Roughly 97 percent of buyers start online, swiping through thumbnails long before they schedule a showing. A beautifully staged living room, kitchen, and primary suite are the difference between “save” and “scroll.”

In fact, 83 percent of buyer’s agents say staging helps house-hunters envision living there National Association of Realtors . So lock in your stager before the photographer—never the other way around.

Yes, the family photos and fridge magnets must go, but that doesn’t mean every surface should be beige. We like to sprinkle in subtle nods to local life: a Heights-market candle on the entry console, a stack of Baytown Chronicle real-estate sections on the coffee table, or an Astros-orange throw in the kids’ room.

Sun-drenched rooms photograph larger, but Houston’s humidity can turn sunny windows into greenery-filtered gloom. Swap builder bulbs for 3,000-3,500 K LEDs, shear back heavy drapes, and add a mirror opposite any north-facing window.

Bonus: modern LEDs stay cool, so your staged textiles won’t wilt on 98-degree Pasadena afternoons.

A buyer decides how they feel about your listing in the first eight seconds. Re-mulch beds, paint the porch ceiling “Haint Blue” (a Southern nod buyers adore), and add symmetrical planters that frame the entry.

Cost: under $400. Perceived value added: thousands—especially in commuter suburbs where buyers compare drive-by shots on lunch breaks.

Full kitchen remodel? Maybe not. But swapping dated brass pulls for matte black, changing the faucet, and staging with fresh herbs signals a turnkey lifestyle.

The National Association of REALTORS® reports that 29 percent of agents saw staged homes sell for 1–10 percent more than unstaged comps National Association of Realtors . A $350 accessory package can beat a $5,000 price reduction every day of the week.