The Top 5 Mistakes You Can Make Staging a Home for Sale

Once the “For Sale” sign is firmly posted in your front yard, the next thing to do is focus on staging a home for sale. This means making it look appealing to buyers.

Staging your house for sale is not something that should be taken lightly. It’s a vital step to ensuring that your house sells as quickly as possible AND that you receive top dollar. Despite its importance, some sellers still make the same mistakes over and over.

Common Mistakes of Staging a Home for Sale

1. Underestimating the turn-off factor of clutter

Take a look at your house with an objective eye. Better yet, ask your real estate agent how they rate your house in terms of clutter. Start with furniture. If you have too much furniture in a room, the area looks small and unattractive. Keep kitchen counters clear. Put away your mini-appliances and odds and ends that make their way on the counter. Eliminate all traces of mail, kids’ homework, and newspapers that have a bad habit of accumulating in the kitchen area. Clear out extra toys.

2. Walls in vibrant, unusual colors

Paint colors on a home’s walls are a personal preference. While you may love the coral and turquoise in the family room, the family looking at your house might not. That’s why it’s important to keep your walls neutral. Shades of taupe and gray, and neutral, muted tones of blue and green are the best choices. 

3. Keeping it dark

It’s normal to keep shutters closed and lights off during the day when nobody is home. But you have to keep in mind that real estate agents might be bringing clients to look at your house. That’s why it’s important to open all the shutters, blinds, and curtains. Turn on all the lights in rooms.

4. Not cleaning out closets and pantries

When potential buyers look at a house they’re interested in, they will examine every nook and cranny. After all, this is likely the largest investment they will ever make and they want to know everything about the house. Therefore, go through your kitchen pantry. Get rid of dated boxed and canned food. Organize it, make it look as attractive as possible. Don’t shove too much in. Likewise, don’t stuff your closets with all your bulky winter jackets barely squeezed in. The fewer items you have hanging, the more spacious the closet will look.

5. A major remodeling project

Now’s typically not the time to undertake a major, or even minor, kitchen remodel. As with colors, personal preferences will come into play and if potential buyers don’t like the way you’ve remodeled, it’s wasted money. Instead, opt for small upgrades that can accentuate your rooms: backsplashes, faucets, new hardware, etc.

The most important thing you can do to make sure your house is staged to its full potential is to ask your real estate agent for advice. You can also seek the services of a professional home stager.

At Glass House Real Estate, we ensure each home we sell is beautifully staged to ensure the highest appeal to buyers. We'd be happy to work with you to sell your home fast and for the best price.