How Can You Stage Your Home While Living In It?

I’m going over five simple tips for staging a home you still live in, from decluttering, deep cleaning, and more.

Selling your home while still living in it can feel overwhelming. You want your house to look picture-perfect for buyers, but you’ve still got laundry to do, kids to feed, and a life to live. After helping hundreds of families sell their homes: it’s not about perfection. It’s about strategy. Here are five staging tips that can help sellers stage their homes without moving out:

Tip #1 Start by decluttering. I always tell my sellers that clutter is worse than dirt. This is why one of the most important things to keep their homes presentable is by decluttering. You can do this by clearing off countertops, taking things off shelves, and packing away anything that feels busy or personal. The less stuff, the bigger and brighter your home will feel.

Tip #2 Clean what matters most. Once the clutter’s gone, take some time to deep clean. Focus on the windows, floors, kitchens, and bathrooms. A clean home tells buyers you’ve taken care of the place, and that matters.

"If you can stick to these five habits for a little while, you’ll set yourself up for a faster sale and more money in your pocket at closing."

Tip #3 Make your home feel like a showroom. This one’s important. When buyers walk in, they want to picture themselves living there, so take down family photos, put away bold decor, and stick with soft, neutral tones.

Tip #4 Use a daily checklist. Life doesn’t stop just because your home’s for sale. This means interested buyers may come to your home anytime and you don’t want them to see your family’s personal stuff. So here’s my favorite tip: give each person in your house a laundry basket. In the morning, toss all your daily stuff into it; chargers, toys, makeup, whatever. Doing this ensures your house is free from any personal stuff.

Tip #5 Plan ahead for showings. If you’re heading out to work, the store, or school drop-off; just assume someone might want to see the house. Make the beds, wipe down the counters, and take out the trash before you go. It only takes a few extra minutes, but it can save you a lot of last-minute scrambling when that showing request comes in.

Most homes today are selling in just 30 to 60 days. So if you can stick to these five habits for a little while, you’ll set yourself up for a faster sale and more money in your pocket at closing. If you’re planning to sell your home and you have questions, you can reach us at 615-315-9223. We’ll walk you through a proven plan that gets results, without all the stress.