Staging- What NOT to Do

Staging is a great way to help a home sell faster, as long as it is done properly. Here are some staging mistakes you want to avoid when preparing your home to be listed for sale.  

Over Decorating 

The entire purpose of staging is to help buyers have a visual aid in imagining what it would look like to live in the home. It needs to appeal to a wide range of buyers and should be a subtle suggestion in the background that allows the home to truly shine. Staging needs to boost the home instead of distracting from it. Keep it simple with basic furniture and just a few stylish decorative touches to soften it up. This allows buyers to see its potential use not to focus on the furniture. 

Fake Display Items 

Fake items like wax fruit, plastic plants, and cardboard televisions send a message that the whole experience is manufactured. It makes it even harder for a buyer to imagine living in the home. It makes them have to try harder to visualize a real life in the home. Use real items to stage with.  

Using the Wrong Size 

 Sometimes people think smaller furniture will make a room seem more spacious and showcase that the home is bigger. This strategy can actually bring the opposite results. The best way to show a home’s features is with furniture that matches the scale of the room.  

Using a Single Style 

Using pieces that make you feel like you are in a Mexican restaurant to showcase your Spanish-style architecture home may seem fun, but it doesn’t help a buyer to see the potential of bringing their items into space and living there. When in doubt go for traditional neutral-toned pieces. You want to create a warm and cozy room that a majority of people can see themselves in, not an overly themed exhibit.  

Closing Interior Doors 

Some of us may not think of it because we already know our own home’s layout and we just instinctually close doors when we leave certain rooms. Some doors that lead to entire floors like say the basement or the attic can get missed because the door looks like it leads to a closet. Some buyers will look in every cupboard and closet, but not every buyer will. Open up any interior doors that lead to spaces you want to make sure a buyer notices.  

Completely Avoiding Color 

Going with a mainly neutral scheme is a good idea, but going completely vanilla is not a good idea. You want your home to be memorable when a buyer is thinking back on all of the homes they toured. Add fun pops of color to the main living spaces and turn bedrooms into something with their own style unique from others in the house. This helps to make it feel familiar while standing out a being memorable.  

Are you thinking about selling a home in Columbus or surrounding areas? Contact us anytime we would love to help you sell your home quickly for the best price.  

Additional:

How to back out of a real estate transaction

What real estate agents do that sellers hate

How to Maximize your home's coziness