The Key Rooms That Help Sell Your Home

Now that buyers have more choices, it’s important to be intentional about how your home looks when it hits the market. One of the best ways to make a strong first impression? Home staging.

What Is Home Staging?

It’s not about making your home look like it came out of a design magazine. The goal is to create a space that feels warm, welcoming, and move-in ready—so buyers can easily picture themselves living there.

Staging can range from quick, affordable updates to more detailed setups, depending on your budget and timeline. But even small touches can have a big impact.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), staged homes typically sell faster and for more money than those that aren’t staged at all (see below).

Which Rooms Have the Biggest Impact?

The good news? You probably don’t need to stage your entire home to see results. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), these are the rooms buyers’ agents say have the most influence on a buyer’s impression (see chart below):

Where Should You Focus? As you’ll see in the chart, agents who work directly with buyers agree: the most important rooms to stage are the ones where buyers spend the most time—like the living room, main bedroom, and kitchen.

This gives you a strong starting point, but nothing beats the insights of a local real estate expert when it comes to your specific home.

How a Real Estate Agent Helps You Prioritize

Local agents hear what buyers love—and what turns them off—every day during showings, tours, and open houses. They’ll walk through your home and pinpoint the areas that could benefit from small updates or staging tweaks, such as:

• Removing clutter and personal items to help buyers see themselves in the space
• Rearranging furniture to improve flow and make rooms feel more spacious
• Adding plants, artwork, or accessories to warm up the home

For many sellers, that expert advice is all the staging help they need. But if your home is vacant or needs a bigger visual boost, your agent may suggest hiring a professional stager—and they’ll help you decide if it’s worth the investment.

As the National Association of Realtors (NAR) puts it:

“The median amount spent on staging with a professional was $1,500, compared to just $500 when the seller’s agent staged it themselves.”

A good agent will help you weigh your options based on your budget, your timeline, and the condition of your home. They’ll also factor in how fast similar homes are selling nearby and what buyers expect at your price point.

Bottom Line

Staging doesn’t need to be dramatic or costly—it just needs to make your home feel inviting and easy for buyers to picture themselves living there. A skilled agent will help you decide what level of staging fits your home, your goals, and your budget.

What room in your home do you think would leave the biggest impression?

Walk through your space with a local agent and get expert advice on what will truly make your home shine.