Top 10 Home Staging Tips

January 31, 2020

Top 10 home staging tips to stage a home properly

1. How the home’s photos and virtual tours show on internet WILL determine how much a home is shown! The internet has forever changed the way Real Estate is shown and sold, and over 98% of buyers are researching online first before ever setting their foot in the door of a home. If the home doesn’t show well, if it looks cluttered, or outdated, that home doesn't make it to a buyer's “see it” list. A seller can lose potentially thousands of buyers without ever even knowing it! This home went from Blah to Alive!

2. Decluttering is absolutely essential! It’s a crucial element when you put your home on the market, because the way you would normally live in your home will probably be different than when it comes time to sell your home. Buyers need to see every inch of square footage. Clutter eats equity!This home's square footage was gobbled up by way too much furniture!

3. Depersonalizing is a staging fundamental! The goal with staging is to appeal to ALL potential buyers that walk through that front door. Your stuff, family photos, collections, personalized design styles, all add up to distractions for the buyer. They need to see the details of your home, not the details of your life! Depersonalizing and packing up also ensures that your valuables are safely packed away. This also makes moving so much easier.Which bedroom would you rather claim as your sanctuary?

4. Clean, clean, clean! An immaculate home says to a buyer you’re your home has been well-maintained. Don’t forget the carpet and windows! If this deep cleaning proves to be too much for you, it’s worth every penny to have it professionally cleaned. Also, if you can’t keep up with maintaining it yourself, have someone come in on a weekly basis. It’s extremely hard to sell a dirty home, as buyers can’t see past that.Your job will be to keep the home looking as if it were just staged, but it's so much easier to live in a staged home, because everything is in it's place. Many of our sellers have changed the way they live, after living in a staged home, because it feels so peaceful and orderly. They vow not to ever go back to their old way of living!

5. Condition and repairs matter! You can do it now or you can do it later, but most likely you will have to do it! By not taking care of the repairs beforehand, you give the potential buyer ammunition to start shooting your price down. So not only will you end up doing it anyway in most cases, but you will have also sacrificed some of your precious equity dollars. This bathroom was an eyesore. It looks fantastic and , believe it or not, it was quite inexpensive, and worth every penny!

6. Paint is the most inexpensive quick fix for a home. Always stick to a neutral palette, but not white! Use rich tones in creams, beiges, light grays-these colors work with everyone's décor. You may love blue, purple, or red, but that will probably not be the case for most people. Color is a very personal thing, so play it safe with neutrals. Paint makes a home look and smell fresh, and offers the best bang for the buck! Don't worry, we'll bring in the color when we stage-we promise it won't be dull!These buyer's preference was red, however a ketchup red kitchen is not high on most buyer's must haves!

7. Curb appeal is essential-you have to get them in the front door! Walk across the street and take a good look at your home and try to be objective. What do you see when you really look at it? Take a photo if you need a real perspective-a camera doesn't lie. Is the yard well-manicured, plants healthy and not overgrown; are there colorful plants and flowers that will grab a buyer's eye? How's the paint on the house and are the windows and screens in good repair? Are there excessive pots, toys, or outdoor furniture? How does the driveway and walkway look, and how about that front door? This is a buyer's first impression and it needs to be a good one to actually get them inside.Obviously, this is one of our more drastic makeovers, but can you imagine this home would not be added to any buyer's must see list!

8. Modernizing a home doesn't have to be costly. If you have the budget for a kitchen or bathroom makeover, and your home is need, then great. However, a lot of sellers aren't in that position, so have our professional stagers come in to offer some far less costly suggestions to improve what you already have. This proves to be invaluable for our clients. There are ways of updating without breaking the bank. Just keep in mind that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes more than any other rooms in the house. Also updating lighting can change the whole look of a home. Really, take a look at our before and afters! This kitchen makeover was just paint-really, everything else was the same, including the door handles!

9. Furniture placement and arrangement are key. A good flow must be created.-buyers need to be able to walk through the home without tripping over furniture. Features, such as fireplaces, architectural details, and outside views, must all be showcased. We'll make sure none of your home's best features will go unnoticed.This home had way too much furniture-how much more inviting is it after our staging?

10. Our FREE CONSULTATION will provide you everything you need to know, before staging day arrives. Just as you need a Real Estate expert to sell your home, you need a Staging Expert to give you an outline of how to get the home SOLD! What's great about Staged Homes Real Estate is you get both, and our Staging is FREE!

  STAGING IS THE STATISTICALLY PROVEN ULTIMATE MARKETING TOOL!

Staging addresses each and every thing on the top 10 list. Staging eliminates the need for a buyer to have to try imagining a home’s full potential, as the home is presented at its absolute best! In our competitive Real Estate market, every home needs every advantage over its enormous competition. Staging a home is no longer optional; buyers are in a place that they can afford to be very choosy.

What home do you think a buyer will choose if given the option? One that requires a buyer to possess the ability to see potential, or one in which the potential is already revealed?

"Since you only get one chance to make a first impression, Staged Homes Real Estate is your perfect choice!"

The 5 W's Of Home Listing

January 8, 2026
Who, what, when, where, and why? 

5 of the Best Home Staging Ideas from the Experts

January 10, 2022
Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to sell your home. While this is something to celebrate, you may be experiencing the stress of what is yet to come. Selling your home is an exciting milestone, but it is also a process that may come with some stressors. Real estate can be complicated, especially if you are new to it. Further, staging your home is just one piece of the puzzle. However, many people don't quite understand how important it is. A home that’s staged nicely can appear more valuable and, eventually, will be taken off the market more quickly. If you’re working towards selling your home, top real estate agents in San Diego recommend following these 5 tips. Clean Up and Declutter If your home isn’t clean and organized, it isn’t going to make a good impression on potential buyers. Start by doing a deep clean of your space. Discard any items that you don't need and reorganize the rest. This is not only going to help make your home appear more spacious and clean, but it’s also going to make the moving process move along much more smoothly! Once your items are organized, do a deep clean of your home. Focus on Curb Appeal When potential buyers come to your home for a viewing or an open house, the first thing they will see is the exterior. If you want to sell your house fast , make their first impression be their best impression! Take care of the exterior landscaping by planting some new grass, power washing the siding, and applying some new paint to any areas that are looking chipped and worn down! Additionally, feel free to add some flowers or plants to the front to incorporate some color and liveliness! Create Space Good storage is high on the list for many people looking to buy a home nowadays. Due to the pandemic, many people are looking to move away from crammed areas and relocate to more spacious spots. In your home, make storage an attractive feature in your home. This can be done either by focusing on areas in your home that are already used as storage areas or by incorporating spaces in your home to be used as storage. If you have a smaller home, try adding wall shelves or under-the-bed storage to add additional space. Use Lighting to Your Advantage Lighting fixtures can go a long way in making a home appear more valuable. While there are a few ways to incorporate lighting into your staging idea, a few popular ideas include incorporating track lighting to show off the better features in your home or installing sconces to illuminate areas that need some extra attention. Lighting is one of your best tools when it comes to staging, especially when incorporated with pops of color. Not all staging is created equal and we at Staged Homes Real Estate love adding color because it brightens any space and always gets the standing ovation both online and in-person. With most of today’s buyers using the internet to look for homes because of the pandemic, having photography that stands out is a must. We know that a picture is worth a thousand words, and our staging makes our houses much more popular! Incorporate Versatile Furniture and Decorations When staging a home, you want to appeal to the majority. What we mean by this is that you want to sell a home that isn’t just appealing to a few people. Incorporate furniture, decorations, and accents that are more on the neutral side. The idea is to create a space that feels like it could potentially be “home” to any potential buyer that enters! Regardless of your motive to sell your home, prioritizing staging is going to be very important for your real estate goals. Staging with Staged Homes Real Estate is where design meets Real Estate and we have numerous tools to help you get the job done in no time. Our staging services are totally FREE to our sellers! The company was started over 15 years ago as a means to provide this value-adding service to our clients. We know that statistically, staged homes can sell up to four-times faster and as much as 18% more than homes not prepared for sale. Give us a call today if you plan on selling your home!

How To Stage An ADU Or AirBNB

By Perri Miller • February 25, 2021
Everyone knows that staging is crucial for selling Real Estate, but the same rings true if you have an ADU or an Airbnb! At Staged Homes Real Estate, we can cover all the bases for you!

How To Sell A Home During A Pandemic

June 4, 2020
Potential sellers have so many questions about selling their homes during this critical time in history. When you list with Staged Homes Real Estate you can feel safe about your decision, because we have all the bases covered! Is it possible to sell my home during a pandemic? Yes, it’s possible. Real Estate has been deemed an essential business. Is it safe to sell my home during this historical time? Yes, with extra pre-cautions in place. There are new rules for selling Real Estate. What will Staged Homes Real Estate do to ensure my family’s safety, as well as potential buyers? First, it’s all about our FREE disinfecting cleaning, using masks and gloves, and effective marketing that virtually allows a buyer to “see your home”, before they see your home in person. More of those details later. What will I need to do to prepare my house for sale? It’s all about decluttering and depersonalizing. We’ll talk to you about that during our FREE consultation or in our Home Analysis Report. What if I need some direction in what needs to be done before listing? That’s where our FREE consultation comes in. We can come in person and discuss it with you, or we can come without you present, and give you a Home Analysis report on what needs to done. What if my home needs some repairs or some remodeling first? Our FREE consultation will give you options, and you choose how much you want to do. We will only suggest things that we know you’ll get your money back on and make the house more sellable. We even have some wonderful contractors we work with, and it might be possible to put those repairs in the contract to be paid out of escrow. So, once the home is prepared, what happens next? Once the house is prepared and ready to be listed, we will have your house disinfected and thoroughly cleaned. That is also a FREE service that we offer, so that it’s one less thing you have to worry about. Then what happens next? That’s the icing on the cake-our FREE Professional Home Staging Crew comes in and does their magic to ensure your home is presented at its absolute best. You must plan to be gone overnight during the staging. It’s safety for everyone and allows time for staging to be completed, as well as meeting with the photographer so you don’t have to. How will I be able to get top dollar for my home during this difficult time? If you follow all of the steps that are outlined before listing. Because your home is home prepared for sale, this will ensure you are going to get top dollar, and do it safely. Staged Homes sell 2-4 times faster and for 6%-20% than those that are put on the market as is. How will you market my home to make sure my home is seen? We provide FREE virtual tours and photos. We market across all social media, do special google advertising, and we’ll provide a FREE virtual Open House so a potential buyer can actually walk through the house with your Realtor. This also provides our Realtors with the opportunity to talk about additional features of your home that can’t be seen on photos alone. As you can see in our before and after photos, we represent all kinds of homes-from owner occupied homes, vacant homes, and homes in need some TLC. With Staged Homes Real Estate, you can be assured that our all-inclusive FREE services give your home every possible advantage to sell for top dollar. No other agency can you offer all of the customized personal service that we provide. We’re not just in the Real Estate business, but we’re in the people business. We care about you, and we understand that we are in difficult times. Give us a call to get more information on our program and safety measures, or set up a FREE consultation. Contact Broker/Owner Debbie Avey 760-672-7477 . A picture speaks a thousand words, so we’ll let our photos do the rest of the talking!

Selling your home? Clutter eats equity!

By Perri Miller • February 17, 2020
So, you’re getting ready to sell your home, and you want get it professionally staged-what’s the first step? Eliminating clutter is absolutely crucial. Sometimes you may not really see your stuff as clutter, it’s not always just a messy house that deserves the title of cluttered. A cluttered house can be a home that has too much furniture, has too many family photos, too much art, too many toys, or a large collection of-you name it!

What To Expect When Staging A Home!

By Staged Homes Real Estate • January 24, 2020
You might be wondering, what is the whole process like if I were to list my home with Staged Homes Real Estate? The video takes you through it from start to finish. At the initial consultation both, Debbie/Broker and Perri/Marketing Director, will meet you at your home at your convenience. Then we'll walk through your home with you, and you can show us any special details about the house. We'll take a thorough look at all the rooms and then discuss with you the things that could be done to make your home more valuable to a potential buyer. Sometimes it's merely using our staging team to transform your home, but sometimes there might be more to do to maximize your equity. We will never make any suggestions that we know you wouldn't get your money back on. Our job is to get you top dollar for your property, so we may make some cost effective suggestions. They are only suggestions, of course, those final decisions are up to you. Next we'll let you know what things can stay and what things can be packed away. Every home is different, but rest assured your home will be staged to sell! Once the home is prepared for staging day, we come in and do our magic in 1 day! We all meet together for the big reveal and revel at what a difference staging makes, knowing that a top dollar sale is just around the corner! Then we set up the photography shoot and tour, where all your beautiful photos will shine online, where over 98% of buyers look first. If your photos don't grab a potential buyer's eyes immediately they're clicking to the next house. A picture is worth a thousand words. Our Staged Homes receive exponentially more showings than a regular listing. While there's no guarantee, with a fluctuating Real Estate market, many of our homes sell at the first open house, and may receive multiple offers. Then we proceed with our massive marketing platform. Your home will be seen everywhere! So you ask, "Well, what happened with this house?" Glad you asked! We sold it in one day, receiving multiple offers, and it sold for over asking price. The buyer was so impressed, that we went and staged and sold their house, with the exact same result! So that is how a staging works from start to finish, please don't hesitate to contact us with any further questions you might have. We're here to make this the best selling experience you've ever had. Check out our google reviews!

At Staged Homes Real Estate, We Believe in Giving Back

By Staged Homes Real Estate • September 4, 2019
When the devastating Fallbrook fires destroyed so many homes, we wanted to be able to make a difference in one family’s life. They lost everything; nothing was spared. Through one of our past clients, they were able to secure a home to rent until their home was rebuilt. So, one problem was solved, but they had nothing to put in it. We decided to bless them with a beautiful, move-in ready home. We purchased new furniture for the entire home. From the furniture, to the dishes, the artwork, decorator accessories, and even a decorated Christmas t ree with presents. Of course, we didn’t just have the furnishings delivered, our specialty is staging homes, so that’s what we did for this family! They had no idea what they were walking into, it was the greatest surprise of their lives. They thought they were just picking up the keys to the home. Can you imagine their shock-it was priceless! They assumed we brought in staging furniture for them to use while they were there, but when we told them it was theirs to take to furnish their rebuilt home, and the water works started again. It was the best Christmas for all of us, because we knew we were able to give a family a real holiday that exuded joy, instead of tragedy. Staged Homes Real Estate is a people centered company.

Judd Terrence Event

By Staged Home Real Estate • August 8, 2019

“Third time’s a charm” for a couple who listed their home with us-Staging was the key!

By Staged Homes Real Estate • March 29, 2019
Meet Debora and Greg. They had a charming two bedroom home a few blocks from the beach in Imperial Beach in South San Diego County. When the couple first decided to sell their home, they contacted a family friend who was a real estate agent. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful, and a buyer wasn’t found . They took the house off the market for awhile and regrouped. They later made a second attempt to sell with a new real estate company and a new real estate agent, despite the hot housing market in San Diego, the home remained unsold . Debora then did some research online and found Staged Homes Real Estate. She was intrigued with the offer of free home staging and decided to give them a try. After meeting with broker/owner Debbie Avey, the couple decided to try once again to sell their home . This time things were different from the start. As part of the Staged Homes Real Estate marketing plan Debbie scheduled a free consultation with in-house staging director, Perri Miller. Perri came to the house and walked through each room with the couple and made suggestions for cosmetic changes, upgrades, and the decluttering that she knew were necessary to help the couple showcase their homes best features. Once the suggested changes had been completed, Perri set up a day for the couple to leave the home so it could be fully staged. The crew arrived on staging day and, in one day , completely transformed the home , bringing in new furnishings, décor, and artwork for each room of the house. When the homeowners returned that evening to see the results they were stunned and thrilled at the transformation that had taken place and exclaimed that it looked like a different house ! Greg even asked if they still had to sell the house and Debora was moved to tears .

SHRE At The Vista Strawberry Festival 2018

By Christina Houston • July 5, 2018
This event is huge, attended by 250-500, 000. Staged Homes Cast and Crew were at the Strawberry Festival once again, we have our tent right in front of our production studio at 335 Main street where we Stage for FREE. We always get the most views on line with our professional photos and staging which bring top dollar to our buyers. Ask us about our $1500 rebate for buying or selling with our agents!