Before & After Pictures of a Home After It Was Staged [How to Stage Your Home] 

Wish I had seen this 2 years ago when selling family property. Even though we aren't planning to move any time soon, would be tempting to have someone come in and give ideas on 'updating'. Definitely in need.

When we put our last house on the market twenty years ago I spent two months preparing. We both worked full time, but I used weekends to thoroughly clean out closets, clean baseboards, light switches, door hardware, and the doors. We replaced old carpet because no one wants to move in on someone else’s dirt! They would rather buy a brand new house, so you have to have it looking brand new! I staged each room by removing personal pictures and using furniture we already had. I think folks like to see some furniture in each room because it provides a proper sense of scale. We had some areas in the large backyard that received shade, so the grass was not thick in those areas. We planted ferns that do very well in shady areas that my husband got from an entity that was tearing them out, so they were free! We positioned some porch furniture in the yard to make it more inviting. The day of the showing we baked some bread (you can purchase frozen dough to bake), we turned on all the lights, and I lighted candles in the fireplace. We sold the house ourselves, so we were the ones that did the showing. We sold it in six days and prior to our planned open house later that week! Making the home warm and inviting is the most important thing to do.

I use the staging to improve my home while not moving!

We moved a LOT in dh’s job. I learned fast to buy a house in a good neighborhood without difficult features in that home. I also decorated to sell. Anything I did- paint, carpet or replacing appliances were done with an eye to selling. Everything you said is true! We retired and settled down before the online marketing started but it is the same principle. My mantra when we got a showing- sometimes at 5 minutes notice- turn on all the lights, grab the garbage, kids and dogs and get OUT. EVERY MORNING I cleaned as if we were showing the house that day. Opened all curtains. Empty the garbage cans every night. I also grabbed the kitchen trash bag on the way out the door for showing.

We sold three houses within a week in the past ten years. I staged each room and took photos to see how it looked and made adjustments and I cleaned everything closets, etc. one realtor walked in and said, “Oh, it will be a pleasure to sell this home.” Another described in his blurb that Mrs Clean lives here😊

Put the toilet seat down and remove valances and old drapes. These are excellent suggestions.

Great advices! I don't think it's actually fake it's just showing the house in a more updated and attractive way. We had a nice home that we renovated during the years and kept updated. I like interior design and having everything beautiful. But still; I styled as a crazy maniac before we sold our house. I took pictures and looked critical at how it all turned out. I took away most of our things and then cleaned and styled up every area from scratch, a lot like in home decor magasines. I styled every area; even inside the fridge, in all cupboards, under the stairs where we had tools. I painted it light, organised everything even better and put some nice boxes and baskets on the shelves there. It got so organised and beautiful. For the kitchen I bought fresh fruits that looked good, food and juices that was extra healthy and had lovely packages and colours. Then placed them in order after deep cleaning everything. The beautiful things in front and more boring at the back. The labels to the front in nice order. People look in there and in wardrobes. So fold and color coordinate clothes as well. I took away our underwear. A good idea is to rent a storage and place half of the clothes there together with your things and plants that are not perfect. It needs to be spotless, neat and styled everywhere. Take away your things in the bathroom and only place back beautiful items that look new and are cleaned. I even bought a new toothpaste that had a nice looking colour and design. If someone looked into the bathroom cupboards it was all cleaned and looked fresh with some more exclusive or good looking stuff. I bought new white towels to get a lux hotel feeling and placed new plants and scented candles in the bathrooms. The view was boring from two windows of our house. So I put up new green hanging plants there, that almost covered the view. The eyes stopped at the lovely fresh greenery instead of looking out there. We got comments about that window from the buyers later on; that it was so beautiful. So styling in the right way really works. We even styled our patio cosy even in the middle of the winter. The house was sold with bidding within 24 hours.

Pictures are so important. When we were searching for a house our realtor insisted that we look at a house that looked awful in pictures. The pictures were so bad. He practically had to drag me to see it and when I saw it in person I immediately fell in love. The house was fantastic, and we ended up buying it, but we never would have even taken a look at it based on the photos.

A friend/neighbor was selling her large condo. She hadn't updated it in years. The living room had ceiling to floor windows with very heavy drapes making the room dark. I suggested she remove the drapes, because they were custom made she thought the potential buyers would like them. I tactfully told her that people today don't decorate that way. She had a cheap looking dining room set that she was going to throw away. I suggested tossing the hutch, keeping the table and chairs, buy a tablecloth and a centerpiece. Made many other suggestions, but "she liked" the way it looked. My advice to her was similar to yours "walk in the front door as a buyer not an owner". Well, she wouldn't take my advice and the condo sold for $30,000 below asking price.

Sometimes I wonder what people are looking for. I sold my house in 2021. Every room was a different color. I didn’t re-paint anything. I used all my own furniture, but in downsizing, 3 of the 4 bedrooms were empty. I did remove everything personal, but left up all my non-family pictures. Nearly all my furniture and pictures were IKEA. I cleaned really well, and made my yard look nice also. I priced it myself with comps and used a flat fee broker who had a really great photographer that made the house look awesome. Sold for over asking in 1 day.

I'm not a professional but when I sold my Mom's condo I replaced the lighting, had the carpets cleaned, painted in a beautiful light almost white paint colour and bought a sofa from Ikea, used my own art and bedding and it sold 20,000 over asking with multiple offers! I sell a lot of my furniture on Facebook Marketplace.

These before and after are an absolute testament to your knowledge and experience; wow. well done.

YES! We have bought and sold several homes, and I worked for a few years as a realtor's assistant-he specialized in archictectural MCM homes. Part of that job was going into his new listings and getting them ready for photography. Declutter, brighten up, remove personal items, close toilet lids, maybe buy new towels, basic cleaning! Look at the agent's other listings to see the quality of the photography-spending extra for a great photographer can make all the difference.

I’m a believer. Our realtor was fantastic. He brought in a professional stager and a real estate photographer. I was so blown away by their listing I literally cried. I will say that prior to that we spent weeks getting rid of pretty much everything and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.

When I look at homes online I look past their furniture or curtains. Since I’m not purchasing their furniture or their taste in furnishings. I do pay attention to how clean the current owners are keeping the house. If there’s items thrown all over, piles of whatever out in the yard then no thank you. Because I know perfectly well they’re gonna leave the house like that and I’m not going to clean up someone else’s filth.

Such wonderful advice ! Plus I love the pictures! Don't know if it's just me an my old ears, but I always have a hard time listening with music in the background... yes, I'm easily distracted! 😂

I sold real estate for any years and was surprised at how difficult it was to convince sellers to use staging or to freshen up the space with paint or just to get rid of personal items! Now retired, but tried to help my brother get his home ready for sale and he ignored all my suggestions. It is cluttered with family photos and too much furniture....the property has now been on the market over a year and his agent struggles to set up a showing. Buyers are wary of a house that's been on the market so long. Staging is so important, first impressions count!

Love the before and after shots. REALLY shows how the key is 'optimize for how room looks IN PHOTOS.' May I make a suggestion? Your content is great but the frequent quick zoom in/out makes me need to look away which is harder to focus on the excellent advice you are giving.

I do a lot of real estate photography, and I'm always amazed by the bad-quality photos a lot of realtors use, and don't seem to realize how bad they are. I'm also getting our house ready to sell, and it is hard to see my own house through a buyer's eyes! Great advice!

One best piece of advice I got when I was a Realtor, and back when we had to take the photos…was, take photos from every door way. Begin with the front door, and then walk thru the house and take the pictures. Buyers want to see how a house flows from walking in the front door. Too many people over decorate their houses. I literally had to tell my sellers that we are selling your house and not a Hobby Lobby display. Clean out all closets, all cabinets, remove personal pics, religious things, clutter on counters etc. (i sold both of my houses myself in 2 days from listing on zillow) Every room needs a pop of red,black or yellow

Great advice! So very true! I live in a small, rural community in Ohio. My local real estate person took pictures that were kinda okay, but about 80% below profesional! I did a lot of my own research online for preparing my home to sell. First of all, I decluttered a lot. I was a 74 yr old widow, I did most of the work myself, but I must say, my home looked good when I sold it. I painted everything I could even the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and added new hardware. I did have someone come in and help update the kitchen including new countertops, new sink etc. I also painted the shed on my property to match the house (previously was red and looked like it did not belong). Another thing that I would highly recommend was hiring a professional to power wash the out side of the house including the deck, the cement patio and driveway. It was so worth the $500 I spent to make the outside just stand out and "sparkle." The real estate people were so impressed, listed it way higher than I was expecting and as it turned out, the first couple who looked at it offered and bought it at the full asking price! All my time, hardwork and money was well worth the effort.

Excellent video!! The side by side before and after photos with commentary while looking at the pictures is so helpful! I like the side by side view if you show me a before, and then switch to an after, I won’t remember enough of what the before looked like to compare. So, thank you for that. (Again, the choice of background music is not great! Maybe something softer?)

My next door neighbor & I were selling at the same time. My house was staged & I used the price my realtor recommended, my neighbor’s house was staged but with awful taste ($5 kitten wall art from Walmart, bulky furniture, too much furniture), & she picked her own price way above market. I got 5 offers in 3 days, it took my neighbor months to sell & she reduced the price several times. I had been asking my realtor for a year what to replace & with what, & what didn’t need to be replaced.

Thank you! I do not plan to sell but have never been good at seeing things the way others do. Now I have a solid action plan for updating my beloved but admittedly sort of shabby little home.

It really works! We sold our house in 2 days at full asking price.

A lot of buyers today want a "turn the key and move in" home. Seems like there are very few buyers who can see past the unstaged furnishings.

I’m watching your channel as advice for renovating and it is so helpful! I’m getting a great sense of where spending money is worthwhile and where is not.

LOVE the pictures! I would love to see more before amd afters and how to make things better.

If people can't envision how a home will look with their own personal touches (paint, decor, furniture), then why buy a house? They should just move into a furniture showroom and be done with it.

Thanks, Kati! I'm a new agent after retiring as a pharmacist and I'm enjoying your videos. Very helpful!

Love the before and after photos, great illustrations.

Great advice in terms of staging for photos, buyers and why not to hire designers. I was on the fence about hiring a professional RE photographer, but am now confident that it’s a must in this current market. Keep the videos coming. You stand out from all the other 100’s of RU-vid’s I’ve watched! lol very appreciated!!

Thanks Katie! Great information..taking notes to use 😊

I think storage units are mostly a waste of money. However, they're valuable to use when selling a house. Just storing 80 percent of furniture and possessions can make a house show better

Just a heads up: We moved out of our house and our realtor had a company do "virtual staging". It didn't cost us a dime. We got several offers and accepted 25K more than the asking price.

This is the info I have been hunting for. With pictures! Thank you!

Great content…so true! Pictures do sell (or not) the house. 🙂

I loved this video!

Your videos are EXCELLENT!!! Right pace, right information, great photos. Thank you!!!💯

Great advice 😊

I always FSBO, very successfully. I hire the best home photographer in the area. Former Realtor..I love the staging portion of the sale.

Great content. I learned a lot. Thank you!

Great video

Great information!!! Thank you.

Great video showing us why hiring a pro like you is priceless! You mention good paint colors are needed light and bright, but I don’t see specific colors in your video. Please provide wall colors!

Wow! Great advice! Wish you were in the DFW area!!

Terrific suggestions….

This is the real deal love it

I am a strange egg. the family room picture change Meant nothing to me. the only difference I really felt was the dark carpet Looks brighter in the new picture. My brain is wired to see past the little things that you change. I don't even count them because I know I will change them. It's good what you're doing. It's really funny and hard for me to push myself to think past what I would care about and think what other people care about. While I have no trouble keeping a house functioning From a mechanical standpoint, When it comes time to sell I'll have to just let someone have added and do whatever they say I can't even try to think it I won't agree, i won't understand but I know it will matter.

Very helpful!

You are worth every penny.

Great tips and overall advice! I would love your thoughts on curtains and whether to remove or not and also how long to test pricing before concluding it is too high without damaging the re rep of the listing

My first home sold in a day. My last home sold, quickly, but with the proviso that most of the furniture be available for a separate price. Clean and less is more.

Excellent transformation. It really looks different.

The difference in the photos with the same paint and same carpet is amazing! How does one find a professional photographer who specializes in real estate photography?

Good advice. I have never watched HGTV and am not going to start but clean, white, bright, airy and fresh with no personal items is how I’m going to roll. I will definitely hire a photographer who specializes in real estate. Plan on having most of my furniture out of there before showing so staging might not be needed. I live on a rural 10 acre horse estate so my buyers might not be HGTV viewers either.

Great information. Thank you.

Finally, the pictures.

You are pretty awesome!!! Great advises!!

In my area "Habitat for Humanity", "Salvation Army" and local churches will pick up/cost free. Donate, donate to organizations that help the less fortunate.

I’m loving your videos, wish there was no background music though.

Thank you

Three years ago l spent $3,500 to repaint my home in Antique white USA. I did sell my home within a week of going on the market although repainting did not make a profit. The buyer repainted with a crisp white. The only parts l'd repaint now are the trims (doors, window sill, baseboards).

Kinda loving your show here...

You have excellent advice! I have been watching a few of your videos because I would like to sell my home as soon as possible in Colorado. But first I need to get a few steps taken care of in building a new house and then I can pack up and remove unnecessary items. My home has dark wood trim and a light beige paint throughout. I repainted the laundry room the same beige color but painted the garage and stairway to basement a bright white. When I bought my house 4 years ago I didn't like the color combination of the wood color with the paint on the wall. I thought I would probably end up painting the trim and doors white at some point but didn't because I have done so many other updates and wasn't ready to paint the entire house trim and or doors to be consistent yet. Well now I want to sell and it feels like there is still some sort of color clash with wall color and wood trim. I have added a lot of lights and replaced carpet with real hardwood with white wash finish. Is it better to paint trim white now to fix color combination issue or paint walls white instead of leaving light beige? Or something else?

When I sold my first house I had plans to do some minor things I thought would improve the looks however the agent told me I should forget about my improvements because this was the season to relocate and move into a different home. So I said ok put it on the market without any of my improvements. As it happened the person buying the home had a mother who wanted to do things the way she wanted for her baby’s first house. My improvements did not enter in. They would have been a waste of time and money. I sold within a decent length of time with less stress on my part. We should listen to the advice of the professionals, in my case the salesman who had sold several homes like mine.

Some people get really attached to keeping their home as it is. You pay a price for that. When I sell, my house becomes a financial investment and I optimize it for the quickest sale for the most cash. Also, you are moving, so get rid of stuff to make the move easier.

Now every time I look at real estate I think of you! I love that the TV was on when the pctures were taken for this open home - the subtitles read: Carol,.Big opportunity in Florida. Gonne be gone. For a long time.

Remove all personal items. Color coordinated, not matched. Make it look spacious, never cluttered.

What a difference. Can you recommend paint colors? thanks

I have some questions. What about a huge TV in the living room? Should we take it out? Is a pod in the front yard okay? Also, we have a king bed In a medium sized bedroom. Should we take it out? Love your videos! Thank you.

I love your glasses. Do you have any details on them so I can look them up.

My biggest complaint with real estate photography is the use of wide angle lenses. It completely distorts the rooms and you can’t tell exactly the size of the room. I insisted on taking my own pictures for the last two houses we sold and they came out great. They sold right away. We are in the process of looking online now in another city to buy and it frustrates me that I can’t tell how big or small the rooms and yards are.

We just sold a home. We put a lot of money into it. The realtor staged it and I thought the staging was very bad. I could never live with how it was staged. It sold in 12 days.

All look amazing and great information! One thing I noticed from the living room before and after is that the chairs are not on the edge of the rug, so the rug is kind of floating in the middle of the room, and the chairs are kind of pushed to the wall. Would the room look bigger if the chairs are pushed towards the middle some?

Question about staging... I guess you rent the furnishings until the house sells? Buyers will expect to see the same furniture when they walk through the house that they saw in the photos. So you just rent a storage facility for all the furnishings you plan to keep and move to your new home?

In Florida a home or condo is often sold with the furniture so staging is not relevant.

Excellent before and after shots! Wow! My realtor, who did an excellent job photographing my father's house (under contract in 4 days) - but not so good with mine - concerns me. What if I choose a realtor based on photographs and apparent qualifications - only to find they don't do a good job with mine after the contract is signed. What then? Won't they get resentful if I ask them to re-photograph (or worse, more than once) - and maybe consider me a difficult seller so they won't put out much effort, since they feel they have already lost money with the extra time spent? A lot on the line! Anyway, so much to consider. Thanks for the insight!

I have a question about lighting. We have been replacing our overhead lighting with daylight bulbs. Are you saying that all the lighting should be warm or that the lamp light should be warm? We had been told to replace overhead lighting with daylight, but I lack confidence in the realtor who told us that.

Great tips - get rid of things (donate/pack up) you don't need while your house is listed for sale. Do you need all the glasses, pots and pans, vases, decor on the tables and shelves??No you don't "need" it and you want your space to be as spacious, clean, and crisp looking as a magazine shoot/HGTV episode, so pack it up/get rid of it now. Your home will be more attractive to buyers and BONUS you'll have less to unpack at your new place!

No gray paint ! Clean, have a spring cleanup done in your yard, have shrubs pruned, have home deep cleaned.

Professional approach! I am trying to sell a high value condo in Malta( EU) - a truly stunning apartment - yes its expensive but for a good reason. And without shading your colleagues from the Real Estate Agencies in Malta - the level of professionalism is sub optimal. When you as a seller have to tell the agents how to market the property, then you know its not going to be easy. I wish the same level of professionalism was available in Malta. May be I should have contacted international agencies, but its over now. I have removed it from the market and will continue to rent it. At least the rents are high.

Kati, What is the name of the paint in the Master Bedroom ?

I know you say light/bright colors. Are soft neutrals still in? Tans?

Seems like a lot of work put upon the sellers. I think I'll just stay put. I am however decluttering so our children will have an easier time of it when the time comes.

Love the video. But ditch the 🎶.

Where can you put all the stuff you pack up in the home? Storage facilities are outrageously expensive and I can't afford them. Any other suggestions?

What is your opinion of cloud white by Benjamin Moore in a North facing room❤❤❤

I just found this video and was wondering if you could do a video about selling antique homes. I live in an 1809 cape cod house. Everything is pretty original with the exception of the bathrooms. Fireplaces, bee hive oven, floors, some windows are all original. I couldn't stage it like you just showed. It would look ridiculous. Any advice you could give would be helpful!

Where are the colors that shoot well? You said they were listed below & I do not see them.

You need to show more pictures of do and don’t.

Here are my tips. Clean everything. Think of your house like a hotel room. Nobody wants to see your personal dirt. I always take all trash, dirty dishes and dirty laundry with me in the car for each showing. If you work then load it up each morning. I know it’s a big pain but trust me, people want the kitchen and bathrooms to look like no one has ever lived there. I’m talking have an empty dishwasher, empty trash cans etc. nothing like tooth brushes etc anywhere. Also expect people to lay on your bed, open your clothing drawers, everything. Even stuff you think is private like file cabinets etc. Lock everything that you don’t want others to see or take. Jewelry, prescription drugs. Not kidding, people take it. Also assume the buyer may ask for just about anything you have. Appliances, furniture, makeup mirrors, lighting etc. if it’s a non negotiable for you, remove it before you start showing. It’s ridiculous what people will do! It gets worse every time I’ve sold.

I do this for a living

Learn how to make your bed beautifully with new bedding.

I'm not sure why switching artwork makes a huge difference. it's such a personal preference, it's hard to target everyone's taste. The bedroom had the best improvement.

What do we do when our dad goes in the nursing home & my brother & I emptied the whole house?

very interesting. thank you. your background music is irritating to me.

We have a small bedroom which we used as a TV room. Now that we need to sell, I'm not sure what to do. We no longer have a twin bed. Must we put a bed back into this room or can I stage it as a quiet reading room without a bed?

WOW!!! #KatiSpaniak you are amazing girl. I'm a senior citizen who just retired and my home needs help. I always wanted a beautiful home and have failed in every way 😃 I just learned so much and plan to get started at taking a room at a time to achieve my beautiful calm living space in rural SC. Thank you > have a blessed day filled with lots of smiles 😊 John 3:17

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