November 12, 2025 | Selling
6 Tips For Home Staging
Whether you are in the market to list your home in the near future or looking to minimize your space and create a welcoming home to enjoy for the near future. This blog walks you through what staging is, the different kinds of staging available, home staging tips from pros and the average costs of staging, and why we have those covered.
What is Home Staging?
Saging is the removal or addition of decorative and essential items to a space, which makes it appealing to the desired buyer. Stagers capitalize on home trends while incorporating elements of timeless design to create spaces that are unique to your home.
Stagers are individuals who have obtained their college degree in Interior Design or, other times, architecture. These professionals understand the specific elements of design, from colour to texture, size and shape. They specialize in curating your home for the target market.
How to Find a Home Stager
There are many staging companies in the area, and choosing one comes down to expertise, experience and style. The process most companies go through when working with you begins with an initial consultation to help determine the customer’s wants and needs.
The stager will walk through the home, taking notes of the items that need to be added and or removed. From there, they will curate a quote, explaining the specific pieces that need to be moved out of the home before the staging can begin.
The homeowner will then remove those decorative items and large pieces of furniture to create a blank canvas for the design consultant to work with.
Staging Tips
Staging will look different for every home depending on the amount of changes that need to be made. However, there are many general tips that apply to staging and here is a comprehensive list!
Depersonalize The Home: Try to eliminate any personal items from the home in preparation for the listing photos. We recommend walking around your home or having a friend or family member check out the space for memorabilia, family photos, children’s keepsakes, etc.
Introduce Neutral Colours: We recommend covering bright paint colours (purple, pink, red, green, etc) with a neutral colour palette such as beige, white or gray to help make rooms feel larger and open. This tip is particularly important for bedrooms and living areas.
Eliminate Items from Countertops: The next thing we recommend doing before the staging consultation is taking items off countertops to create a blank canvas for the design consultant. Removing soap holders, kleenex boxes, paper towel holders and other items from the kitchen and bathroom counters will create a clean room for the stager.
Swap Bedding for Neutral Colours: If possible, we recommend replacing colourful and patterned bedding with neutral options so that the room is the most appealing for photos and showings. White and beige are the best suited colours for duvets and blankets.
Introducing Soft Lighting: If it is possible, replacing your white light bulbs with warm toned lighting will help create a space that feels more homey/inviting for buyers. Soft lighting can also be incorporated through the use of lamps or bulb changes on wall sconces if the other lighting fixtures are hard to change or out of reach.
Have an Open Mind: It can be hard to grasp that another person dictating how to decorate your space but it is important to think about the big picture. Choose to focus on the reality of your home selling, increasing the interest of local buyers and making your home the most appealing for the best price. The professionals understand these interests and form their plan around them. While their tastes may differ from your preferences, they have the same goal as you: to sell your home in a timely fashion.
Choosing Materials
The design consultant is tasked with selecting the stage components. Their responsibilities include developing a digital blueprint or mood board of the required items.
Some staging companies store all of their inventory at warehouses and operate from their own materials, whereas others will rent out their furniture pieces and factor these costs into the total staging budget. Once all the items have been chosen, the stager and design consultant will send out an email, entailing the quote as well as the pieces they are incorporating into the space and the cost per room.
Then, this is where the fun begins. On the day of the stage, expect movers and design experts to arrive ready to work. Your home will begin its transformation into the most photoworthy space in just a few short hours.
The Different Types of Home Staging
A Vacant Home Stage
A vacant stage is a complete and full-proof option for someone who is looking to sell a home that has little to no furniture in it. The common circumstances of a vacant stage are new build homes, new build condos, model homes and suites, homes where the existing owner has already moved out and homes that are an estate sale.
In a vacant stage, the staging team will bring everything from candles and wall art to area, rugs, bed frames, couches and dining sets. This type of staging also tends to be the most expensive because it involves the most decor and furniture to ensure the home appears “lived in”.
An Occupied Home Stage
An occupied stage is quite different from a Vacant stage because it can require many or minimal items depending on the design consultant’s opinion. The consultant will walk systematically through the home, taking note of the changes they would like to see made prior to the staging day. It is common that the consultant may ask for the removal of large furniture, personal items and decor.
They will provide you with a recommendation/quote and break down the items being removed and the staging pieces being brought into the home.
Is Staging a Home Always Needed?
In some cases, the stager will walk through the home and discover that staging is not needed for the home to sell. In these instances, the consultant will still provide a list of recommendations.
Some common recommendations include changing out light bulbs, replacing wall sconces and lighting fixtures, putting away personal items and shifting around the furniture to create better flow. Even if a consult doesn’t result in a stage, it still provides a professional opinion and framework for the homeowner to apply as they prepare to list their home in the near future.
Home Staging Costs
Staging costs will differ depending on the kind of stage your home requires and the company you chose to go with. At Capstone, our staging partner consists of a local, award winning staging company.
When we decide a home requires staging, we choose to incorporate that cost into our agent’s listing expenses. Offering staging to our clients, when needed, is one of the ways we prove our dedication to their best interests.
Whether the home requires an entire vacant stage or a decorative stage to fill in the blanks, we are willing to provide the best option for the client per the consultant’s recommendations.
Why Staging Your House Matters
In today’s market, where inventory is high but demand is steady, the presentation of a home is a key selling point. Allowing potential buyers to envision themselves in the home starts with its curb appeal and aesthetics, from the moment you enter it.
So whether you are looking to sell in the near future or need your home on the market before the end of the month, we are here to show you that every decision you make is backed by a strategy-driven process. This way, we can work together in a seamless, stress-free fashion!
If you are interested in selling or simply want to know how to prepare to sell down the line, we would be happy to connect with you.
Selling your home? We can help! Reach us at info@capstonereps.com or call 519-820-9050.
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