Once you list your home, you never know who will buy it. Unless your Realtor says the market for your home is a certain demographic, it's always best to stage so anyone could fall in love with it. 

If you and your Realtor agree that your target market is young families, and you are currently using one bedroom as a nursery, here are some tips to make it buyer-friendly.            

Choose pastels  

As with any staging project, selecting a color palette is the best first step. 

I've blogged about pastels being a good choice for staging. I always endorse a cohesive color scheme throughout the house, even the exact same color paint on walls in all rooms. It's more economical, lets professional painters work more efficiently, and helps a house feel larger. 

Pale versions of blue, cream, green, and coral are good choices for most rooms, and they work well in a nursery. 

Colors to avoid are vivid ones like reds, purples, deep greys, and dark greens. I've blogged about my easy and foolproof method to choose a paint color.    

I would avoid painting a baby's room what many buyers would consider a "baby color" or a gender specific color, such as a pink or blue that you would not like in all the other rooms. 

A room designed for a baby can still strike a
neutral tone, the way this room suggests 
various uses. Photo: New Crown Interiors

Stage for any use 

Since many buyers are either childless or have older children, it's not to a seller's advantage to stage one bedroom specifically as a nursery unless there are four or five bedrooms in the house. If you have a three-bedroom condo with a den, consider staging one of these rooms as a nursery or children's room. 

If you are using one room in your present home already as a nursery, you'll have a crib and changing table, and possibly a rocking chair in the room. Declutter, and then try to minimize non-essentials. Then you can add pieces that hint at other uses for the room, like a desk or treadmill or daybed. 

But make it easy for buyers to envision the room as a regular bedroom, office, or playroom.

Just because it's a baby's room doesn't mean you
can't stage with sophisticated pieces like this 
elaborate antique dresser. Photo: Monica Benevidez

Decorate for grown-ups 

It's never a good idea, for safety's sake, to announce the names or ages or activities of your children when a home is on the market. Besides removing that kind of information, you should replace typical nursery art and decor with universally appealing art like landscape paintings and nature photos. 

Other decorations and furnishings common to nurseries that should be removed during staging are play tents, mobiles, oversized stuffed animals, and murals. Remind yourself that it is only temporary. 

A daybed is a natural choice for
styling a nursery because it looks
so comfortable and suggests
other uses the room can have.
Photo: The Houses of Daylesford 

Focus on the perks

Whenever you stage a room, a good question to ask yourself is, "What makes this room special?" If it's the natural lighting, be sure that window treatments allow plenty of it in. If it's the size or shape or layout of the room, keep the room clear of clutter. If it's the cabinetry or built-ins, stage them to call attention there. 

Talk to your listing agent to determine how diverse your market is. If only retirees or investors are your prospective buyers, staging a nursery isn't practical.  

Stage to show how the room can easily become whatever the next owner wants. The number of bedrooms is one of the primary ways homes are listed, and every buyer has a wish list of how many they need. Be sure your Realtor and Zillow have the correct number of bedrooms specified in the online listing.  

Get the look, get the  book

I've written about staging rooms for children. And I've written an eBook about all the other topics you need to know so that you make the most of your home sale! Go here to download my DIY Home Staging Tips To Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar. 

Top Photo: Nathan Schroder