Open House Staging Tips for Real Estate Agents: 3 Rooms to Prioritize

Real estate agents: short on time before your next open house? Start your staging plan with three key rooms.

Preparing a listing can mean coordinating sellers, packing, furniture moving, photography, and showings at once. Knowing where to focus your home staging efforts gives you a practical starting point.

According to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2025 Profile of Home Staging, buyers’ agents ranked the living room, primary bedroom, and kitchen as the most important rooms to stage. The survey also found that 83% of buyers’ agents said staging made it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home.

These open house staging tips offer a starting point for agents preparing houses, apartments, and condos across the country.

1. Living Room Staging: Help Buyers Understand the Space

Before adding decorations, look at the furniture layout. Can visitors enter comfortably, see the room’s features, and picture where they would sit?

• Remove moving boxes and unnecessary furniture.
• Arrange seating around a clear focal point.
• Keep doorways and walking paths clear.
• Avoid blocking windows or architectural features with bulky pieces.

In an occupied home, rearranging existing furniture may be a practical first step. Schedule removal of excess pieces before listing photos and open house visitors arrive.

2. Primary Bedroom Staging: Simplify the Layout

Help buyers assess the bedroom without looking past extra dressers, packing supplies, and loose belongings.

• Position the bed so the layout is easy to understand.
• Clear routes between the doorway, bed, and closet.
• Relocate furniture that crowds the room.
• Use tidy bedding and keep visible surfaces uncluttered.

Measure larger pieces before moving them through doors, staircases, or elevators. Give furniture disassembly and removal enough time in your preparation schedule.

3. Kitchen Staging: Show the Available Workspace

Make it easy for visitors to see the counters, storage access, and everyday function of the kitchen.

• Pack away rarely used countertop appliances.
• Remove paperwork, cleaning supplies, and moving materials.
• Clean counters and other visible surfaces.
• Reconsider carts, stools, or extra shelving that crowd walking space.
• Keep cabinets and appliances accessible.

Open House Preparation: Check the Entire Property

Prioritizing three rooms does not mean ignoring the rest of the home. Walk through the entrance, hallways, bathrooms, stairs, and outdoor access before visitors arrive.

Clear clutter and exits, secure personal valuables, and address visible maintenance concerns. The room ranking reflects agents’ survey responses; staging does not guarantee a particular offer, sale price, or time on market.

Schedule Furniture Moving Before Photos and Showings

Create a simple plan showing which furniture stays, which pieces need rearranging, and which must leave the property. Confirm building access, elevator reservations, pickup locations, and timing with the moving crew.

After the listing period, coordinate de-staging and furniture removal with the seller’s schedule and any closing requirements.

Moving and Staging Assistance From Dizcount Movers

Dizcount Movers helps real estate agents, homeowners, landlords, and property managers with:

• Furniture moving and room arrangement
• Staging and de-staging assistance
• Packing, loading, and unloading
• Furniture disassembly and reassembly
• Moving and after-move home setup

Need help preparing your next listing? Call or text using the contact information at DizcountMovers.com. Share your location, property access, schedule, and services needed so dispatch can confirm availability.

Ask about code FB77: FREE truck + FREE first-item setup + FREE second-floor service. Confirm eligibility, availability, and offer details with dispatch.

Which room takes the most preparation before your open houses? Share your experience in the comments.

Follow & save us for more open house preparation, moving, and furniture layout tips.

Dizcount Movers
Full-Service Moving & Home Setup Experts
Anywhere • Anytime • Anything.

Research source: National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging. The preparation checklist and furniture placement tips are editorial suggestions from Dizcount Movers.