Today our house looks like a whirlwind of boxes and misplaced socks — so we made a spontaneous decision: this week is officially Moving Week. While we get settled and locate our underwear, we’re going to share the whole behind-the-scenes of selling our current home because you asked for it. Here’s what we plan to cover during Spontaneous Moving Week:
- How we staged and sold our house, including a peek at our real estate flyer and a concise list of changes we made before showings.
- What we earned when we sold the house versus what we put into it — a clear budget breakdown.
- Photos of the empty house. It’s strange and echoey to see your home vacant, but also offers real closure.
- Moving day photos of the new house — we love having a Day One record to look back on.
- A casual house-hunting recap of other homes we checked out, similar to posts we’ve shared in the past.
- Other useful bits I’m forgetting right now because the place looks like a tornado hit.
To kick things off: we received a lot of questions about staging and depersonalizing. People asked things like, “Did you stage your home to sell it? Did you put things in storage to make it less personal?” and “Would you share your For Sale flyer (without address or price)?”
Below is the double-sided flyer we created in Photoshop (with address, price, and contact details removed). Click to see it larger.
We don’t strictly follow the traditional “neutralize and depersonalize” staging rules. We chose not to repaint every room neutral or remove all personal photos because when we sold our first home by owner we didn’t do that, and it worked well for us then too. We prefer showcasing how warm and lived-in a home feels — the personal touches can help prospective buyers imagine living there, sometimes more effectively than a stark, bare space.
That said, we did prepare the house for showings. Rather than strip everything away, we focused on presenting the home at its best. Here’s what we did to get ready:
- Over-seeded the lawn a few weeks ahead and let the rain help the grass look fresh and green.
- Mulched garden beds and planted a few seasonal annuals to boost curb appeal and signal that the house is well maintained.
- Organized closets, the attic, and the basement so any visible storage spaces appeared neat and functional rather than overstuffed.
- Wiped down kitchen and bathroom counters, and polished faucets with a mild cleaner so surfaces looked and smelled clean.
- Rolled up the rug in the cooking zone to highlight the cork flooring and show off more of the room’s features.
- Mowed the lawn and used a leaf blower on the driveway, patio, and deck to remove pollen, twigs, and leaves.
- Touched up scuffed paint on doorways and baseboards to give a fresh, cared-for impression.
- Tucked Burger’s food and water out of sight (they’re stored in our walk-in closet) so visitors wouldn’t be distracted by pet supplies.
- Removed Clara’s bath toys, potty seat, and sink stool from the hall bathroom so visitors wouldn’t immediately label it a “kids’ bathroom.” We left other toys in baskets since they were easy to overlook.
- Removed bath mats to make bathrooms look more spacious and to show off the tile.
- Vacuumed, dusted, and generally tidied up. The last half-hour before a showing included a whirlwind of putting things into bins and singing a clean-up song while getting Clara to help.
- Quickly wiped the front door with a damp rag and mild soap to remove pollen haze — a five-minute job that brightened the entryway noticeably.
- Left the separate basement entry door unlocked during showings so visitors could explore that space without hassle.
- Left a small note in the kitchen pointing out the vented microwave so buyers wouldn’t miss it.
- Added a runner and a few cups on the deck table to create an inviting, sit-down vibe even though the furniture was coming with us.
Most of these tasks were one-time efforts before the first showing, and maintaining them for subsequent showings wasn’t too demanding. Getting a toddler and a dog out of the house on short notice was the chaotic part, but we feel fortunate to have only had three showings this time (we had 14 when we sold our previous house).
Do you have any staging tips or routines when your home is on the market? Share what worked for you — it might help someone about to list their place.