Overview: Home Stagers
Staging gets a house ready for buyers, and most of the work is taking things out. Family photos, extra chairs, the crowded front closet and the fridge magnets go into boxes. Buyers want to picture their own life in those rooms, and yours keeps getting in the way.
You can hire it three ways. A consultation leaves you a room by room list to work through yourself. Occupied staging edits your furniture and rents a few pieces to fill the gaps. Vacant staging furnishes an empty house from scratch, which means the house may sit empty for the whole listing. Many home insurance policies limit coverage once a house stays vacant past a set time, so call your insurer before you move out.
Our winters add their own chores. The walk needs shovelling and salt before every showing, and wet boots need a mat and somewhere to go. A listing shot in deep snow can look stale by April, so ask whether the stager will reshoot the outside after the melt.
Our listings show what each stager states on its own website. Use the province and city lists to reach staging companies working in your area.
Frequently asked questions
Will my insurance cover a house left empty for staging?
Not always, so call before you move out. Many home policies limit or exclude coverage once a house sits vacant past a set period, though some insurers offer an endorsement that lifts that exclusion. Tell your insurer the house is listed and empty. Then ask who insures the rented furniture while it's in your living room.
What is the difference between occupied and vacant staging?
Occupied staging keeps your own furniture, clears out a good share of it, and adds rented art, lamps and bedding. Vacant staging brings in everything for an empty property, because bare rooms look smaller in photos. In a condo, book the service elevator and loading dock with management well before install day. Many condo corporations set moving hours, and a truck that shows up outside them just waits.
Can staging costs lower my tax when I sell?
Only on a property whose gain is taxable, like a rental or a second property. The CRA lets you subtract selling costs, such as fixing-up expenses and advertising, when you work out the capital gain. Your own home is usually covered by the principal residence exemption, so there's no taxable gain to shrink. You still have to report that sale on your return. Ask your accountant whether a staging invoice qualifies.
How long is staged furniture rented for?
Month to month after a minimum term, and the meter keeps running while the house stays listed. A spring listing that drags into winter can add months of rent nobody budgeted for. Put the renewal price and the pickup notice in the contract. Also settle who pays if a rented sofa gets stained at an open house, and whether your home policy or the stager's covers it.
Who pays for staging a home?
Usually the seller. Some brokerages bundle a staging consultation into their listing service, and some agents pay for part of the job. Treat any of that as a point to negotiate, and write it into the listing agreement instead of trusting a text message. If your agent recommends a particular stager, ask whether the agent gets anything for the referral.
Is virtual staging allowed in listing photos?
It depends on your local real estate board, and honesty isn't optional anywhere. In Ontario, RECO bars agents from advertising that's false, misleading or inaccurate, and listing images are advertising. Digital furniture in an empty room is one thing. Editing out a water stain, a cracked wall or the hydro corridor behind the yard is another. We'd ask your agent to label staged photos clearly.
