Staging Your Home for Sale: Room by Room, Plus Listing Photos

Staging means preparing and arranging your home so buyers can see its space, light and condition clearly, in person and in the listing photos. This guide is for sellers getting ready to list: occupied and vacant staging, what to do room by room, how to prepare for the photographer, BC's rules on edited and virtually staged photos, privacy and safety, and the extra steps for strata and rented homes.

The short version

Occupied or vacant staging

Staging shows buyers the space, the light and how each room can be used, without changing what the home is. It doesn't replace repairs, covered in my checklist for getting your home ready to sell, and it can't hide problems: BCFSA notes that sellers have a common law duty to disclose latent defects to a buyer, so never use a rug or furniture to cover damage you know about. More in what BC sellers disclose.

• Occupied staging. You live in the home while it's listed, and a stager, or your agent, suggests what to remove, rearrange and add, such as lamps, rugs or art. It can be as simple as a consultation and a list you work through yourself.
• Vacant staging. The home is empty, so rented furniture and accessories are brought in to show scale and purpose. You can stage the whole home or only the main rooms.

There's no standard price. Cost depends on the number and size of the rooms, whether you need rented furniture, how long it stays, delivery access and storage for anything you move out. Get a written quote showing what's included, the rental term, the cost to extend it and who pays if an item is damaged. If you've moved out, call your insurer: home policies can limit coverage once a home has been empty longer than the policy allows or, in cold weather, if no one checks on it regularly. I cover other costs in what it costs to sell a home in BC.

Room by room

Pack what you won't need before the move: rooms look larger and are easier to keep clean. Then work through the home:

• Entry and curb appeal. Sweep the walk, tidy the garden, put away bins and hoses, and make sure the house number is easy to read and the porch light works.
• Living and dining areas. Remove extra furniture so there's a clear path through each room, and group the seating for conversation.
• Kitchen. Leave one or two items on the counters, empty the sink and clear the fridge door.
• Bathrooms. Put out clean towels, clear the counters, and put toiletries and medication away.
• Bedrooms. Make the beds with plain bedding, clear the nightstands, and show a spare room as a bedroom or an office, not storage.
• Storage and outdoors. Thin out closets, clear the garage floor, keep the furnace, hot water tank and electrical panel easy to reach, and set a small table and chairs on the patio or balcony.
• Light, smell and pets. Open the blinds, turn on every light, use bulbs with the same colour of light, air the home out rather than using strong scents, and move pet beds, bowls and litter boxes out of sight.

Getting ready for photos, video and floor plans

Buyers see the photos before they see the home, so treat the photographer's visit as your staging deadline.

• The day before. Clean the windows and mirrors, finish the laundry and dishes, and tuck away cords and chargers.
• On the day. Move cars out of the driveway, turn off TVs and ceiling fans, set the blinds to the same height, and put remotes, mail and keys away. Leave interior doors open for a walk-through video.
• Floor plans. A floor plan's figures should agree with the size in the listing. BCFSA notes that the listing agent often measures the home and that you can ask about using a measuring company; see how home size is measured in BC.
• Aerial shots. If a drone will be used, ask the photographer to confirm they follow Transport Canada's drone rules, including any pilot certificate the flight requires.
• Review first. BCFSA's advertising guidelines advise agents to have clients review advertising before it's published, so ask to see the photos and description before they go live.

Edited and virtually staged photos

Under the Real Estate Services Rules, a licensee must not publish advertising they know, or reasonably ought to know, contains a false or misleading statement or misrepresentation, and BCFSA's consumer guide lists digitally altered or enhanced photos among the forms misleading advertising can take:

• Small edits can be fine. BCFSA's advertising guidelines say editing out a garbage can or a car in the driveway is acceptable, but removing nearby power lines or changing any physical feature in a way that misrepresents the property is not.
• Label virtual staging. BCFSA's guidance on artificial intelligence says it may be okay to stage a home virtually, but photos or videos that have been altered or enhanced should be labelled so buyers aren't misled.
• Show the true condition. In a 2024 BCFSA decision, a cabin's listing photos had been edited and its bedrooms virtually staged, hiding wear such as peeling paint, and a note disclosing the edits was added only after the buyer's offers. The hearing officer found the photos misrepresented the property and that the licensee should have told the buyer about the edits, and upheld the penalty BCFSA had imposed.

Virtual furniture isn't part of the sale, either: if real furniture is staying, the contract should say so.

Privacy and safety before photos and showings

Listing photos can be copied and shared well beyond your listing, and showings bring people you don't know into your home. Before either:

• Valuables. Put away, or take with you, jewellery, cash, small electronics, spare keys and garage remotes.
• Medication. Lock up prescriptions and other medicines rather than leaving them in a bathroom cabinet.
• Documents. File away mail, bills, statements, passports, cheques and anything with an account number, and lock your computer.
• Family details. Take down family photos, children's names and calendars. It protects your privacy and helps buyers picture themselves in the home.
• Security and pets. Keep alarm codes and safes out of the photos, and plan where your pets will be during the shoot and each showing.

Strata homes and rented homes

In a condo or townhouse, some staging steps need permission. The Standard Bylaws under the Strata Property Act, which apply except to the extent a strata has filed different bylaws, require written approval before an owner alters the building's exterior, exterior doors and windows or those that front on common property, or common property itself, including limited common property such as a balcony set aside for your use. Bare land stratas work differently, so check your own bylaws.

• Ask before you paint or plant. Repainting a front door, changing outside lights or replanting a shared garden can need approval first.
• Keep staging inside your unit. Hallways and elevators are typically common property, and strata rules can govern how they're used, including bookings for a stager's delivery and pickup.
• Signs and showings. The Strata Property Act lets a strata pass bylaws on activities related to a sale, such as where signs can go and when common property can be shown or open houses held, but those bylaws can't prohibit or unreasonably restrict them.

If you rent the home out, the BC government's tenancy guidance says a landlord may not stage a rental unit without the tenant's consent. Entering for photos or showings needs the tenant's permission, given at the time or up to 30 days before, or written notice at least 24 hours ahead for a time between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. More in selling a tenanted home in BC.

Questions sellers often ask me

Do I have to stage my home to sell it?

No. Staging is optional, and it can be as light as decluttering and rearranging what you already own. It doesn't replace repairs or a well-supported list price, and it can never be used to hide a defect you know about.

How much does home staging cost?

There's no set price. The total depends on how many rooms are staged, whether furniture is rented, how long it stays and how easy delivery is. Ask whether your agent's marketing already includes a staging consultation, and compare written quotes, including the cost of extending the rental.

Is virtual staging allowed in BC?

It can be, with care. BCFSA's guidance says altered or enhanced photos and videos should be labelled so buyers aren't misled, and edits that change a physical feature or hide the home's condition can amount to misleading advertising.

Can I stage a home I rent out to a tenant?

Only with your tenant's consent. BC's tenancy guidance says a landlord may not stage a rental unit without it, and each visit for photos or showings needs the tenant's agreement or proper written notice. Talk to your tenant early and put the arrangements in writing.

When should staging be finished?

Before the photographer arrives, because the photos and video are what buyers see first. Leave time for a stager's delivery, any strata elevator booking and a final clean, then keep the home that way for showings until it sells.

Getting ready to list? Read about selling your home from listing to completion, see how your list price is set, or visit my page for sellers.

This article is general information, not legal advice. The details come from BCFSA, the Real Estate Services Rules, the Strata Property Act, the Residential Tenancy Act and the BC government's tenancy guidance, Transport Canada and the Insurance Bureau of Canada, and were current at the time of writing; your strata's bylaws, your listing agreement and your insurance policy may add their own conditions. For BCFSA's consumer guide, see BCFSA's guide to real estate advertising.