How to Stage Your Home For Living 

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that my new book, Things That Matter, is finally here. I put my heart into it, and I can’t wait to share it with you. You can pick up a copy at www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/676394/things-that-matter-by-joshua-becker/

1:36 Remove 1/3 of your possesions 2:10 Find a home for everything 3:15 Declutter surfaces 3:58 Personalize your decorations 5:02 Deep clean the bathroom 5:50 Curb appeal (the exterior) 6:47 Deep clean the house 7:25 Tackle minor projects and repairs 7:56 Tackle major projects

I had this realization a while back that people fix up their houses for someone else to enjoy. I wanted to enjoy it myself, so after some major decluttering, I recently had my home exterior painted and had new landscaping put in. Now I have pride in myself and my home, and I get to experience living in a beautiful home! Now, gotta go clean my bathroom!

My siblings did all this for our parents home when they were elderly. They really enjoyed it, they are passed now and we are so happy we could do that for them.

Each evening we do a 1-minute quick clean. Our family of five spends 1 minute in each room, cleaning up and putting things away. However! Because we have five people cleaning, we actually turn one minute into five minutes. It's genius!

I remember, when I fixed my house up to sell then I really didn't want to sell it.

Has bern said, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks", however our dog taught my husband to put his socks in the dirty clothes, not on the floor. Rosie ate socks left on the floor. Good dog! Rosie😸

Okay, I've been meditating how to make my home a retreat instead of needing to vacation. This video helped so much. Thx brother.

I always say some people just need to clean up. They don't need a bigger house, they need less stuff! Lol

This is THE best video you have done.. my husband and I have this mindset and we have done improvements so we can enjoy them now. We are blessed and (hopefully) are living in our forever home. Thank you for this reminder.. Stage your home for living. confession: still need to remove 1/3 of the possessions... still a work in progress.

One of the smartest things you can do is if your house is minimal it's not going to cost that much for somebody to come in and clean it if you and your husband go out and eat or go on vacation you spend money all the time have someone to come in and clean your home It is not that great a luxury as people think There's nothing better than coming in after your house is clean and fresh it saves you so much stress and if you're not getting around to it or you don't want to clean in those places there's someone that needs the money so just do it You will never regret it. I believed to have someone clean your home and cut your yard are two of the best stress relievers there is unless you love doing it yourself and you have the time

LOVE these tips! When we sold our last home after 12 yrs of living in it we had a lot of little projects to do to make it look just right to show. Nothing that was major or expensive, just a little time consuming. When we were finished I was so upset with myself that I hadn’t done those things years sooner so that we could enjoy how nice everything looked.

Totally agree with this video. Value your own family enough to have a lovely, ordered, repaired home for them.

I thought I was the only weird one. I stage my house all the time but everything is used and lived. TFS!

This is so great! My husband and I moved two years ago and staged out old apartment. We liked how it looked so much than now we only have those “staged” items in our new home... friends often say it looks “staged” but nobody ever mentions minimalism ... because it’s still lived in and homey. My husband refers to it as our “set”.

Thank you Joshua for another great video! I just wanted to add that when you remove that 1/3 of your belongings *or more* to sell, and the prospective buyers walk through saying it's so nice and airy, it's because all that stagnant energy is gone! 🤭

Stage your home for Living. What an interesting perspective to take and a great idea.

Stage your home for Living. I totally agree with that statement.

Loved this one! I’m in my seventies and this this the truth. When I retired I sold my home and now I rent. Life is so much easier after downsizing.

This advice is great. We live this way and it is phenomenal. It takes us a few minutes each day to put things away. But he is right everything needs a home and most things that don't can go. Today was a really great day. We helped someone else declutter, our neighbor. She was overwhelmed with her garage. My husband and I offered to take to goodwill whatever she placed out of her garage. We did and she was in tears after, she just needed encouragement and someone to help take it. Now that we can help others, we feel so grateful. Thanks Joshua for your motivation!

We thought of downsizing, but it would have cost more than staying where we are! Instead we have been remodelling to make our home easier to manage and we added a covered patio. I’m loving my ‘new home.’ ❤️ Great insight as usual Joshua... I would have liked to see your hands cleaning the bathroom! 😉

It always amazes me what people will put up with in their home and then fix those things when they get ready to sell. Pretty sad really...

This was true for me and my car too. My last car when I went to sell, I did an amazing deep clean on the interior, washing mats, etc. It was never that clean the entire time I had it.

So true. Doesn’t this apply to other areas of life too? We do for others often what we don’t give ourselves (compassion, charity, etc.). When I sold my condo 21 years ago to buy a house, all my friends commented how great it looked and why was I leaving it (indoor parking and laundry) because I had done all those things. In process of doing it again for myself. Thanks Joshua for reminding us what’s important. (P.S. it’s easier to keep the place cleaner and get to the little projects once you’ve minimized because you don’t have the impediment of shifting so much stuff to get to it, plus you have more time.)

You are so on target Joshua. I lived in 21 different home before I was 18, my Dad was a carpenter. Mom kept them minimal and ready for moving. Loved the relaxing atmosphere of a minimal home!

Yeeeessss! I loved every word of this! This video is getting sent to any of my family and friends who are feeling tired, overwhelmed and stressed in their homes! We sold our home 6 years ago and did EXACTLY what you said! What a shame! Our home and property looked so sweet and inviting! We should have be able to enjoy that all 10 years we lived there. Now in our current home, I've been simplifying and following your tips and The Minimal Mom's... and it is incredibly peaceful and super easy to maintain every day! Before covid, several visitors would say, "You know, I thought it was gonna feel cold and empty in here. But actually, it's so peaceful and open! Your little house feels roomy and relaxing!!" Win for minimalism!

My husband and I try to do each of these items. I love my house since I decluttered! A friend asked if I would be a host house for a Bible study because she knew my house did not have to be thoroughly cleaned because of the major decluttering. I know I need to do the window cleaning...will try to tackle that before your next video. Thanks for this great reminder Joshua!

I’ve always said the same thing. If you have to fix it up, fix it up for yourself not for somebody else.

I helped a mum get rid of 60% of her stuff to get ready to sell. Her children loved it and said “why didn’t we do it sooner mum?” ❤️

I've often wondered how many people stage for selling after realtor's advice ... and then find they don't want to move any more. Sometimes 'we can't see the wood for the trees'.

Strangely enough, I started ripping out my old tile countertops today- really don’t have a plan other than the inspiration to begin painting the cabinets. For 10 years I’ve lived with porous porcelain floor tiles on my countertops that were impossible to clean. I told my husband that we won’t be able to sell the house down the road (6-7 years) with this kitchen. I’m tired of seeing it daily. Thanks for the boost- I was beginning to regret my decision. ❤️

My husband and I were planning to move for about a year, so we've been working on fixing up things we didn't like. We're still not done, but we've also decided to stay put in this house for another few years, so now we're working to make our house the way that we want it!

My coworker had to rent a pod to sell his home and used his MIL home (she reminded him often he was picking up that clutter back up!) He thought later, did he really need all that? Sometimes seeing it all together is a wake-up call

I'm a retired Interior Designer, Home Stager and Organizer and your concept is true. It essentially comes down to treating ourselves with respect, loving ourselves enough to perfect our surroundings so that our lives are simple, clean and pleasant. So many times, after I had staged a home, people commented about how they didn't want to sell as it looked so nice. Do it now. Do it for yourself. Reap the benefits now.

One more good idea. Train every family member to put their stuff away..or else! I speak from 3 children/1 husband experience.😸

I live in Spain, where the tradition was yo show the whole house to new visitors (Friends and family). I used to hate It as a kid and stopped doing It as an adult. I'm finding, howeve, that this tradition helped us keep our homes perfectly "staged" so any unexpected visit would find It clean and ordered.

I started FlyLady last month. I’ve come to like shining my sink and doing the nightly hot Spot/reset nightly. This is all good advice But I must disagree with you about cooking utensils. You didn’t seem to think people needed many things like measuring spoons or spatulas. I put the extras in quarantine, and then brought extras back out. For example, a recipe will say “Add 1 TBSP of oil to the chicken. Then add 1 TBSP if the seasoning. “. The purpose of the oil is to help the spices cling to the chicken. You aren’t going to put the oily spoon to go into the spice bottle. And it’s really taking the joy of cooking to stop and wash stuff. Not to mention the time increases. Sometimes, it’s the time between the dish burning while it’s cooking.

I like your approach, make your home great for you and your family, not for others. Some of the books and videos I have seen regarding decluttering place too much emphasis on having the home ready for company. But truly, you should have a home that is great for the people who live there.

Then this pandemic hit....and everyone was up for minimizing, maximizing, home projects, cleaning out their homes, swimming pools, bicycles, home haircutting, prepping, homeschooling.....on and on. And here my family of 8, soon to be 9 have been doing it all and more for decades, already. I pray people, after this virus, see the value of focusing first on what truly matters. God, Family and Fun is our motto.

Great video as usual. You can always think of some topic that is not ‘run of the mill.’ I love the idea of staging my house for living in it. It makes so much sense. Every video is so professionally presented that it is always a satisfying experience, and are you aware that you are the personification of tranquility?

Words of wisdom! We worked our tails off 2 years ago to get our house ready for someone else to enjoy.😥 We vowed we'd never do that again! Working on #9 as we speak...a complete bathroom gutting and reno!

"stage your home for living" I love this, I'm definitely going to have that in mind during my next declutter! Thank you 🙂

Sometimes you stop seeing the grime, clutter and broken things. A cheap way to see them, is take a picture and then flip it (mirror). Suddenly everything becomes visible!

Love this topic. I love watching staging videos to get ideas even though I have no intention of selling.

Hi Joshua, we just painted two rooms in our house for this exact reason. It does take time and commitment and money but it’s worth it. For me it was getting over the hump of beginning the project....

Thank you, this makes so much sense. My husband and I have a large, light filled bedroom that has not been decorated for 20+ years because we concentrate on other rooms! I would love it to be special BEFORE we decide to sell. You (as always) have motivated me...

Isn't it amazing what we are willing to live with that we can not sell?

Seeing this video made me feel good that we have finally gotten rid of close to one third of our stuff. And I have much less stress now! Tidying up is very quick. I have had that mindset for many years: to stage our house for living not moving. We've been doing one major project every year for the last 4 years. It's exciting to finally get things done!

Totally agree with you on all aspects! Two weeks ago I hired a pro to completely tear apart and redo my back patio. I’m using that as the starting point to get my house ready-to-live-in-it with style I shared it with my mom who passed away last year. She believed in “ if it’s not broke why fix it “! And she would not allow me to spend on anything major nor would she get it done herself. So I lived in misery and lack of my own style I’m moving forward and not looking back. Thank you for this motivation I’m glad I found your channel Greetings from Los Angeles

Sept 25, 2020. Cleaning out papers early this AM. Found a newspaper adticle dated Sept 25, 1995, titled "Voluntary Simplicity". I save some articles for inspiration; will keep this one. Minimalism has been going on forever, it just wasn't called that b4 da Tube. 😸😁 Keep on truckin'.

Thank you Joshua! Taking care of our home shows gratitude and appreciation for having it! I feel happiness since I have decluttered my home. 🙏🏻

Great video! As new home owner, it was difficult to take your advice. Our condo was built in 1996. We are the third owners. The hot water tank, furnace & AC, and carpet are all original. None of the previous owners wanted to invest in the upkeep or maintenance. Both bathrooms and kitchen are old and need updated as does the windows. Originally we wanted to focus on paying off the mortgage as fast as possible as Dave Ramsey suggests, but we decide that we want to tackle a major repair or update each year and enjoy living in our condo. We replaced the hot water tank, replacing the entire carpet and pad throughout condo, and upgrading both bathroom and kitchen floors. Possibly get new AC & furnace this year as well. Next year we will update our kitchen since that's a bigger and more expensive project. We want to enjoy living in our condo while we are here. Don't want to fix it up for someone else to enjoy!

A house fire removed 1/3 of our possessions. After 7+ years living an a fire damaged house, my husband says he will build me a tiny house. I am continuing to downsize, only keeping what we need! I am not sure how many families have the time to deep clean. I try to deep clean 1 time/year. I call it multi-tasking doing Spring and Fall cleaning all at the same time!

Love this video!!! We just sold our 1,000 square foot home, sold and gave away about 40% of stuff. Moving into a 1,500 square foot home. Now everything has a place, decorating is so easy, what we enjoy is out and displayed, not hidden away.

This video came at THE RIGHT TIME for me because we just moved over the weekend into our dream house. I’m collecting things we really don’t want to donate

The first time you shared this concept a big light bulb went on in my head and I ran with it. Now I see it's time to do it again, but it's going to be a lot easier this time! Hey when I saw Kim open the tidy and minimal kitchen drawer it made me want to have her give us a kitchen tour of the insides of your drawers and cabinets.

I loved meeting you through mops a few years ago! Still watch, follow and listen. You know how to live a simple yet beautiful life and its remarkable how you thought things I felt during the second home sale we have gone through. The future is less! Thank you for great content and positivity. ♡

Such simple but wise advise. Now, let's get the notepad out and put together a room by room "things to do" list. 🦉

Great video. 🔥 I am going to pretend I am selling my home every day, and accomplish more tasks 💪🏼

I'm also in my 40s. My husband and I have been married for 20 and a half years. We have lived in several houses as well. We are a family of 4. Two teens and my hubby.. Im a minimalst and i have to have my home very tidy. We have sold and bought homes as well. The fastest we sold our home was in 17 hours because I know how to stage and God is awesome. I love staging so I knew how to sell the home fast. Great tips, I do all of these. Thanks for sharing.

This was definitely a much needed video, ty. I've already done this stuff but it's reassuring to know others are doing it and feeling the same way. I'd like to add too, it's more complicated with home businesses too...I have my stock and supplies here, which makes it awkward. I've tried confining it to one area but the struggle is real.

Love this! I have a similar personal story with moving and staging and your article in a magazine years ago is what inspired me to think about, and re-think, the philosophy of staging. Thanks!

What a great thought “stage you home for living “ 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Perfect timing for this video, now that we are staying at home a lot more than usual, and holidays are coming! Great time to do this stuff now!!! I try to plan to do a little each day, it gets overwhelming if I don't.

Exactly the way I think about “home staging” since the first day I hear about it from so many realtors and interior designers here on RU-vid. Thank you for putting the thoughts in a more detailed way!

One of the best videos I've seen on your channel. Thank you for the reminder that it's best to enjoy your home while living in it. Everything in its place.

Thank you. This was very good. We are retired. My husband put in new electrical thru out our home,garage and yard. (An electrician for 59 years , and certified with a lifetime teaching credential for the state of California....so it's A-1 condition) and I keep plants up and he the lawn. We were not going to do much of anything else, because we were going to move out of state to our son's area in Texas, but all has changed for different reasons, good reasons, not bad. So this concept sounds right to me. We can no longer do slot or afford slot, such as removing pop corn a, but we can freshen everything with paint . We have already removed slot of clutter, ( a little more to do....so just want to say we have to be thinking of our son and his family having to come from Texas after we're gone, and they would've had to deal with soooooo much more let alone all the paperwork and the "then" selling of our home....so I feel a great gift to them would be to do as much of it as we can now, before that time

Ahhh!! Yes!! I’ve felt that too...enjoy it now!!

Thank you so much! I have been enjoying your videos! My counters are so clean! Didn’t know how much I would enjoy it. Love your hairdresser video too with the negative comments summary. You’re awesome and thank you for all you share. God bless you and your family!

Really important points for our lives, hit home for me. Thanks for the inspiration!

I agree with you about having a clean bathroom. When I had my bathroom redecorated a few years ago I started to wipe down in there every morning after showering. It takes a few minutes every day. But now I never have to spend time scrubbing to remove soap, limescale or mould, because they never build up. And I always have a clean, shiny bathroom. 😊

One of your best!! So damn true.

Such excellent ideas. I have always thought the same way too. It seems sad that we spend all the time prepping our house for someone else to purchase it when we could have done it earlier and enjoyed it while we were living in it. Thanks for all of your excellent videos

Good motivation! I have been working on a painting project and because that takes months for me to accomplish I hadnxt been dusting or anything thinking I would get to it when that is done. But this gave me motivation to shine things up anyway and I felt a lot better about the house today!🙌

Oh wow! I’m always on the search for videos about staging to give me ideas of how to “stage” where I live so to live in minimal peaceful place even though I’m not moving out. This video is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.

Wow Joshua! Superb video! Very cleverly made. Awakening in the best possible way! Loved the words used and smartly conveyed. Thank you!

Everything on the list looks completely doable. Thanks for the perspective. I plan to implement it this month by creating a structure and timeline to compete these tasks and goals. At the same time I will take on the first 3 resolutions from your 11 Resolutions video. Thanks for the direction. I will have things to check off my list as I complete them. I will have a list to refer to when I forget and lose focus. Thanks again!

Love the video!💖 Live and enjoy your house, while you are there!🙏

Great video and the advice is so true! I am in the real estate business and when I see a cluttered or dirty home it drains my energy. Some people live in homes so perfect it looks like they are staged. Being around organized people and seeing these videos is so inspiring!

We just did that! This video describes our goals exactly. All those years we put up with messy and undone! No more.

love it! what an interesting concept. Even though I have no intention of selling anytime soon, I definitely love the idea of "staging my home for living". Thanks!

I love this mindset! Thank you for this video 💗

Absolutely profound! I am always decluttering and my husband is a hoarder, it's very frustrating! I'm trying to be patient and explain each video to him excitedly and he now asks me to send them to him. I am sure you will create a breakthrough for him!

Nice! Spruce it up for living, stage it for living. Love this

Brilliant Joshua! I've always wondered the same thing and maybe (depending on the reason for moving) many people who took your advice would not be interested in moving after all.

I love this sooo much! I've been a little hooked on a show called 'The Unsellables' and that is exactly what they do, instruct the owners on what is needed to stage/fix their home to sell. And often, I wonder (for some of the episodes), do I see that expression of "hmmm... if we'd realized how nice it could be, would we still be selling?".

Thank you so much for making this video. It is exactly what I need to do for the next 2 weeks…declutter, clean up, and stage my home for living…now!

Great content, as always! One of your best. Having moved many times myself, I can so relate. Just received “The Minamalist Home” and really enjoying it. Thank you, Joshua!

My favorite video on how to prepare your home for daily living. So many achievable tasks to reduce clutter & enjoy your home.

Thank you, Joshua!👍👍👍

This quarantine has helped me walk around my house and really see it. I've staged my house, did the deep clean, moved pictures, revamped our bed, rearranged furniture, and can't believe the difference. Considering I thought our house was great before I made all these changes! Seriously great advice and it really didn't cost us anything.

Great tips! We already practice several of these, like a home for everything and tackling projects now, and it really does payoff in terms of mental health and peace. My home is my happy place!

We did our Fall, whole house, deep clean today. Then I sat down and watched this amazing video. Such a wonderful reminder. Thank you. 🙏 Now to tackle our staging list. 😍

I love this idea. I think it will ultimately help me get rid of things if I’m actually enjoying my home versus stressing about all the things I’ve got to do and am overwhelmed by. Thanks!!

This is such vital truth that most don’t do. Thanks for this needed reminder.

This is so true! Great tips. For me I am attacking visual clutter and deep cleaning. I love going in the morning into a bright clean bathroom. (it's currently in chaos).

Thank you for a wonderful reminder on the importance of today!

Brilliant concept. Stage your home for living. Thank you.

Such great advise...we are worth it. Do it & enjoy your surroundings. Thanks so much.

Thank you Joshua, great advice for me as a renter too. Blessings Lynne