Staging on a Budget
The Five Golden Rules of
Home Staging on a Budget
By Nick Caruso
When you show your home’s best features by staging it effectively, you help increase your final selling price without breaking the bank. In fact, on average, sellers receive $2 in increased sale price for every $1 they put into staging a home. As the infographic below shows, the following five golden rules of home staging will help you show off its best assets:
Dawnice J. LaFave
Weichert, Realtors® - Sparta
92 Woodport Rd.
Sparta, New Jersey 07871
(973) 534-7705
Testimonials
"
Dawnice is an expert in every aspect of buying / selling a home. She is incredibly committed to her clients, professional and driven. Whether it was recommendations on improvements that maximized our home's value as a seller or finding the EXACT home that fit our needs as a buyer, her instincts and suggestions were right at every turn. She had our home under contract within days of listing while simultaneously guiding us through a complicated sale process. I cannot recommend Dawnice LaFave any higher.
"
- Buyer/Seller
"
It was a pleasure to work with Dawnice from the beginning to the end of the sale of our home. Dawnice had the knowledge and experience to guide us through each step. She had a calming presence that made a stressful time so much easier. I would highly recommend Dawnice ,she is the ultimate professional!
"
- Teresa D.
"
Dawnice is an exceptional real estate agent. She is professional, prompt and truly a pleasure to work with. She has helped us with the buying and selling of our homes over the past 9 years. Time and time again, she delivers!
"
- Jean S.
"
Dawnice was a true professional and handled a hard luxury deal with expertise, patience, amazing communication and ability to navigate some pretty tough challenges.
"
- Kristina T.
"
We couldn’t have asked for a better real estate agent! From day one, Dawnice was incredibly attentive, always available to answer our questions and walk us through every step of the process. Her deep knowledge of the local market was invaluable, and she expertly guided us through the various types of offers we received, making sure we understood all our options. Thanks to Dawnice's insight and professionalism, we felt confident and well-supported the entire way. Highly recommend!
"
- Laura & Nathan W.
"
Dawnice was great, I was selling remotely, she went over and above to close and sell in January! Outstanding!
"
- Kevin M.
"
We bought our first home from Dawnice 11 years ago and she was great, helping us get our dream home at the right price for both the Seller and us. We kept in touch over the years so when it came time to sell last year, Dawnice jumped right in. Her advice was spot on and we received multiple offers, all above asking price. She then helped us find our current, new dream home a few months later and we couldn't be happier. We highly recommend Dawnice, she's a Pro whether you're buying or selling.
"
- .Richard M.
"
An excellent agent, professional, and always available. Very experienced and she guided us through a very complicated process. I’d highly recommend her.
"
- Mike & Ann M.
"
Dawnice was absolutely wonderful to work with. She genuinely cared about finding us the right fit for the right price and made sure she understood our wants, needs and concerns. During a very competitive market she remained vigilant, was appropriately aggressive and very honest about what we should expect. Her in depth knowledge of the area was imperative to our peace of mind. She really helped us keep calm and confident during a process and time where things can quickly escalate.
"
- Laura R.
"
We recently had the pleasure of working with Dawnice as our realtor to sell my mother's house, and we couldn't be more pleased with the entire experience. Dawnice was not only professional but also easy to work with.
Having lived in the same home for 25 years, the decision to sell and downsize was a significant lifestyle change for my mother. Dawnice made the entire process seamless and stress-free. Her patience was evident as she guided my mom through the various steps of selling her home.
One of the aspects we appreciated most about Dawnice was her accessibility. She was always just a call or text away, promptly addressing any concerns or questions we had. Her responsiveness made us feel like a priority, and we never felt left in the dark during the selling process.
We felt confident that we were in good hands with Dawnice. Her expertise in the real estate market, combined with her personable and caring nature, truly set her apart. Selling a home after 25 years was a big emotional step for Mom, but Dawnice made it a positive and successful experience.
"
- Traci M.
"
I've been meaning to write you about our family's experience with Dawnice. She is the best partner we could've asked for. We had a very difficult set of circumstances, pregnant wife, young child, and we were trying to sell our home and upgrade to a bigger home in Sparta. Dawnice handled our situation calmly and extremely professionally amidst an unpredictable market. She demonstrated empathy and patience and advised us with her incredible knowledge. We are forever grateful that she was our real estate partner and helped our family achieve our goal of purchasing our dream home. We would recommend her to anyone.
"
- Matt W.
"
Dawnice has been with us for over 5 years! She has helped us buy two houses and sell one! She has been extremely helpful and easy to work with. Very knowledgeable, no pressure, and really cared about finding us the home of our dreams! Cannot thank her enough!!!
"
- Jessica C.
"
Dawnice was a professional from the first day we met her till the day we closed on our house . She did over and above what your typical realtor would do , and was always pleasant , she sold our home fo way above asking price due to a beautiful presentation of the property, and her winning personality
"
- Albert Badrow
"
We really enjoyed working Dawnice. She was knowledgeable and a great communicator. On top of that, she made the deal happen on the property we wanted. Don’t hesitate to use her.
"
- E. O.
"
Dawnice is an excellent realtor! She helped me buy a new home for my parents. She was very responsive from the moment I contacted her til the end of the buying process. She was very helpful and understood exactly what we were looking for. Her knowledge of the area and expertise in negotiating is also invaluable! I would certainly recommend her and gladly rely on her expertise again!
"
- Veronica D.
"
Dawnice has an excellent understanding of the market and her insight is invaluable! We chose her to assist our son with his first home purchase because she provides exceptional service, is always punctual, and incredibly responsive to our many queries. She turned what could have been a stressful process into an enjoyable experience for our son's first home.
"
- Tammy
"
Dawnice was amazing during the entire selling process. She educated us on the market and how to price it to get the best offers. She also provided feedback so we could tweak our staging. Her super powers really came through once we were under contract. The buyers were first timers and there was considerable back and forth with their agent about odds and ends. In the end, Dawnice held it all together and successfully got us to closing. You can't ask for more. Thank you, Dawnice!
"
- Lori C.
"
Could not have had a better experience from start to finish! Dawnice was always available for the plethora of questions we had for her and truly a pleasure to work with.
"
- Casey D.
"
Our experience with Dawnice in both buying our dream home and selling our current home at the same time was handled with the utmost care. Dawnice is incredibly professional and knowledgeable in her field and will go anywhere to show you a home and respond to all your questions or those of the respected attorneys in a professional and friendly manner.
My husband and I would recommend Dawnice to our friends and family with full confidence that they will be as pleased and happy as we were.
"
- Sylvia
The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the IDX Program of Garden State Multiple Listing Service, L.L.C. and Weichert, Realtors® - Sparta. Real estate listings held by other brokerage firms are marked as IDX listing. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Copyright © 2026 Garden State Multiple Listing Service, L.L.C. All rights reserved. This information is being provided for Consumer's personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose
