How staging reshaped a Kamloops listing: practical steps agents and stagers use to sell homes

Kamloops home, they expected a quick sale. Their three-bedroom property was well maintained and in a family-friendly location. Their agent recommended hiring home stagers, and the stagers' advice surprised the couple: make the house look like a generic, attractive house rather than a lived-in home.

Concrete staging actions recommended

• Take everything off counters and remove personal items. The Stewarts were asked to clear kitchen counters and put rooms back to their intended purpose (their dining room had been used as an office).
• Remove religious items, toiletries, pet items (beds, cat trees), and refrigerator magnets or postcards.

• Sometimes simple rearrangement is enough to show a room's potential, according to Olivia Walsh of Furniture Connection.

• Replace dated drawer knobs or bathroom hardware if they look out of date. Small hardware changes can modernize a room's appearance.

• Use fresh white towels, bedding and shower curtains to present clean, neutral bathrooms and bedrooms.
• Add plants—real or faux—to bring life into a space. Wharton even recommends inexpensive faux plants for consistent, low-maintenance greenery throughout the home.

• Don't rely on heavy scents like strong candles or baked-goods smells. Olivia Walsh warns that overpowering scents can signal that something is being hidden. Instead, opt for a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint to create a clean, new-house smell.

Most stagers begin with an on-site visit to assess how the home presents and what it needs. That assessment may lead to: rearranging existing furniture, removing items that don't show well, bringing in different pieces, or recommending targeted updates like hardware swaps and painting. The goal is to highlight the home's best features while offering a neutral canvas for buyers.

Expect practical, sometimes blunt advice: take personality out of the home, slim down furniture, and invest in small, visible updates. These are framed not to erase the home's strengths but to remove distractions so buyers concentrate on layout, light and condition. For sellers who want to reach more buyers quickly, presentation matters as much as price.