10 Home-Selling Tips to Get More Money on Your Property

A smiling homeowner in a clean, modern kitchen celebrating a successful property sale. — A smiling woman holds a tablet in her kitchen, celebrating a successful home sale with a red sold sign outside.

These home-selling tips could mean extra cash in your wallet!

When looking for a new home, potential buyers are drawn to contemporary, clean, and neutral interiors that allow them to imagine what their lives would look like in that space. Recognizing this, many smart sellers are turning to pros to give their properties an instant boost.

These experts specialize in transforming overly personalized or outdated spaces into universally appealing homes, often significantly raising the sale price. In fact, a thoughtfully curated and staged home can sell for at least 10% more than an unstaged one.

So, if you’re preparing to list your home, taking advantage of the power of expert staging could be the secret to selling faster and for more money. But we don’t all have the funds to support this clever hack. So, I’ve decided to take some inspiration from their proven techniques and create a list so you can implement them for a cost-effective upgrade!

Follow these 10 expert-backed home-selling tips to transform your house into a potential buyer’s dream and potentially get yourself an above-asking price offer!

Home-selling tip: Paint the interiors

That cabbage rose wallpaper in your powder room, and the dark green walls in your study may look good to you, but they might turn off some potential buyers. A fresh coat of paint makes a home feel fresher and newer.

You can try something like neutral beige tones like London Fog or La Paloma Grey from Benjamin Moore, says a celebrity interior designer. The mantra of most real estate agents is that neutral tones sell homes because they have broad appeal.

There are, however, a few examples when color can make a space feel more inviting. If you’re trying to sell a brownstone or prewar apartment, they can often benefit from color.

So they would look fantastic in something like steely blue, deep burgundy, soft lavender, and a bold emerald green. Experts also often paint worn wood cabinets in kitchens and use darker tones to complement existing dark kitchen counters.

A close-up photo of hands installing a modern black light fixture that emits a warm 2700K glow. — A man installs a modern black light fixture to brighten his home and attract potential buyers.

Home-selling tip: Replace light fixtures

This is one of the most inexpensive and fastest staging techniques. And it can have a huge payoff in the end.

Switch out any outdated sconces and chandeliers with more modern fixtures and put in warm 2700K lightbulbs, which will provide a soothing and inviting glow.

It doesn’t have to be expensive lighting, either. But updates like this make a home feel more designed and custom.

An illustration showing a fireplace mantle transitioning from cluttered family photos to neutral, minimal decor. — Replace personal photos and trophies with neutral decor to help potential buyers envision themselves in your home.

Home-selling tip: Remove personal items

This little hack may be controversial, but many pros say that it makes a big difference. Potential buyers want to connect emotionally with a new home and imagine their family enjoying it. So, seeing pictures of your family hanging in every room can stand in the way of their vision.

Clear away framed pictures off end tables and bookshelves, and take any family portraits off the wall. This principle also extends to any other decorative elements that might be construed as political, personal, or potentially offensive, says an expert stager.

For instance, a mounted deer head over a fireplace could send even the most interested of buyers running for the hills, and a provocative piece of art could make some buyers uneasy.

A close-up of a house entrance with a steely blue door, brass hardware, and a potted green plant. — A stylish blue door and lush potted plants create a welcoming entrance that enhances your curb appeal.

Home-selling tip: Don’t forget about the exterior

Painting the exterior of a home can be rather costly, but when you consider that unappealing or unusual paint color can cause a house to deteriorate on the market for months, it’s a savvy investment. Curb appeal is significant when selling a house.

Pulling up to that “WOW” moment immediately sets the tone, says an expert who recommends painting houses white because it’s always a safe bet. To add another special touch to the exterior style, try placing two topiaries outside the front door to create a happy, welcoming moment.

Home-selling tip: Spruce up the landscaping

Curb appeal to a home is essential, so experts recommend putting at least a little bit of money into freshening your landscaping. Specific landscaping details like mature trees, manicured beds, and a maintained lawn can help your home look more lavish and expensive.

You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg redoing the whole thing. Just make sure it’s fresh and clean, and you put down some new mulch while you’re at it.

A floor plan diagram comparing a room with oversized furniture versus furniture at the correct scale for better flow. — These diagrams show how appropriately sized furniture creates an open, airy layout that maximizes your home’s space.

Home-selling tip: Pay attention to scale

Choosing the right measure of furnishings can make your home seem much bigger. Lower profile furnishings give the impression of higher ceilings. Likewise, the larger the area rug, the bigger the room looks. And large-scale modern art can also add some extra life and energy to a home.

Just make sure you don’t hang it too high because that’s a common mistake. In general, the artwork’s center should be around 57in. from the floor unless you have it hanging over a piece of furniture.

An infographic showing that staged homes can sell for 10% more than unstaged properties. — A house icon and coins illustrate how professional staging can increase your home’s sale price by 10%.

Home-selling tip: Use a home stager if you can

Many buyers don’t really have vision. So you want to show them how spaces can be potentially used. Real estate agents recommend getting three quotes and generally going with the middle one if you can afford it. But if you can’t afford a stager right now, try enlisting the help of a friend who has a good eye for these types of things.

Be nice and make them lunch one day and have them give you an objective perspective of your place. Now, the truth is that it can be hard to take out some of your things since you probably think everyone will love them if you leave them, but it’s a lot easier for someone else to say what to take out.

A minimalist watercolor illustration of a neatly arranged candle and books on a table. — Accessorize wisely with simple items like books and candles to create an inviting space for buyers.

Home-selling tip: Accessorize wisely

Kitchens and bathrooms can be the most complicated and expensive spaces to stage. So, try to be creative when it comes to how you accessorize your home.

Replacing lighting and cabinet hardware are two ways experts like to update kitchens. In bathrooms, they try to go for a spa-like ambiance. So, new white shower curtains, fluffy white towels, and white mats are straightforward upgrades.

Replacing those old thermostats wouldn’t hurt either! And adding plants, even quality faux, to these areas can also make a big difference. The bottom line here is that adding something that looks organic and fresh appeals to future buyers!

A person looking at real estate market data on a tablet at a kitchen table with a cup of coffee. — A person researches local real estate listings on a tablet while taking notes at their kitchen table.

Home-selling tip: Remember to do your research

Look into recent sales and listings in your neighborhood to get a broad idea of what places are selling for nowadays and the state they’re in.

If you’re planning on putting a bunch of money into a house but you don’t end up selling because nothing in your neighborhood has ever sold for that much money, you’re squandering your money.

Home-selling tip: Spiff up the floors

Dated, tattered, or stained wall-to-wall carpeting can make a house feel dingy and old. So get rid of any old carpeting you might have and replace it with neutral area rugs like ivory wool or jute, which work in almost any space and will add an appealing texture.

Also, replace any worn stair runners or remove them if you have nice wood underneath, sand, and/or buff wooden floors, and remember to clean the grout on your tiled floors.

I hope you found these home-selling tips helpful. Can you think of any I might have missed? If so, be sure to leave a comment below to let me know!

But don’t leave yet! If you liked this article, I highly recommend also reading: Top 7 Best Antique Selling Platforms to Get the Most Money