Realtors' Project Recommendations for Selling a Home in 2025 - Visualized by Budget

When you’re ready to sell your home, you’ll want it to sell as quickly as possible for the maximum amount of money. To that end, most homeowners will undertake some type of home improvement project, whether it's simply cleaning and depersonalizing or something more involved. But determining and prioritizing what needs to be done and what it will cost can be overwhelming.

That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the home staging projects real estate professionals recommend before placing your home on the market. We’ve organized these projects by cost, so you can prioritize what best fits your budget. Using data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2025 Profile of Home Staging and the latest costs from Fixr.com cost guides, you can make an informed decision about how to best prepare your home for selling. 

Staging a Home by Budget: The Most Recommended Renovation Projects for Sellers

Budget Tier	Project	National Avg. Cost	Realtor Recommendation (%)
$0 - $399	Entire home cleaning	$221	88%
	Professional photos	$230	76%
	Repair drywall	$350	75%
	Carpet cleaning	$100	74%
	Paint touch-ups	$120	67%
	No pets during showings	$0	27%
$400 - $999	Professionally declutter	$450	91%
	Exterior cleaning	$700	77%
	Garage door replacement	$993	77%
	Repair damaged shingles	$450	75%
	Depersonalize home	$450	72%
	Regrout shower	$700	30%
+$1,000	Front door replacement	$1,353	77%
	Painting siding	$4,200	77%
	Painting walls	$7,635	57%
	Landscape front yard	$5,000	53%
	Landscape backyard	$9,000	53%

Low-Budget Projects: $0 – $399

Even small investments can make a big impact. These projects are simple, cost-effective, and among the most recommended by real estate experts.

1. Entire Home Cleaning

Realtors’ recommending: 88%

One option most homeowners will want to consider is the second most recommended project. Having a professional clean the entire home is what the majority of realtors say is advisable when staging a home, and it costs only $221 on average. Having a clean home gives off a good first impression and allows the buyer to have a pleasant experience viewing the home. It also gives the feeling of a fresher, newer space. 

2. Professional Photos

Realtors’ recommending: 76%

Real estate pros agree that high-quality, professional photos are essential when listing your home. In today’s digital-first market, your listing photos are often the first, and sometimes only, chance to grab a buyer’s attention. Hiring a skilled photographer is recommended for all home sellers because it ensures your home is shown in the best light. Adding virtual tours or drone shots can further make your listing stand out. A standard professional photography package typically costs around $250, making it one of the most worthwhile small investments for faster home sales.

3. Repair Drywall

Realtors’ recommending: 75%

Repairing cracks, dents, or holes in walls instantly improves your home’s appearance and gives buyers confidence in its condition. A small investment in drywall repair helps create a polished, move-in-ready look and will set you back only about $350 on average.

4. Carpet Cleaning

Realtors’ recommending: 74%

Basic carpet cleaning eliminates stains and odors while restoring your carpet’s appearance, making your home feel fresher and more comfortable. Clean flooring can make a significant difference in how buyers perceive the home’s upkeep. A professional carpet cleaning service costs around $100 for two rooms.

5. Paint Touch-Ups 

Realtors’ recommending: 67%

Touching up scuffed or faded areas of paint helps your home look newer without requiring a full repaint. Neutral colors are best to appeal to the widest range of buyers. More than half of real estate experts recommend this simple update to help make a positive impression on potential buyers. It can cost you as little as $120 for touch-ups done by a professional.

6. No Pets During Showings

Realtors’ recommending: 27%

Keeping pets away during showings can prevent distractions and help buyers focus on the home rather than its inhabitants.

Medium Budget Projects: $400 – $999

For homeowners with a moderate budget, these projects can deliver significant value and visual improvements, and often with excellent ROI.

1. Professionally Declutter

Realtors’ recommending: 91%

A majority of real estate experts advise sellers to have their homes professionally decluttered before showings. Decluttering makes rooms appear larger and cleaner, helping buyers focus on the property’s potential instead of distractions. The cost to hire a professional is on average $450. If you’re on a tight budget, you can DIY by focusing on high-impact areas such as organizing, removing personal items, and clearing excess furniture to make spaces look larger and more inviting.

2. Exterior Cleaning

Realtors’ recommending: 77%

Pressure washing the home exterior is one of the most effective ways to improve your home’s appearance. Clean siding, driveway, and walkways can make the property look newer and well-maintained. It costs $700 on average to pressure wash your home.

3. Garage Door Replacement

Realtors’ recommending: 77%

With an average 268% ROI, replacing your garage door provides the highest returns on investment among all home improvement projects, and gives your home an instant curb appeal boost. The national average cost for replacing the garage door is $993.

4. Repair Damaged Shingles

Realtors’ recommending: 75%

Fixing damaged or missing roof shingles protects your home from potential leaks and reassures buyers about the overall maintenance and condition of the property. The roof has a big impact on curb appeal and buyers' first impression; therefore, it’s highly recommended by realtors for faster home sales. It’s one of the most common repairs and costs around $450.

5. Depersonalize the Home

Realtors’ recommending: 72%

Depersonalizing the home that includes removing personal items, family photos, and distinctive décor allows potential buyers to picture themselves living in the space. Professional depersonalizing costs around $450, but it is also easy to do yourself and is one of the top DIY home staging tips.

6. Regrout Shower

Realtors’ recommending: 30%

Though less frequently recommended than the other projects, regrouting shower tiles can refresh bathrooms and make them look cleaner and better cared for. Since the bathroom is one of the most important areas for homebuyers, even small improvements here can positively influence their perception of the home. It costs $700 on average to regrout tiles.

High Budget Projects: 1,000+

For homeowners ready to invest a bit more, these projects can dramatically improve both appearance and resale value.

1. Front Door Replacement

Realtors’ recommending: 77%

Replacing the front door is one of the most effective upgrades for boosting curb appeal. With an impressive 216% ROI, it’s a small change that can make a big impression on potential buyers. The cost of installing a new door typically averages around $1,353, depending on the type and materials.

2. Painting Siding

Realtors’ recommending: 77%

A fresh coat of exterior paint in a neutral color can dramatically improve your home’s curb appeal and signal to buyers that the property has been well-maintained. Off-white is a color that sells the best in 2025, according to 45% of home design experts we surveyed. The average cost to paint siding is $4,200.

3. Painting Walls

Realtors’ recommending: 57%

A full interior paint job can completely refresh the look of your home. Painting key areas like the bathroom, primary bedroom, kitchen, living room, and basement ensures a consistent, clean appearance throughout. You can expect to spend approximately $7,635 to have these key areas of your home professionally painted. Opting for neutral, light tones creates a sense of space and helps buyers visualize themselves in the home. 

4. Landscape Front Yard

Realtors’ recommending: 53%

A well-maintained front yard adds instant curb appeal. Fresh plants, trimmed hedges, and updated walkways make your home more inviting from the street. This typically costs around $5,000 to complete.

5. Landscape Backyard

Realtors’ recommending: 53%

Upgrading your backyard with greenery, seating, or lighting adds usable living space and boosts appeal. In 2025, easy-care landscaping is key, with 62% of design experts highlighting the drought-tolerant plants as the top landscaping trend, and 54% emphasizing native plants for their resilience, adaptability, and eco-friendly benefits. Expect to spend approximately $9,000 for a full backyard landscape upgrade.

The Bottom Line

No matter your budget, there are strategic upgrades you can make to help your home sell faster and for a higher price. From simple cleaning and decluttering to impactful exterior improvements, these expert-backed projects can transform how buyers see your property and ensure you get the best return on your investment.

Related: How much does it cost to stage a house?

FAQ

You can stage a house on a budget by focusing on low-cost, high-impact updates. Start with a thorough cleaning, decluttering, and depersonalizing the space. Touch up paint, clean carpets, and rearrange furniture to maximize space. Adding small decorative touches, like fresh flowers or neutral accessories, can also enhance appeal without spending much. DIY projects, like reorganizing closets or creating inviting seating areas, can further cut costs.

The 3-foot 5-foot rule is a guideline for creating clear pathways in a home to make rooms feel open and navigable. Leave at least 3 feet of walking space around furniture and 5 feet in main traffic areas or between larger pieces. This ensures buyers can move comfortably and helps the home feel spacious and uncluttered.

Most homeowners spend around 1% of their home’s listing price on staging. For a typical home, that’s usually $1,500 - $4,000, depending on size, rooms staged, and whether furniture rental is needed.

Methodology

We took statistics from NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Staging report and combined the percentage recommendations with average costs from Fixr.com cost guides. For some projects, we broke them down into more specific home improvements in order to assign specific project costs. For example, NAR’s report lists ‘landscaping,’ which we split into front yard and backyard landscaping. For ‘minor repairs,’ we listed drywall and broken shingles repair. For ‘grouting,’ we opted for ‘regrout shower’, and we broke down ‘improve curb appeal‘ project to painting siding, front door replacement, garage door replacement, and exterior cleaning.