What is Home Staging | Everything You Need To Know

What is Home Staging?

Home staging has skyrocketed in popularity since it first emerged in the 1970s. While it has been around for decades, it’s only in the last 10 years that staging has become a staple in the home-selling process.

For some homeowners, staging still feels like a “well-kept secret.” For others, it’s seen as a non-negotiable if you want to sell quickly and for top dollar. Many real estate agents have seen such strong results that they make staging a requirement for every listing.

On the other hand, there are still sellers and agents who don’t realize how much money they could be leaving on the table by selling an UN-staged home.

That’s why we thought it was time to clear up the misconceptions. Below, we’ll give you a complete guide to home staging — what it actually involves, what to expect during the process, and just as importantly, what it is not.

What Is Home Staging?

Home staging, also called property showcasing, is a service performed before listing your home for sale. The goal is simple: present your house in a way that highlights its best features while downplaying any less desirable qualities.

A certified home stager, property stylist, or designer will create a tailored plan for your home. This may include furniture, art, décor, textiles, and accessories. In the end, the stager installs and styles everything so your home looks polished, intentional, and market-ready.

But staging is not just about making a house look pretty. Much more is taken into account. A professional stager considers:

• The current real estate market

• The unique features of your home

• The target demographic of buyers

• Design principles like colour, flow, and continuity

This approach ensures your home stands out from the competition. It presents your property in the best possible light, both in person and online.

With nearly 99% of buyers shopping online, your listing photos are often the first impression. Staged homes not only look eye-catching, but also appear proportioned and functional. A stager carefully selects size-appropriate furniture and décor for each room so the space feels open, balanced, and inviting — never crowded.

As you can see, staging is a thoughtful, strategic process designed to maximize your home’s appeal and help it sell faster.

Our Property Showcasing Process

1. Consultation
The first step is a consultation between the property stylist (home stager) and the seller. This is where we identify the target buyer for your home and determine which key rooms are essential to stage.

• The stylist takes notes and photos needed to plan your design.

• We encourage sellers to take their own notes during the consultation so they can remember recommendations and insights.
  (See a sample list of notes below.)

2. Planning & Coordination
After the consultation, the stylist begins planning a customized furniture and décor package. Behind the scenes, they also manage communication, timelines, and logistics such as:

• Parking and access for delivery

• Furniture rental coordination (if needed)

• Collaboration with the real estate agent, client, and other members of the staging team

3. Design Development
Design planning takes the most time. This step involves reviewing photos, notes, and measurements while carefully hand-selecting each item of furniture, art, and décor. Once finalized, everything is packed and prepared for delivery

4. Installation Day
On installation day, all selected items are delivered and styled in your home. Depending on the size of the property, this may take one or two days, though most homes are completed in a single day. Every detail is handled — from hanging artwork to arranging furniture and adding décor.

5. Professional Photography
Once staging is complete, the realtor’s photographer captures the space so your listing stands out online. For occupied homes (where sellers are still living in the property), Total Home offers a white glove service — our stylist returns before the photo-shoot to make final touch-ups so everything looks perfect.

6. DE-Staging
After your property has SOLD, the team returns to DE-style the home. This includes:

• Furniture pickup

• Art and décor removal

• Packing and restocking inventory

Much like installation, DE-staging is typically completed in one day, with larger homes requiring up to two or three days.

The Recommendations

As mentioned above, our stylist provides a list of recommendations during the consultation. There is often some confusion about who is responsible for completing these tasks. To clarify: these items must be done by the seller, though our stylist will coach you on how to accomplish them.

Here are common tasks we recommend before we style the property:

• Deep cleaning — completed by the homeowner or a professional cleaner.

• Organizing — homeowner or professional organizer. If additional support is requested, our stylist can assist, billed separately from staging services.

• Decluttering — completed by the homeowner or professional organizer.

• Depersonalizing — removing family photos or personal items (homeowner or organizer).

• General repairs — we strongly recommend hiring a trusted professional, since poor workmanship will be obvious to buyers.

• Painting — a professional painter is best unless you are highly skilled.

• Moving or removing items — completed by the homeowner or a professional mover.

• Yard maintenance — handled by the homeowner or a professional landscaper.

Some clients ask if we can facilitate these tasks. In certain cases, depending on the professional trades within the property stylist’s network, it may be arranged at an additional cost. However, this is not included in the regular staging fees, and many stylists operate solo, so availability varies.

Your Next Step in Home Staging

We hope you now feel well-equipped should the day come when you need property showcasing. At Total Home, we are dedicated to delivering high-quality service and innovative, modern staging solutions.

Ready to take the next step in your home staging journey? Let Cindy guide you further! Click here to watch our helpful companion video and continue learning how staging can transform your home.

Thank you for spending time with us on this home staging journey. At Total Home, our goal is to help you showcase your property in the best possible light so it sells quickly and with ease.

If you’re ready to take the next step, we’d love to support you – contact us today to book a Market Ready Consultation with Cindy!