A Handy Seller’s Guide To Staging A House In Houston While Living In It

Selling A House You're Still Living In? Here's What You Need To Know.

Most Houston home sellers encounter the dilemma of trying to sell their house while living in it. A quick search of online home listings displays a range of vacant homes, obviously staged properties, and even occupied homes.

The idea of selling a house you're still living in is to stage it and make it look like you've already moved out. Stage an appealing, clean home as if no one is living there.

NAR's transaction data study shows that 56% of buyers need to sell before buying a new home. Living in your home until it sells may be a necessary strategy.

Suppose you cannot use temporary housing or are short on hiring cleaning pros. Here's our comprehensive guide on maintaining your home's professional staging while still living there.

Related resources:

"We had the pleasure of working with the Houston Properties Team. I must say from start to finish they were absolutely amazing. Very knowledgeable on the properties and things we needed to be looking for especially with being first-time home buyers. When things got bumpy they were always there keeping us uplifted and In the loop. I highly recommend the Houston properties team for any of your home buying needs. We couldn’t be more pleased!!!" - Clarissa (Google Review)

Staging Explained
Moving Out (Physically And Mentally)
Clean Your Houston Home And Maintain Its Cleanliness
Don't Stage Your Houston Home Alone
Get Out Of Your House
Create A Last-Minute List
The Best Houston Realtor to Sell Your Home

Staging Explained

"The entire Houston Properties team made the home buying a breeze. As first-time homebuyers, my wife and I were a bit nervous going into the process but the HP team made us feel comfortable with their knowledgeable guidance, proactive communication, and friendly demeanor. I definitely recommend them." - Jonathan Prim (Google Review)

Staging is like setting the stage. It includes modifying designs and furnishings to evoke a feeling of newness and appeal to the buyers. It's essential for open houses and listing photos to show the home's best features as a buyer's future home. Effective staging will enable potential buyers to see themselves living there.

Staging is a marketing tool that sellers may use on their own or with the help of a professional. The goal is to attract buyers with staging by making your house feel like it's from a glossy furniture catalog.

Moving Out (Physically And Mentally)

"Houston Properties Team helped us to sell our condo within a week and closed it within a month. It was really an amazing experience. The entire process was very smooth. They provided the timeline schedule so we know exactly where we are and what to expect. They are the best professional real estate team we have ever worked with. Excellent teamwork from the beginning to the end!" - Sandra Chao (Google Review)

It is possible to stage your Houston home while you live there. But it would help if you made some changes to your lifestyle. Start by changing your perspective. Since your stay there is temporary, start making preparations to move out. Be prepared to give up your settled existence. These actions will help:

Declutter visible areas.
Empty closets and drawers.
Put belongings you don't use in storage.
Deep cleaning is a phase in the decluttering process.
Keep personal items. Remove family photos, Christmas cards, and your children's artwork from the fridge.

Aaron Dailey, a member of The Houston's Properties Team, mentioned;

The key to a successful home staging is to act as if it's sold and that you're moving out.

Think of the space as your newest project, not your home. "Think: It's not your house anymore," Dailey advises. Someone is about to move into this house. So, you should think as if you have already moved out.

You want to make your home appear comfortable and welcoming. But also neat, spotless, and has posh decor. Stage the space in an ideal way for buyers. Give it a "TV home improvement show" appearance.

Clean Your Houston Home And Maintain Its Cleanliness

"We had the best experience working with the Houston Properties team. They were always honest and provided insightful feedback which was invaluable during the home buying process. Houston is a complicated market and they know it inside and out. They worked tirelessly for us during an extremely difficult and volatile market. I can't recommend them highly enough!" - Jen Schulten (Google Review)

Now, for the challenging phase. Cleaning and decluttering your home is a great start. But maintaining it is a different story — especially when you’re still living in it. However, keeping the charade in time for the next house showing will be easier with some planning.

Prioritize cleaning the regular dirty areas of your home over the areas that need occasional maintenance.
Encourage the rest of your family to join you in creating a daily or weekly cleaning program. Discuss areas that are usually messy and divide the workload.
Clean as you go. While the pasta is boiling, start loading the dishes and cleaning off the counter.
Or cook in the oven or a pressure cooker to avoid cleaning the cooktop (Instant Pot is your friend).
When eating, use tablecloths, and give young children bibs.

Avoid skipping these cleaning tasks—buyers will notice if you do:

Remove water stains.
Getting rid of shower scum.
Spend money on new bed linens (cartoon bedsheets out, neutral-colored blankets in).
Keep only a few favorite books and toys out for use. Put the majority of the toys in storage.
Keeping the vacuum, the duster, and the Lysol wipes close at hand.
Open the windows daily after cooking.
Collect pet toys, inside and outdoors. When not used, they should be in a particular bin.

Don't Stage Your Houston Home Alone

"Selling your home is an emotional process. For that, it is important to work with the best real estate agency out there. From the moment we decided to sell, Houston Properties Team was there for us. They took their time to get to know us, what our needs were and when it would be the right time to sell, and for what price. We received a detailed timeline so we knew exactly where we were in the process at all times. They were very knowledgeable and went above and beyond for us. They were very patient, answered every question we had big or small promptly, and always provided us with the information we needed. I highly recommend working with the Houston Properties Team. Thanks to them, we had a very smooth sale and found the perfect new owners for our house." - Olivia Simoen-Deman (Google Review)

Depending on your budget, hiring a pro could increase your home's appeal beyond your limits.

Whether you hire a stager or not, you must invest some money in staging. A recent NAR survey highlighted these unique advantages of home staging:

23% of agents mentioned staging increased the amount given by 1%-5%.
According to 18% of Realtors, staging increased property values by 6%-10%.
47% of buyers' agents stated that staging changed most buyers' views of the home.
According to 82% of buyer agents, staging helped buyers see themselves living there in the future.
According to 31% of agents, staging accelerated the sale.

Staging starts by utilizing neutral colors and natural light. It also includes decluttering to feature storage space. Use props to showcase the buyer's future home setting. Home staging is essential but not the only thing to remember when preparing your house for sale. Here are the Top 10 Home Staging Ideas To Raise Home Value to learn more about staging benefits.

Top Realtor Dailey of the Houston Properties Team shares that staging is his priority investment in selling a home. While staging may be an extra investment, it's included in packages given by Realtors.

You'll profit from staging when buyers view photos online and during in-person viewings. Before the photoshoot, change the staging to produce great photos. Dailey suggests moving large furniture away from doors and cramped areas or rooms. Ensure that everything appears clean and fresh, including all surfaces and counters.

Sometimes, staging can even distract buyers from discovering a home's shortcomings.

Get Out Of Your House

"The Houston Property Team was simply outstanding! They are extremely knowledgeable and competent, they also provided a comprehensive analysis of all the condos and neighborhoods we were interested in making the whole buying process very easy. We highly recommend them and could not be happier about our choice!" - Claudia O'Leary (Google Review)

Prepare your family and yourself to leave the house during open houses and showings. Even though it is inconvenient, the benefit is that everything will be cleaner the less time you spend there!

Consider scheduling more events away from the house in advance. Pack and prepare the necessary things needed for your planned activities. Don't make buyers wait for a house showing to avoid losing potential buyers to another property.

Make bookings for day trips, outdoor picnics, and dinners at restaurants. If you're on a budget, accept dinner invitations from family and friends. Eating out would help reduce cleaning duties and kitchen-dining odors.

Here are some other suggestions for making your home scarce:

Use the laundromat to keep your laundry room organized.
Instead of using the tub, take your dog to a self-serve wash.
Instead of cooking those fish burgers indoors, grill them outside.
Go to your neighborhood barbershop instead of giving your children DIY haircuts.
If the weather is beautiful, schedule playdates for your children with the neighbors or go to the nearby park.
Camp out.

Create A Last-Minute List

"The Houston Properties Team is fantastic! I found the team through their highly-informative website, guides, and resources to the Houston area as we prepared to relocate halfway across the country. After reaching out, we were lucky enough to gain Kim Vargas as our realtor. She made our home purchase and move as seamless as she possibly could. If we needed support on anything, she jumped right in! Her market knowledge and expertise helped guide us and ensured we made a sound decision on our home purchase. We can’t thank her and the Houston Properties Team enough!" - Rachel, Google Review

You don't want to rush to inspect all the cracks and crevices to ensure they're clean before showings. Instead, before leaving, prepare a note of locations that need a quick inspection. Here is a handful list to check:

Make all the beds.

Clean the kitchen counters.

Sanitize and clean the bathroom fixtures (for that just-cleaned smell).

For the furniture and pet areas, use a lint roller.

Shut the closet doors.

Close the lids to the medicine cabinets and lower the toilet seats.

Declutter the children's play area and use Febreze.

Remove handprints from the glass or panes of the entrance door.

Rinse and empty the sink.

Disconnect the dishwasher.

Make sure the mudroom or entranceway flooring is clean, and organize the shoe storage areas.

Keep personal belongings. Checkbooks, IDs, credit cards, and prescriptions must be out of sight.

By putting your house in the best possible light for potential buyers, you'll be on your way to a smooth sale. If you want a free value estimator for your house, see Houston Home Value Estimator, or Contact us to get personal advice on buying or selling your home.

The Best Houston Realtor to Sell Your Home

The Houston Properties Team has a well-defined structure based on the individual strengths of each member. Each member is a specialist in their role – which is why our homes sell faster and for more money than average.

Paige Martin, Broker Associate with Keller Williams Realty, and the Houston Properties Team are ranked among the top residential Realtors in the world.

They have been featured on TV and in dozens of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, Reuters, Fox News in the Morning, Money Magazine, Houston Business Journal, Houstonia, and Houston Chronicle.

Paige Martin was just ranked as the #5 agent in the world with Keller Williams, completing over $1 Billion in Houston residential real estate sales.

Houston Properties Team awards

Recent awards include:

– 2022: #1 Residential Real Estate Team by Sales Volume, Houston Business Journal
– 2021: Best Real Estate Teams in America, RealTrends.com
– 2021: Top 100 Women Leaders in Real Estate of 2021
– 2021: America’s Top 100 Real Estate Agents
– 2021: Top Real Estate Team (Houston Properties Team), Houston Business Journal
– 2021: Best Houston Real Estate Team, Best of Reader’s Choice
– 2021: Top Real Estate Team (Houston Properties Team), Houston Business Journal
– 2021: #1 Real Estate Team, Keller Williams Memorial
– 2020: America’s Best Real Estate Teams, Best of America Trends
– 2020: Best Houston Real Estate Team, Best of Reader’s Choice
– 2020: Top Real Estate Team (Houston Properties Team), Houston Business Journal
– 2020: #6 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Worldwide
– 2020: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Texas (Top Keller Williams Realtor)
– 2020: #1 Real Estate Team, Keller Williams Memorial
- 2019: Top Residential Realtors in Houston, Houston Business Journal
- 2019: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2019: #5 Individual Agent, KW Worldwide
- 2019: #1 Individual Agent, KW Texas
- 2018: #5 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Worldwide
- 2018: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Texas
- 2018: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Houston
- 2018: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2018: Top 25 Residential Realtors in Houston, Houston Business Journal
- 2018: Texas’ Most Influential Realtors
- 2017: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Texas
- 2017: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Houston
- 2017: #10 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Worldwide
- 2017: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2017: Top 25 Residential Realtors in Houston, Houston Business Journal
- 2017: Texas’ Most Influential Realtors
- 2016: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Texas
- 2016: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Houston
- 2016: #20 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Worldwide
- 2016: Texas’ Most Influential Realtors
- 2016: Top 25 Residential Realtors in Houston, HBJ
- 2016: Five Star Realtor, Featured in Texas Monthly
- 2016: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2015: #9 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, United States
- 2015: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Texas
- 2015: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams, Houston
- 2015: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2015: Top 25 Residential Realtors in Houston, HBJ
- 2015: Five Star Realtor, Texas Monthly Magazine
- 2014: America’s Best Real Estate Agents, RealTrends.com
- 2014: #1 Individual Agent, Keller Williams Memorial

...in addition to over 318 additional awards.

Paige also serves a variety of non-profits, and civic and community boards. She was appointed by the mayor of Houston to be on the downtown TIRZ board.

Benefits Of Working With The Houston Properties Team

best realtors in Houston

Our team, composed of distinguished and competent Houston luxury realtors, has a well-defined structure based on the individual strengths of each member.

We find the team approach as the most effective way to sell homes. We have dedicated people doing staging, marketing, social media, open houses, and showings. Each Houston Properties Team member is a specialist in their role—which is why our homes sell faster and for more money than average.

The benefits of working with a team include:

the ability to be in two or three places at one time; a member can handle showings, while another answer calls
collective time and experience of members
targeted advice and marketing of agent expert in your area
competitive advantage by simply having more resources, more ideas, and more perspectives
a “checks and balances” system; selling and buying a home in Houston is an intensely complex process
more people addressing field calls and questions from buyers and agents to facilitate a faster, successful sale
efficient multi-tasking; one agent takes care of inspections and repair work, while another agent focuses on administrative details
multiple marketing channels using members’ networks
constant attention: guaranteed focus on your home and your transaction
lower risk for mistakes. Multiple moving parts increase oversights. A team approach handles these “parts” separately
flexibility in negotiation and marketing
better management of document flow
increased foot traffic through more timely and effective showing schedule coordination; and
increased sphere of influence and exposure to more potential buyers.

To meet all the award-winning members of the Houston Properties Team, please go here.

A Handy Seller’s Guide To Staging A House In Houston While Living In It

Table of Contents

Staging Explained

Moving Out (Physically And Mentally)

Clean Your Houston Home And Maintain Its Cleanliness

Don't Stage Your Houston Home Alone

Get Out Of Your House

Create A Last-Minute List

The Best Houston Realtor to Sell Your Home

Benefits Of Working With The Houston Properties Team

Best Houston Real Estate Resources