Clean it first. Take out everything that is not going to be used for staging and do a deep cleaning.

If you are going to stage it, I would get rid of as many of the extraneous contents as possible including the stuff in the cabinets and closets.

Depending upon how long the house is on the market, it will need to be cleaned while it is on the market as well.

I don’t know if the house ( plus garage & yard items) is
full of furniture & “ stuff” currently, but if so, a common approach in my area, and what I did for parents houses, is to hire an estate sale company to sell what’s sellable— you’d be surprised at what sells vs not, and then clean then clean the house thoroughly for putting on the market. Of course it need some general cleaning before an estate sale, but not usually the same level for showing the house. Remove important papers & keepsakes, remove or set aside furniture that is not for sale. Formal staging is not expected in my area— more clean, good smells, clean bare windows. Or, careful situating of furniture that owners are taking but too arduous to remove before sale. People still living in the home while it’s on the market of course still have stuff in closets & cabinets but preferably do a major declutter, box a lot stuff up & store in garage, even rent a short- term storage, anything doable that can make storage spaces look more generous & not off- putting. YMMV.

Oh geez - first of all, you have my sympathy. This is a hard thing to do. I've been there and the amount of work involved can be overwhelming.

I handled my parents' estate after my last parent died. Their house was not large, but it was stuffed to the brim, with an assortment of good quality case goods interspersed with an enormous amount of garbage. Their cellar looked like something out in an Indiana Jones movie, complete with floor to ceiling spider webs and spiders larger than I can reasonably handle myself (minor spider phobia). Good times. :-/

Their house needed a giant dumpster. There was no way I could sell it without hoeing it out first. So we went room by room, making a "free" pile, throwing away a shocking amount of junk, and tagging what few good pieces there were to sell or give away to family.

So my order was to empty it all out, deep clean it, and then I brought in realtors to review/suggest a listing price. When I sold I was advised staging was unnecessary and so it went on the market empty but very clean. (Actually, it wasn't completely empty - there were still some large furniture pieces that we were in the process of selling and/or giving to family....)

I hope that helps you - and again, good luck.

Declutter, declutter, clean, clean, stage.... reassess.

Are they still living there, or have they moved out? If they're still living there, you have to still have stuff in cupboards and closets, but you can minimize how much is there so that when those closets are opened, things look nice and the closet looks spacious.

If they've already moved out: Remove just about everything that won't be used in staging the house. Everywhere, including the garage, basement, and attic. Then clean, then stage, then list.

If they're still living there, declutter, including removing all the things they don't need to live there - stuff stored in the garage or the tops of the closets (so they look as big as possible), odds and ends furniture that doesn't fit (especially if they won't be taking it with them when they move out), and any other things they won't be taking with them when they move (excess tableware, small appliances, tools, etc). Then clean, then stage, then list.

The house won't get terribly dusty or dirty between staging and selling (hopefully), and there will only be need for a quick clean after, if at all.

If the house is clean and empty staging may not be necessary. Price point matters too.

Thank you, each and everyone of you. Your comments and understanding are so very helpful.

The parents have moved out. It ks a matter lf decluttering, cleaning and staging. We are leaving sofa, chairs etc for staging purposes.

I have worked with real estate companies staging properties. But, in my locale, houses are very expensive and the staging either involves hiring a team to clean or simply rearranging furniture, etc.

Once in awhile I get a house that is not high end or up to date with anything. I have found that it is better to empty the entire home...everything, and hire the team to clean. One important task is to have the windows washed. Leaving behind a worn sofa or a little table with two chairs won't make a difference, in fact, it can turn folks off. Let buyers use their imagination. They may have a different idea where to place their sofa, and your placement may be distracting. Just a suggestion...

Usually you are only required to leave the house “broom clean” at closing. You are not required to deep clean the house. But, clean houses are certainly more appealing than obviously dirty houses. I would purge, have a cleaning company go through at a cleaning level necessary to sell the house, then stage. Just before closing, you should only have to whip through lightly since no one has been living there.

I would echo elcieg. Staging just for sake of saying, “see you can put furniture here” is not always helpful unless maybe the arrangements are especially charming or show some unique feature that people couldn’t really imagine. That’s in my market though. Of course, a good table and 2 chairs could be where fliers are placed & someone sits while awaiting a prospective buyer. Your RE agent may advise you, unless it is FSBO.

I find rooms look bigger with furniture in them, paradoxically, even if I don't like the furniture. YMMV.

We have started the process, decluttering.,OMG, so much stuff, knick knacks, stuff in nooks and crannies…Dust flying everywhere. It is overwhelming, but it will get done. Biggest issue is where to put memorabillia. No one has room anywhere!

I can do sympathize. When my in- laws were selling house to move to retirement community , my dear MIL had a story behind every item, and never was able to identify a single thing for Goodwill, church sale, nothing, & certainly nothing for a dumpster- meaning we couldn’t triage anything on site rx if we were “ taking “ it. . We had already taken a few items of furniture.

Later we also downsized and emptied out our storage space & I was also able to clarify my own goals & storage realities & let a lot of stuff go, both “ theirs” and mine.

I like Dana K. White’s “ container theory “.

Goodwill, setting things out my the curb, 1-800-Take-My-Junk type firms, estate sale, dumpster, etc.

Empty, deep clean, then stage. If the upholstered furniture pieces are older than five or ten years, they may have picked up "old food" and "old paper" smells. It's better to remove them before listing than to leave them in the clean house for removal after the sale.

Some curtains can be machine washed, dried, ironed, and rehung. Others can be dry cleaned at some expense. Take a good look at their condition and style to decide what's worth doing and who would do it.

"Complete staging" in my area is done with lightweight, fashionable furniture owned by staging companies or real estate firms. Those houses are usually freshly painted inside and out. Some agents will recommend simply emptying the house and cleaning it, not staging it at all.

Please post an update when you are ready.

Declutter, deep clean and then stage. Try Facebook Marketplace to rehome items.

In early November last year when clearing out a relative’s condo for an estate sale, my siblings and I were able to rehome in one week a tremendous amount of furniture, furnishings, kitchenware, etc. via Facebook Marketplace. We priced low to rehome and to avoid adding to the landfill. We had a huge response as people were looking for inexpensive items for holiday gatherings. Several mentioned unanticipated furniture delivery delays with guests expected.