There is a laundry list of items when it comes to home staging: painting, updating, furnishing, and so on. Included in that list of items are things to avoid when decorating your rooms. (Read about 5 Reasons Why Your Home Isn’t Selling)
Some of these are big turn-offs to prospective buyers, and can actually stop a buyer from putting in an offer. Avoid these blunders before showing your home:
Going Nose Blind
This is more than a Febreze commercial, it’s a real problem for potential buyers. Often, with an occupied home staging you begin with a thorough cleaning, but eventually odors from pets, smokers, foods, and everyday living will accumulate and can leave behind less-than-pleasant scents.
One solution is to ask a third party—perhaps your realtor or a neighbor—to do a quick smell check to ensure what you’re used to sniffing isn’t offensive to a prospective buyer.
PS: Don’t leave your pets at home during a showing—if a potential buyer is not an animal lover, they may not enjoy seeing an animal in their future home.
Accumulating Daily Dirt in an Occupied Home Staging
Along the same lines of monitoring for a build up of unpleasant odors, keep an eye on day to day dirt amassing.
Taking the time to complete a thorough home cleaning only to have buyers see your home with a sink full of dirty dishes or clutter accumulating is a proper waste of your time and a big no-go for buyers. You want them to picture themselves in the home, and for many buyers that picture doesn’t typically include mislaid clothing or dirty forks on the counters.
Staging in Terms of What You Like
This is tough particularly for folks considering the DIY route to home staging. Everyone has their own tastes and style, however, when it comes to home staging the goal is to appeal to your broader target market and their tastes.
Even when hiring a professional home staging company, ensure they’re able to stage according to the unique needs of each home’s target buyer market and are not copying and pasting the same stylings over and over—again you stage for your buyer, not yourself.
Letting Budget Be the Deciding Factor in Home Staging
There’s an old adage:
“Good staging ain’t cheap and cheap staging ain’t good.”
That’s not to say it has a cost an arm and a leg, but avoid going into the process of staging your home with the mentality of getting something for nothing. Allow some wiggle room and keep in mind that your investment will return dividends when the home sells both earlier and for above market price.
Not Checking Lighting During Different Times of Day
Each room should be inviting. While décor, furniture, paint, and accessories have much to do with the ambiance, lighting also plays a big part.
Unless you’re staging a basement or theater room, a dark space won’t likely be inviting to buyers. Ensure each room looks warm and inviting, with appropriate levels of lighting and brightness.
Don’t Assume People Will Use Their Imagination in an Empty Space
Clearly define every space, realtors say 9 out of 10 buyers can’t imagine use for an empty space. Filling every space with a purpose (from storage to living spaces) will help buyers picture how their own lives will unfold in that space.
It’s even recommended to put up tent cards in rooms with alternative uses for the space. I.e. a bonus room which can be used as bedroom, play room, large walk-in closet, or office space.
Whether you intent to go the DIY route or hire an experience home staging professional, these mistakes can add to how long your home stays on the market.
Ready To Stage?
Whether you’re ready to put your home on the market, or feel like you’ve been on market too long, home staging can help you sell your home quickly.
Contact the accredited professionals at Creative Home Stagers to get a quote today. As a 2015 Best of Houzz service provider, we will get your home ready for a quick sale and higher price. Call 704-315-5802 to speak to a home stager directly or visit Creative Home Stagers’ website to request a quote.