Tips for Living in a Staged Home

Your home is ready to list! The stagers have come, photos were taken, and your home is officially on the market…now what? 

Living in a home that is staged to perfection and actually keeping it that way can feel incredibly daunting. This is especially true if you have children or pets, which seem to attract chaos even on the quietest days. But the truth is, living in your staged home while it's on the market doesn't have to be an ordeal as long as you have a system in place. 

The most significant trend from the 2022 Real Estate market is that homes take longer to sell. Depending on your region, most homes in 2022 were on the market from 20 to 80 days. This was a huge contrast to 2021, when most homes in Southern Ontario sold in under 30 days and some in as few as a couple of days.

If you have had your home professionally staged, you are already in great shape. Staged homes statistically spend much less time on the market than their unstaged competition because they make a much better impression on potential buyers. And you only get ONE chance to make a great first impression. 

Remember, what works for everyone may not work for your particular home and lifestyle, so you may have to tailor some of these tips to your own situation or improvise here and there until you have it down pat. After a few showings, you will likely get into a groove. So here are some survival tips for living in a staged home as stress-free as possible. 

Change Your Mindset

First things first: when it comes to living in a staged home, you will need to adjust your mindset. Not only is your home a place where you live, but it is now a product marketed toward buyers. This can be difficult because we have many emotions tied to our homes. As much as we want to be comfortable in our homes, we must remember that buyers are seeing it for the first time, and keeping that excellent first impression is paramount.

Cleaning

One mantra that worked fabulously when my house was on the market last year was "Don't put it down, put it away." It's much easier to take a few extra seconds to tidy up after yourself at the moment than to let it pile up ahead of a showing. This drastically cut down on my preparation time before a showing and relieved any pending stress.

You may also find it beneficial to do larger cleaning tasks like vacuuming or mopping in the evenings when showings are done for the day and then do "spot tidying" before each showing. Or you can swap and do a cleaning first thing in the morning. Again, this depends largely on your routine and what works best for you. 

Keep a Checklist Handy

An excellent method that also worked is to keep a checklist and work down the list before each showing. You can refer back to this list to make sure those high-traffic areas that often need a bit of extra attention to make sure that they are ready to go. Then before you head out the door, go down the list and make sure that all of your bases are covered. 

Personal Items

It's inevitable that when you live in a home on the market, you will have personal items that you need in your daily life that you simply cannot pack away. Keep a laundry basket or Rubbermaid by your front door to place these items in before showings, and take them with you in your car. If you work from home, you can put your laptop, dish towels, winter jackets, kids' toys, excess clutter that your spouse left behind, and anything you'd like in this box. This will save you time and ensure your house looks tidy and clutter-free for showings. 

Spend Less Time at Home

Do you know what keeps a house super clean? Taking the excess traffic out of it! This is particularly true if you have kids or dogs. Head to the park for the evening, visit friends or family you haven't seen in a while, get ice cream, or go for a walk or a drive. This is also a great way to create fun memories with everyone in your home. Not only that, but it will drastically cut down on your cleaning efforts. 

Pets and Children

Kids can be great helpers when it comes to cleaning, but make sure you have a few empty drawers and bins designated for those daily toys and activities that you can tuck away quickly for showings. It can be a great teaching opportunity to get your kids to pick up after themselves at the moment or learn how to make their beds if they are old enough. 

Pets, who rely on routines, may find the new situation difficult. You will have to come up with a suitable plan for them when showings are happening and make sure you speak with your Realtor^® about your pets and whether or not they will be living in the home while it is on the market, so both your pets and potential buyers are kept safe. Make sure you diligently pick up after your pets and keep their high-traffic areas clean and tidy. Make sure to account for your pets' odour, particularly litter boxes, fish, rodents and reptiles. 

Simplify

The best way to maintain your sanity while your home is on the market is to simplify as much as possible. Keep any items that are not necessary in storage for the time being. While you may not know how long your home will be on the market, your home could be just one showing away from a sale! Keeping fewer items in your home means you will have fewer items to manage. 

Support

Lean on friends and family will also help reduce any stress you may experience while your home is on the market. If your pet can live with a friend for a few days where plenty of showings are scheduled, that is one less to worry about. If you can send the little ones to their grandparents' house for the weekend, that may alleviate some of those tasks. Plan ahead as much as you can, anticipate busier days, and account for it as much as possible. 

In addition, talk to your professional home stager and Realtor^® for advice on how to make this easier for you. Your Real Estate team has a wealth of knowledge through years of experience and expertise that you may find highly beneficial to your current setup and routine. That is what we are here for! 

Your Best Real Estate Experience

With so much that goes into selling and buying a home, having the Best Real Estate Experience starts with choosing to work with a team of experts with a proven system of success. When you work with Faris Team, you are working with Professional, Loving, Local Realtors^® who will go full out for you^®. Each team member is carefully selected and brings an abundance of professionalism and skill from our Complimentary Home Staging, Client Connection, Photographers and Videographers, and our Realtors^® who live where you live and know your market better than anyone. Our mission is to go full out^® for our clients and provide the Best Real Estate Experience in the world. 

Ready to begin your BEST REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE?

Call us today at 1.888.918.6570, send us an email to book an appointment.

There’s absolutely NO OBLIGATION. Consultations with our team of experts are FREE.