How do I stage my home for sale?

Typically, yes 3 BR. It helps with the MLS Algorithms.

Keep in mind that all bedrooms must have both:

a Closet and an Egress Window or Door, in order to be listed as a bedroom.

Good luck with your staging.

For the sake of clarification, a bedroom do not require a closet or wardrobe like furniture. Would you want one in a bedroom? Does your realtor want to avoid misunderstandings? Yes. But the legal definition of a bedroom does not stipulate a closet or furniture. The IRC does stipulate a minimum of 70 square feet, minimum ceiling height, and two points of egress. Having said that, I would agree with the notion that the more bedrooms you can list, the greater the potential of attracting a buyer. I would stage it as a bedroom or at least have a pull out couch so it could be staged as an office that could easily be converted to a guest room.

Here is some more info:

The laws vary by state, but here are six ways you can tell if your room is a bedroom rather than just a “room”:

1. Minimum square footage: Although this can vary from state to state, 70 to 80 square feet is generally the acceptable minimum. “Sellers in urban markets such as New York City and Chicago would love 5-by-7[-foot] rooms to qualify as a bedroom, but no go,”
2. Minimum horizontal footage: The minimum square footage doesn’t tell the whole tale. A bedroom must also measure at least 7 feet in any horizontal direction. That is why you can’t call a hallway a bedroom!
3. Two means of egress: There have to be two ways out of a bedroom. Traditionally, these would be a door and a window. In most markets, a skylight would also qualify as that means of egress.
4. Minimum ceiling height: At least half of the bedroom ceiling has to be at least 7 feet tall.
5. Minimum window size: The window opening must be a minimum size, usually 5.7 square feet.
6. A heating and cooling element: We're talking a heater (a space heater won't qualify) as well as a way to cool it down, whether that's by opening a window or good old AC.

Does a bedroom need a closet?

Contrary to popular belief, a bedroom does not have to have a closet to be considered official. (Your significant other might disagree, but legally, at least in most states, it does not.) Closets are expected in newer homes, but older ones might require a more creative approach to stowing your clothes.

So what can you call a room that doesn't hit these requirements? Based on your state, you could get away with calling it an "office," "nursery," or the ultimate catch-all, "bonus room." Because bedroom or not, just about any indication of extra space will make most buyers' eyes light up.

I think your spouse is right this time, sorry. Since you have everything that makes it a bedroom, it can be listed as a three bedroom, but you don't have to stage it as one. In our last two houses, we had one of our bedrooms staged as a den, because that's how we use it. They both sold quickly with no comments about it not having the proper amount of bedrooms. Buyers are looking at room sizes to see if their possessions will fit.