All pics, including the 2nd floor and my really rough looking kids rooms... https://www.houzz.com/projects/2989770/staging-and-decor-facelift

Yes Lisa, I am a Realtor and I actually enjoy staging homes but find it SO much more difficult in my own home. I have a storage unit full of furniture and decor actually. I have a realistic budget but I need to think about ROI since we are planning to list in the near future.

Thank you d_gw!! I need to hear this stuff. It's not quite as dark as the photos... I should've used a flash but I agree, I definitely need better lighting. We do need to replace the rug, I was thinking a woven/grass type? Thoughts?

I like the idea of a larger natural rug. Then add a few blue/turquoise pillows. They will add some color and work with your curtains and entry rug.

I tried to be gentle about the clutter. Sometimes when it is in your own house you just don't see it anymore. It's like the commercial about being "nose blind" to the way our houses smell. I think we can be clutter blind too.

Yes! haha. I am blind to it. I have no problem walking into someone else home and saying, "out with this, declutter here" etc but my own is so much harder.

I have some colored pillows on there now, Ill take a pic and post. No need to be gentle, honest is what I need.

if you have lighter furniture in your staging collection, i would use those
the house structure is open and nice but those brown dark furniture arent helping

Yeah, I completely agree. I do not currently have a couch that would fit the scale that is lighter. I want to buy one but need it to be leather bc I have 2 boys, one with special needs (extra mess/ accident prone). I have lovely dreams of white couches. haha. I am looking for lighter gray leather sectional.

You have a nice home. My guess would be that you're moving because you need more room. That's not what you want a potential buyer to think.

The area rug is small, but I wouldn't buy another one just for purposes of staging. I'd be more concerned about all the smaller items & clutter. Start packing now. Remove most everything off the counter tops, tables, dressers, nightstands...

I don't really care for the black cabinets in the kitchen, but I probably wouldn't paint until I got feedback from the realtors.

I was thinking of painting them white or gray even... they need to be touched up regardless so cost-wise not much different if I change the color. I'm not a fan of the granite... its too warm and busy. Thanks for your feedback!

I agree that there’s very little to do except to clear out all of the clutter/extraneous stuff.....countertops, tables, etc. I’d also get rid of that round corner table in the dining room. I’m sure you already know to put away all of the bathroom rugs before a showing.

Agree! Thanks so much for your thoughts :)

Take a closer look at your photos...somehow that helps us see with a different eye...

oh totally understandable!

it is a lovely home but if you could lighten it a little colorwise it would look even better.

it depends who your target buyers are. young people tend to like light and airy whereas ot seems older generations are more into wood, natural and darker tones.

your a realtor so you have some idea but i propose if you have staging furniture to take advantage of that and use it to your benefit

do you have some near you to take a picture. might be easier to give suggestions if there are options of furniture that might add or give better flair to what you have now

You have a lot of pluses- walls & floors are neutral, nice finishes and it's nicely decorated.

Why are the long panels and curtain rod over the front door? Is it for privacy or the sun? I've never seen that done before. I'd remove them and let the natural light in.

All good ideas on clutter etc. i believe your dining table and chairs are too big for that space and makes it look small. I am sure it is daunting to move that glass but a smaller table probably a round one with just 4 chairs would be best. Hard to tell for sure sizing but hope you get what i mean. Do not list until you are totally ready. Clean clean organize organize. Get another storage if you need it and get some help. Sounds like you have your hands full. Best of luck.

DH, thanks again for the advice. I don’t follow what you mean “do you have someone near you to take a picture” Do you mean of what’s in storage? I would say I have a younger buyer pool.

Lisa, the sun, privacy and my kid knocked out one of the glass door panes. I plan to repair, open curtains and possibly change to white, sheer ones.

Flo Mangan, table needs to stay it was my moms and kinda special. I had a smaller one in there before but it was very dated and dark. I wish my chairs were lighter/ smaller though. Maybe when I move the clutter out and the small table it will help?

ill keep everyone posted on the progress. Thanks again, everyone’s advice is greatly appreciated!!

I am not saying get rid of the table, just remove it for now. It says "this house is too small" and that isn't the signal along with too much oversized furniture you want to send. You wanted honest. I have inherited items too, but when we stage for sale, it all goes into storage. No one else thinks it's special! lol

Oh, I still want honest. And I agree with you. I’m just hoping to avoid it if at all possible. You’re so right, that glass is a you know what to move! Lol. Here is the post from 2013, you can see the dining rm with the smaller table and what the home looked like before I cluttered it up. (Face palm... haha). Do you rent furniture for staging? Or buy?

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/close-but-no-cigar-dsvw-vd~554801[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/close-but-no-cigar-dsvw-vd~554801)

I agree with everyone else about reducing the "clutter" and the number of small objects in sight. I would extend that to the walls - get rid of some of the smaller things and put up a few large pieces of art (ideally, something you can take with you when you move).

Christon, you can rent furniture for staging. Or you can buy off of Craigslist or Offerup or other app. You would be surprised at some of the really good looking furniture for sale for just about nothing. You don't need it to be good quality, just the right scale for the room and decent appearance. I assume you are listing it yourself since you are a Realtor. You can bring in a staging consultant to help rearrange and keep you on track if you think you need one. It isn't expensive.

Agree with removing everything and then add back very little. Be ruthless. Take a photo and look again. Things we miss in person show up in pics. Make sure to use a professional photographer when you are putting it on the market. It makes a huge difference in your photos IME.

IMO, the dining room table if fine. Just remove the small round table in the corner.

You have nice furniture...you don't need to spend money renting furniture.

Agree. I use a really, really good photographer... he makes a huge difference! Thanks for your thoughts!

I think I would paint the walls a lighter color. Does the dining table fit better if it is turned?

It’s a square table so I don’t think so. Do you mean on the diagonal?

I like the cabinets painted black. As best I can tell they seem to be in good shape. So I would definitely leave them.

You know, remove every single item of of every surface and pack it away. Clean everything out of closets and only keep the bare essentials. Clean out all of your drawers. Remove everything from under the bed. Remove all the superfluous chairs and things on the floor that don't really belong.

Go to a lister's house and make a list of everything you would tell them about their house and then do it for yours!!!

Before you change out the table, try removing all the extra chairs that take up a lot of visual space.

Way too much small stuff and clutter in all the rooms. Makes this look like there isn't enough storage in the home and potential buyers pick up on that. I'd move those light upholstered chairs,use them in the living area to break up all the brown. Brown chair goes into storage if possible. A new rug with some colour in it would help make the space more memorable. Find something inexpensive but put a reasonably plush pad underneath. That would improve the sight line from the front door,too. In the dining room,no more than 6 chairs around the table (4 would be better) & can you get rid of the draped corner piece and the other small items? Wouldn't it be better to have the dining room windows unobstructed? Is there a way to do that? Lots of little tiresome tweaks can yield profit. Those are the changes I'd stay focussed on, not a project like painting the cabs. Overall though,once the clutter is gone this looks like a lovely & sell-able house.

Hollybar, thanks. Im definitely going to do a ton of decluttering. I will try the table with less chairs. If I move the brown chair and put the other chairs in the living area, would you leave the 'breakfast nook' empty? Or put a small table? I didn't want a table there initially because we have the dining room right there and have seating around the island. I don't want it to look like 'chair alley.'

All, here is the back story: The clutter became a problem when my mom became terminally ill a few years ago. I was her main caregiver so lots of things didn't get done around the house as it normally would. She has since passed and Im slowly working on getting back to how my home should be. It is way too cluttered for my liking even if we weren't going to put it on the market. Its crazy how far behind one can get without an occasional purge and/or spring cleaning. I will declutter, take progress photos & post updates.

Y'all keep the tips coming. I need this badly, your advice and thoughts helps me a ton! My kids rooms look awful, there is little to no 'decor' or organization to them at all. They are the 'most neglected' area in the home for sure.

You don't need a lot for kids rooms. Make sure their stuff is organized. Take out as much as you can before putting it on the market. Kids rooms only need

• clean and spacious
• organized
• nicely made bed
• one or two areas of kid art on the walls

^This one was staged with a tent but you don't have to go to that extreme. Notice bright colors are fine in a kids room.

Christon,I totally understand how being a caregiver takes over. You spent your time and energy on the most important stuff. Very wise. You have my sincere sympathy for your loss.

Frankly,your house still needs less work and purging than many that are on the market. As for the empty space,I totally get why you had it set up the way you did. Empty might work for selling. Hard to say from pics but you will know,I'm sure. Upstairs,just looks like your youngest needs more storage....and a purge if you want to bother with the aggravation. Some of the small stuff on the walls elsewhere in your house could be edited and grouped to better effect in the bedrooms.

Thank Holly. I have such a hard time with small groupings on walls. I know it’s on trend (but used sparingly). I bought some stuff for my youngest kiddos room like that. I’ll keep y’all posted. Again, thanks so much for your imput. I need the fire under my rear to get this place back in order. My moms home was always perfect and beautiful, I’d like to get it back there for me and her. ;)

yes what i meant was to show us pictures of staging furniture you have to see whats in store, ya know to see if anything can be tweaked without having to buy or throw things out



if yes show pictures . if no, then we can start with what the main consensus is to declutter. keep just main objects and furniture that you use


i have to say you have a very charming attitude i respect. theres people like you who can take and invite constructive critisism and then people like one or two recently who bark at anyone who says the truth. so its refreshing!!

also, i would try to look at homes youve staged before that sold well or were popular and try to clone to the best of your ability, your space

Aww, thanks DH.

I have a lot but I don’t have any key pieces I’d need (couch, dining table, sofa tables, dressers etc). I don’t do the staging as an add on service, although I should and have plans to. I do the client staging bc I can’t stand listing a house when it’s not it’s best or I know I can make it better. So far, I’ve only partially staged homes. Twin beds, bedding, accessories, art etc. I’ll find the link to some of my homes and y’all can check it out if you’re curious.

I’ll also try to go by storage and take some pics of what I have this coming week.

Some staging at Sandler Ct and quite a bit of staging at Suncross Ln. ETA; Prescott Manor was staged too. https://www.har.com/carnett/sold_by_agent_christon-arnett?cid=carnett

Just looked. Hey, you know what to do. Nice work. You are nearly a neighbor! We are in Sienna Plantation. You sure have a lot going on. Wish we lived closer, I could help. But maybe doing things on line like this will help.

Just take a close look at your favorite staged home and copy!

Flo Mangan, I know where that’s at! Nice to virtually meet you my ‘kinda neighbor’ lol. How did you fare with Harvey? I’m actually in Fairfield. 99 and 290.

Timely and thank you for the samples Christon- and thank you anglo for mentioning picking up the rugs/mats in the bathrooms. And yes I need to really psych myself as we will be listing our house within the next few weeks.......been doing all sorts of stuff and all that's really left is the removing most stuff from counters and coffee table. *(you know the stuff that makes it a home:)-- books and mail and all sorts of crap)

( I think I am going to start a separate thread)

Just in the kitchen and dining area alone I see 14-15 places to sit. 8 dining room chairs, 2 upholstered chairs and 4-5 bar stools. Your house needs to breathe. I'd put 4 of the dining room chairs and a few of the bar stools in storage for staging, photo's and listing. One bar stool on the islands short side and 2 on the long side would look better. Negative space is good.

Was the area you are using for your dining area originally meant to be the family room area? It reminds me of one of my former homes and we used that space for the family room. Is it possible to use another area for dining?

Twosit4me, no, it was always a dining room. When we moved in, we took the wall down between the kitchen and dining and living and kitchen.

It's a very nice house overall, but the mantel looks empty without a painting there. Of course take everything else off the mantel, declutter room extensively of any personal items, photographs, etc. I like the black kitchen. If it's a good seller's market in your area I wouldn't go as far as some people suggested. You should have seen our house when we bought it; practically nothing was done, the kitchen was overflowing with "stuff", we had to replace all the windows and sliders, install air conditioning, new carpeting, drapes etc. It was the location and the views that sold it at full price, and the good layout of the house.

Oh I am very familiar with that location. Lots of builder design centers in that area. We were so fortunate. No damage or water in our house! Sure was scary though. I assume your home was safe? Our best friends here live about 1/2 mile east of our place and that tornado ripped through their neighborhood and they are still recovering. Takes forever. Hoping you can sort thru all these suggestions and work your magic.

Lovely house and nicely furnished. If you did nothing more, you would be fine. Nitpick: I don't know what to make of the two chairs between the kitchen and dining. They are pretty chairs, but they bring attention to what is an awkward area of the house.

Not sure what shape your walls are in, but I would paint everything a much lighter color (creamy whites or light greige, plus something like BM Quiet Moments or SW Sea Salt, and maybe the dining room the color of the blue (?) in the curtains).

You have a beautiful home I wouldn't change anything.

I think the current paint colors are fine, if in good shape. Greige I find pretty much a turn off. It's too ubiquitous.

Walls are SW Amazing Gray.

Graywings123, the chairs are in the area where the breakfast rm was. Before we removed the walls, it was more defined. I didn't want that huge island, a breakfast table and the dining room all right next to each other.

Claire, thank you.

Flo Mangan, we did great during the hurricane thankfully. I'm going to try and work some magic here and will let y'all know/ see progress. Im sure I'll have other questions too. Thanks again!

You are starting from a good place!

I agree with nosoccermom that painting the ground floor a single lighter colour could be a big improvement. Be super careful that undertones work with flooring.

Simpler improvements that could be made for staging:

1. I would remove the table with the roses and the two side chairs for a greater sense of space and to avoid crowding the window.

2. I would add a simple inexpensive rug under the dining table to break up the expanse of tile.

3. Kitchen counters completely empty.

4. Nothing on coffee table except maybe small plant (a new one that looks really fresh and green).

5. Remove console table behind couch.

6. No throw on couch (spring).

7. Possibly remove side tables beside couch (couch and side chairs are rather imposing and need some breathing space).

8. No objects on mantel.

9. Fewer chairs at dining table.

10. Larger LR rug or possible reposition? Hard to tell from photo angle.

I hope that helps!