I lived in CA for 22 years. We got so used to quakes we could tell whether they were 4.3 or 5.3 or 6.2, even 3.1 registered on our mental meters.
And yes, a 5.3 is definitely noticeable. In general, if you live on soft ground, your house would sway for awhile; if you live on a granite cliff, like Nob Hill in San Francisco, the building gives one emphatic jump up and down — stuff inside can shake for a few seconds after.
Most damage from quakes occurs from stuff falling off shelves. Books are killers, so people were advised to NEVER have tall bookshelves, particularly near beds. Canned goods are killers too. Imagine that.
Veto,
I’m in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Basically on the plateau between the two/double ridges that run up the east coast (in that little “foot” between NC, WV, & TN). Maybe that’s why I felt it so well? My house is where it’s mostly clay with a bit of top soil rather than on the rocky side of one of those mountains :)