Are you selling your home and thinking about staging it yourself? There are a few common mistakes that you may make, that can cause you to lose money or even prevent the sale of your home.
If you avoid these mistakes, you’ll sell your home quicker and for more money.
1. ELIMINATING OR KEEPING TOO MANY ITEMS
If you’re staging your own home, you will need items to work with. Pairing down and properly eliminating items is key to making your space feel clean and inviting, but if you eliminate too much your home will feel awkward and empty. Clutter has got to go, but make sure that you leave all the items you need to completely furnish a room. After you have the basics, you can throw in extra décor pieces or accent furniture if you want, and if your space allows.
2. STAGING FOR LIVING INSTEAD OF SELLING
Everyone has their own personal tastes and styles when it comes to living in a home, but this is irrelevant when you are selling. Look at your home and spaces from a showcasing point of view, not from what is functional for your everyday life.
3. FORGETTING MINOR IMPROVEMENTS
When you’re staging your home, don’t just consider furniture and décor. Minor improvements such as paint, finish updates and replacing knobs and lighting fixtures are relatively inexpensive but result in a major transformation and increase the perceived value of your property.
4. KEEPING THINGS TOO PLAIN
We always recommend keeping paint and most furnishing neutral, but that does not mean your home should look plain and boring. Pops of color in décor, pillows and accents really upgrade your space and create memorable points for buyers. Adding plants, art and mirrors brings life and energy into the home.
5. IGNORING CURB APPEAL
Buyers will judge your home from the moment they pull into the driveway. Take the time to upgrade the exterior of your home and entryway. Fresh landscaping, painting of shutters, brick and other exterior features will create a new and welcoming feeling. If you ignore curb appeal, buyers might be turned off before they get into your home.
6. BLOCKING FOCAL POINTS
Does your home have a beautiful fireplace or other focal point and architectural elements? It’s important that these features are on display when selling your home. Buyers’ eyes need to be drawn to these features when they tour your property. Make sure that you are not covering up or hiding anything that should be on display. Try to place furniture and décor in a way that draws people in to your focal point and creates a natural flow throughout the room.
7. NOT DE-PERSONALIZING
De-personalizing your home before listing serves multiple purposes. One, it lets buyers experience a blank slate and welcoming environment. When buyers walk into a home that is filled with personal items, it almost feels intrusive, and they can not envision their own lives there. Two, de-personalizing ensures that you don’t have anything that is potentially offensive or alienating to buyers. This can include certain political or religious books, memorabilia or collectables. You may think it’s insignificant, but a certain book title could cause a buyer to walk away. When in doubt, just remove it. Lastly, de-personalizing your home protects your family’s safety. You never know who may be looking at your home online or in-person. Remove or conceal all items that show your family members names and any personal information like schools, places of work, medical or finances.
8. DISREGARDING YOUR TARGET BUYER
Know your audience! Before staging your property, consider what kind of people will be attracted to your home, neighborhood and price point. This information can affect the way you stage your home for sale. Should you keep things a bit more conservative, or should you add in trendier elements? Targeting the right audience will get the most potential buyers into your property, which will result in the most offers.
9. NOT ENOUGH LIGHTS
If you don’t have enough light in your home, potential buyers may think you are trying to hide something, and it just doesn’t give a good feeling to your home. Layering light also adds interest and depth to your space. Make sure you have adequate overhead and accent lighting. Remove outdated curtains and window treatments to let as much natural light into your home as possible.
10. LEAVING OUT SOFT & COZY ELEMENTS
What makes a hotel room warm and inviting? Plush and layered bedding. Leaving out soft and cozy elements will make your house feel cold and not very homey. Add in pillows, throws, lush linens and clean and fluffy towels.
We know there is a lot to keep in mind when staging your own home but we want you to have the most successful sale possible. We have created a free “Secrets for Home Sellers” Cheat Sheet that can help you get prepared and not leave money on the table. Download HERE
If you need further assistance preparing your home for sale, please Contact Us for a consultation.
