15 Home Staging Mistakes That Are Killing Your Home’s Sale Price
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The housing market is highly saturated, so even the slightest aspect, such as staging a home, may make a difference. Many sellers do not know how some staging mistakes work against the buyer or reduce the perceived value of their home.
There are many common staging mistakes … all of these can have a big impact on time to market and the selling price. Discover 15 major mistakes people make in home staging, tips for avoiding them and how to be ready for a successful sale.
Lack of Curb Appeal
The outside of the home is the first point of contact between the potential customer and the home and this demands a good impression is created. The exterior should not be ignored since an unimpressive first look is a put off to any buyer and they will not visualize themselves in the house. To avoid this mistake, make sure to mow the lawn and properly trim the grass, cut the broken twigs and make sure that there is enough light in the porch, enough flowers in pots, and fix all parts that need some repair.
Leaving Personal Touches
Even though your house embodies warm memories and your annotations, they become unattractive to potential buyers. Collectibles, family photos, pieces of art, and end tables with grandma’s lamps should be taken out of the house in order to help buyers to imagine themselves in the house. Please bear this in mind; the goal is to have the potential buyers concentrate on the home rather than the items in the home.
Cluttered Spaces
Another significant factor that put off buyers is clutter. It tends to give a room the cramped look, and people will not be able to visualize themselves living in the home accordingly. Not only will it look more open and spacious, but it will save you time and effort when you decide to pack again and move to another place.
Poor Lighting
Lighting has a role to play in the atmosphere of a home. Home aesthetics can be spoiled by a bad lighting, making a gorgeous room appear dark and unwelcoming. It would also be important to allow as much natural light in as possible, in the form of either blinds or curtains or even doors to the rooms. Also, change all the out of date bulbs and if needed. Install more lightings to make the atmosphere look natural in the house.
Neglecting Minor Repairs
According to American Society of Home Inspectors, minor defects may turn potential clients away since they would think that the rest of the home is in the same bad shape, too. Issues which are called ‘maintenance items’ such as a dripping faucet in the bathroom, grazed walls or loose door knobs are obvious signs that the home was not properly looked after. To avoid jeopardizing the chance of attracting potential buyers, make the necessary repairs needed in order to create a neat and perfect looking house.
Not Maximizing Space
According to Kanatar, consumers want living space – square footage matters, strange as it may seem to the Europeans, the more the merrier. If there is overcrowding or clutter within your home, your potential clients will not be able to see the whole picture. Other areas may involve the rearrangement of furniture in homes to increase space, removing excess furniture from the house. Furthermore, to enhance the looks of extra room, the closet and storage areas should also be cleaned and arranged to show the available storage space.
Overlooking Deep Cleaning
When removing clutter you should also remember to properly clean your space. Prospective homeowners will immediately develop an impression that the house has not been cleaned and is perhaps covered in dust. At this level, you should give each room a thorough cleaning especially areas which are usually overlooked such as ceiling fans.
Ignoring Pet Odors
Pets on the other hand are part and parcel of most families but this is a factor that is likely going to give any potential buyer a raw deal. It is also very important to eliminate odors that pets can produce by washing carpets, couches and beds. Its probably best to have your pets stay somewhere else when showings are taking place so as not to detract their initial impressions.
Too Much Furniture
Arranging furniture in a certain way makes the business of selling a home almost impossible when there is excess furniture in a room. For instance, before staging, one may decide to declutter or redesign the furniture in a way that the house looks less congested. The purpose of doing this is to be able to let the buyer see the approximate size of any given room and consequently visualize him or her living in the house.
Going Overboard with Decor
Minimalism seems to work wonders when it comes to interior design trends. When too many decorative items are used around the home, they prove to be a distraction from the unique characteristics of the home. Choose plain and colourless furniture and accessory items that could warm up the atmosphere in the house, and at the same time, items that do not impose themselves on potential buyers.
Inappropriate Wall Colors
Although spectacular shades are great for you and your family, they are not necessarily pleasing to the potential buyer. Avoid using bright colors when staging your home since the buyers will not have to do a lot of imagining to make the house match their tastes and preferences.
Not Staging Every Room
Each of the rooms has a part to play and are contributing to the overall first impression of anybody who enters your household. Not properly staging some of the rooms especially storerooms or bathrooms may be very much an indication that such areas are unimportant or they are not well taken care of. When preparing your home for listing be as creative as possible and make sure each room in the house is well staged.
Poor Furniture Placement
Furnishing of rooms is very important since it affects the size of the rooms and its utilization. Do not push chairs or tables against the walls or overcrowd many pieces in one area. Instead, divide the rooms into designated zones and group furniture in such a way that they optimzse each room’s traffic pattern.
Lack of Balance
In home staging it is all about moderation. Do not overemphasize the significance of one room or an area more than the other since this philosophy disrupts a continuous and smoothly flowing home design. However, some sacrifices should be made when placing furniture and other accessories in your house to make it present a good image for buyers and give them a pleasant view.
Not Seeking Professional Help
To most people, home staging sounds like a simple process; however, it is one of the most delicate procedures. One common blunder that many homeowners make is to stage their home on their own without consulting a professional. An agent can take time to select a professional staging company that will make sure that the house is presented in the best manner to have a faster and better sale.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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