on—the idea is to keep spaces sleek and minimal, not re-clutter them. 

Don’t design for yourself 

Staging is not an opportunity to revamp your home in a new style you love. Save your personal design ideas for your next property and instead think about what’s trending with buyers. Your real estate agent might be able to give you some pointers and a professional stager can keep you on track. 

If you DIY the staging process, a good rule of thumb is to avoid funky colors, niche design trends, and busy patterns. Opt for hues that, while perhaps not bold or exciting, have wide appeal and feel “safe.”  

Prioritize decor over essentials

If you’re tight on time or money, prioritize tasks that’ll make your home more viewer-friendly efficiently instead of refreshing decor. For example, if decluttering and depersonalizing will take significant effort, finish these tasks before setting your sights on designing fashionable spaces. 

Also, be cognizant of eyesores and stinky odors. Prioritize removing dried-up plants and packing up the rugs stained by pets before rearranging furniture or focusing on less pressing staging tasks. 

Use a closing line of credit (CLoC) to finance staging 

You can transform your home by staging it properly, and reap the benefits when prospective buyers fall in love with your place. Whether you’re doing a DIY revamp or hiring a professional stager to work their magic, finance this work with a closing line of credit (CLoC) from Titus. 

Partner with a Titus real estate agent and use an interest-free CLoC to cover staging decor or services and a storage space. You can also use this loan for other upgrades that get your home market-ready, like moderate renovations and repairs. Learn how it works here.