5 Staging Mistakes To Avoid
When it comes to staging your house to sell, there’s a right way to do it and a very wrong way to do it. Believe it or not, staging the right way can actually increase the number of offers and the prices offered on your home. On the other hand, staging the wrong way can actually prevent buyers from even considering putting an offer in on your home. The good news is, there are a few large staging mistakes that are easily avoidable.
Here are 5 of the biggest staging mistakes that you should avoid:
1. Hiding Things Instead of Removing Them
No matter how tempting it might be to just stuff your belongings in closets and drawers, this is actually one of the biggest staging mistakes I see. When potential buyers take a tour of your home, you can assume that they will be extra nosy. They like to open the drawers and closets and try to imagine their things fitting in the space. If those spaces are overly messy and cluttered, it can be a big turn-off. Consider renting a storage unit before listing to try to remove as many cluttered areas as possible.
2. Adding Too Many Design Elements
Another staging mistake I see is when sellers try to do too much with an area of their home. Less is often more when it comes to making a house look clean and open. Walk around your house and look for areas that have a lot of design elements. Then, try removing some of it to see if it opens up the area.
3. Forgetting About the Smell
Staging isn’t just about looks! If potential buyers walk into your house and catch a whiff of something odd smelling, they may just write off your entire house. Be sure to remove anything stinky (think full trash cans, diaper genies, litter boxes, etc.), and instead add clean-smelling products (cleaners, candles, diffusers, etc.). Or, if you really want to go above and beyond, bake some cookies right before a showing. Not only will you have fresh cookies to leave out for potential buyers, but your home will also smell like them!
4. Leaving Up Personal Photos and Collections
As much as you may love your gallery wall full of family photos, potential buyers want to be able to envision themselves in your space, and that’s hard to do when staring at photos of your family. Be sure to remove any personal photos and or collections of odd or miscellaneous personal things you may have displayed.
5. Not Staging At All
Finally, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is not staging your home at all. You don’t have to go crazy, but it is important to make sure your house is clean, prepped, and ready to be as attractive to buyers as possible! If you need help staging, I can make recommendations or even refer you to professional stagers who do this regularly.
Next Steps
If you’re thinking about selling and have questions about staging, I would love to help! Reach out anytime at traceyrice@kw.com or 405-226-3770.