Selling a home
Staging and Getting Your House Ready to Sell in the Sacramento Region
What to fix and what to leave, your staging options, and how to decide whether prep is worth it or selling in current condition makes more sense.
What should you fix before selling, and what should you leave?
Fix what buyers notice first and what an inspector will flag. Leave what buyers expect to change themselves.
Usually worth fixing: leaks, broken fixtures, damaged flooring in main rooms, peeling paint, doors and windows that stick, and anything that raises a safety question.
Often worth leaving: a full kitchen or bath remodel, a new roof that still has life, and personal-taste upgrades. Buyers have their own ideas, and big projects rarely return their full cost before a sale. Our Turnkey Home Prep page explains how we decide item by item with costs in front of you.
What are your options for staging a home?
- Edit what you have. Remove extra furniture, clear surfaces and rearrange so rooms feel open. This often costs little or nothing.
- Partial staging. Add a few rented pieces, art or bedding to the rooms buyers see first, such as the living room, kitchen and main bedroom.
- Full staging. Furnish an empty home from scratch. This helps buyers judge scale in a vacant house.
- Virtual staging. Furniture added to photos digitally. If you use it, the listing should say so, and buyers will still walk into empty rooms.
Rachel Dee Minyard, a REALTOR® and the team's Creative Director, prepares her own listings this way. She often rearranges and edits what's already in the home before renting anything.
How much does it cost to get a house ready to sell?
It depends on the size of the home, its condition and how much is in it. A clean, lightly lived-in home may need only a deep clean and some touch-up paint. A home with decades of belongings may also need an estate sale, donations and hauling before any repairs start.
We don't publish a price list, because vendors set their own prices and every home is different. What we do is get bids, show you each cost before anything is ordered and tell you if a cost is bigger than the change it could make in your sale. Our guide on estate sales and clean-outs covers the belongings side.
Is professional cleaning worth it before listing?
A deep clean is one of the least expensive things you can do, and buyers notice it. Photos pick up dust, grime and clutter more than you'd expect. Clean windows let in more light. A fresh-smelling home feels cared for.
Plan for a deep clean before photos, and a touch-up before the first showings if the home has been lived in since. Include carpets, baseboards, light fixtures, inside cabinets and appliances, and the garage.
Should you paint before selling your house?
Paint is often worth it when walls are scuffed, stained or in strong colors. Neutral, light colors make rooms look bigger in photos and let buyers picture their own things. Touching up trim and doors can make a home look newer for a modest cost.
If the walls are in good shape and already neutral, you may not need to paint at all. Spend where buyers will see the difference.
What curb appeal work pays off?
The front of the house is the first photo and the first impression on a tour. Focus on the basics:
- Mow, edge, weed and trim back shrubs from windows.
- Add fresh bark or mulch to planting beds.
- Clean or paint the front door and replace worn hardware.
- Make house numbers readable from the street and replace a tired porch light.
- Power wash the driveway, walkway and porch.
In Sacramento summers, a dry lawn is common. A tidy, well-edged yard with clean beds reads well even without green grass.
How does prep pay for itself?
Prep pays when it changes how buyers see the home, and what they're willing to offer, by more than it costs. A well-prepared home photographs better and may draw more showings. It also gives inspectors less to write up, which can mean fewer repair requests in escrow.
No one can promise a dollar return on any repair. So we compare paths in writing: what the home might sell for as it sits, what it might sell for after light prep, and what each would net after the costs and the extra weeks of carrying the home. Our guide on how to price your home explains how condition shows up in the price.
When does it make sense to sell without repairs?
Selling in current condition can make sense when:
- The home needs major work, such as a foundation, roof or full systems update.
- You don't have the cash, the time or the energy to manage repairs.
- You live out of town, or an estate needs to close by a certain date.
- The likely price after repairs doesn't cover their cost plus the extra time.
Selling without repairs doesn't remove your duty to disclose what you know. Our page on selling without repairs compares a cash sale, a listing in current condition and light prep side by side.
How do you get started getting your home ready?
Start with a walk-through, in person or on video. You'll leave with a fix-or-leave list and what each item would cost. Tell us about your home or call Maggie at (916) 549-3131.
Want a plan to follow? Our free 30-day home prep plan lays out the order day by day. If you'd rather hand off the work, Turnkey Home Prep puts the vendors under one point of contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is staging worth it in Sacramento?
Staging helps buyers picture themselves in the home and makes photos look better. It doesn't always mean renting furniture. Often the most useful step is editing and arranging what's already there.
Should I remodel my kitchen before selling?
Usually not. Big remodels rarely return their full cost before a sale. Cleaning, repairs, paint and lighting often change how a kitchen photographs more than a remodel would.
What should I fix first before listing?
Start with leaks, broken items, safety issues and anything an inspector is likely to flag. Then cleaning, paint and curb appeal.
Can I sell my house without fixing anything?
Yes. You can sell in current condition. You still have to disclose known material problems, and the price will reflect the work a buyer expects to do.
Is virtual staging allowed?
It's commonly used, but the listing should make clear that photos are virtually staged. Buyers will still see empty rooms in person.
Who pays for staging and prep?
The seller pays. We show you each vendor cost before anything is ordered, and nothing is scheduled until you approve it.
How long does prep take?
It ranges from a few days for a clean, lightly lived-in home to several weeks or more for a full clean-out and repairs. Our 30-day home prep plan shows a typical order.
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