The spring brings with it flowers, showers — and peak season for the local housing market. 

In that last scenario, first impressions matter most. While competing buyers make the offers, the sellers are the ones who make the first move, by presenting a home worth buying.

“The most important thing is to sell,” says Susan Klaich, owner of Pittsburgh-based Nest Style and Staging Co.

One surefire way to help a home on the market look more attractive to buyers is with home staging, which can involve redecorating, rearranging furniture, decluttering and other aesthetic strategies to present the home in the best possible light. 

For those homeowners looking to make their home shine on the market, Klaich has some perspective to share from her 25 years in the design field and working with realtors.  

“It’s all about reusing things right now,” she says. 

For homes that are furnished, Klaich will do what she calls a “light staging” by working within the home’s already-established decor. This could involve rearranging the furniture to more pleasing locations as well as bringing in accents such as decorative pillows, wall art, area rugs or coffee tables to zhush up the interior.

“After it sells, I come back in and grab everything and take it back,” she says.

For those looking to stage their home on a budget, Klaich suggests first trying to repurpose and restore old decor yourself. 

“I love a good DIY,” she says. “I’ll make a bench or a headboard out of whatever I can find.”

Klaich says she often finds inexpensive interior design “snags” through online retailers such as Amazon or Wayfair that brighten up a home.

“You can get that Restoration Hardware look for so much cheaper if you just know where to look and find things,” she says

She says classic, easily-accessible items such as mirrors, faux plants and flowers all can make a house’s decor pop; she also keeps an eye out for hidden gems while she is shopping. 

“I can go to Homegoods and buy something so much cheaper than if you go to Ethan Allen or something,” she adds.

Keller Williams real estate agent Jean Ou agrees with Klaich that national retailers such as TJ Maxx, At Home or IKEA are all great places to find stylish, inexpensive pieces that improve a home’s aesthetic. 

“Sometimes I do go to Target to get some small stuff,” Ou says. “A lot of houses that I’m staging are more expensive houses that need new, modern styles.”  

Because the objective of staging is to make a home look as inviting as possible to a broad audience, Ou says she tries to stick with neutral colors, on both paint and furniture,  that let the home shine — and that allows the potential buyers to envision their lives there. 

“The furniture makes the room look really clean and brighter, so I use a lot of lighter colors,” she says. 

Some realtors are even using virtual reality technology to “stage” their homes in listings. Although virtually staged homes on the market might catch more eyes in an online listing, Ou says physical staging is still important for those viewing the homes in person. 

“[Virtual staging is] good for advertising and catching eyes to come to the house, but when they come to the house it’s empty,” Ou says. 

Investing in making your home look its best comes with its own rewards. Not only do buyers appreciate the extra effort, Ou says staged homes often sell quicker — and for a higher price. 

“Actual staging is more beneficial for you to sell for a higher price,” she says. “I would say probably like a 3 to 5 percent increase at least for home sales.”