4 Home Staging Mistakes That Can Lose You Buyers

The impact of home staging is huge, so it’s essential that when selling a property, you do your best to try and make it appear as attractive as possible. This will not only help you sell it faster by up to 73% but also might get you more money.
However, the other side of the issue is that if you fail at staging, you will get a huge black mark against the property. Therefore, it’s essential to get it right on the first try. The most important thing you should do to achieve this is to double-check everything before prospective buyers arrive.

Be sure to leave yourself enough time for this because you might need it to do any quick fixes necessary for avoiding last-minute walkthrough issues. Running the final check the day before should do it. The most common mistakes and issues you should be looking for include:

Over-staging

Over-staging is the most common of home staging mistakes. It’s also the worst thing you can do because it sends out a message that you are desperate or that you simply lack in any sense of style. Note that even professional decorators often make this mistake.

The solution here is to embrace minimalism. No matter the general style of your interior, you should remember that the fewer things there are to show off, the better. It might be best to remove all decorations from the room and then put them back one at a time. Assess the place critically after each addition to see which of the pieces truly add aesthetical value and which are only important as personal mementoes.

Not hiring a decorator

Experts say that not hiring an interior decorator leads to multiple staging mistakes simply because homeowners do not understand the specific balance they need to achieve between personal and impersonal decoration. This is definitely a serious issue as it’s hard to see this distinction clear when you are working with your own home.

A decorator can solve this problem easily. They will also use their professional experience to present any home in the best possible light.

However, if your budget doesn’t allow you to hire this expert, you should focus on avoiding the DIY staging mistakes specifically. Be sure to study several professional sources that explain the difference between personal and staged interiors.

Foregoing details

Home staging isn’t only about expensive decorations and renovations. Your goal here is to make space seem welcoming and “real”. However, every resource on staging is sure to mention that over-personalizing the interior is as close as you get to sin in this field.

Many people get wary because of these warnings and choose to remove all personal details at all. This, however, creates a different kind of problem, because it makes your home unwelcoming and cold.

The solution is to add the right kinds of details that will make space cozy without being personal. Such items include:

• Books (staged on the coffee table)
• Decorative kitchen towels
• Fake fruit in bowls (kitchen or dining room)
• Flowers (living room)
• Rubber ducks (bathroom if selling a family home)
• Glasses, tumblers, and shakers (if you have a bar)

Another nifty trick is to bake some cookies or pies right before the buyers are set to arrive. The aroma will make the place seem homey and cozy. Offering some tea and cookies also wouldn’t hurt.

Staging every part of the house

Staging is important, but you also should show your buyers some parts of the house just as they are. This will help people imagine themselves living here for real.

The rooms that must be staged are kitchen, living room, dining room, and master bedroom and bathroom. However, you can leave a study or office as it is, just be sure to clean and neaten it up. These rooms should be “neutral” and easy for people to imagine them filled with their personal possessions.