Avoid Making These 5 Common Staging Mistakes

Selling your home is an exciting time, especially when you plan on remodeling and redecorating prior to the showing. Unfortunately, many homeowners make common staging mistakes that regrettably detract potential buyers from making an offer. Our REALTORS® want to help you stage your home for success and insist that you avoid these five common staging mistakes.

1. Too Much Personalization or Clutter
   Clutter and personalization are two elements that can detract from an otherwise perfectly staged space. Family photographs, personal achievements, and even memorabilia showcasing a favorite sports team can make the buyer fail to create their own personal attachment to the home. Clutter can come in many other forms, including too many décor pieces that make a surface or wall appear too busy. Limiting personal effects and keeping a space decorated delicately will ensure that it looks appealing to the buyer and allows them to envision their own life filling the space.
   
   
2. Style That's Too Trendy or Too Basic
   Another problem homeowners encounter when staging their property is knowing how to create a space that has character without being too trendy or basic. While white walls and stainless-steel appliances are always acceptable, too many additional colorless or neutral furnishings can make a space feel uninvitingly sterile. On the other hand, too many loud colors or design features that are too trendy can make a space feel inauthentic or over the top. The key is to find design features, décor, and furnishings that relate to a broad range of buyer needs and preferences without being overly simple or specific.
   
   
3. Limited Outdoor Staging
   It's easy to assume that outdoor staging isn't important until you consider how vital curb appeal is. The outdoors are critical elements of the home for many buyers. Whether they need a space for outdoor entertaining or simply for their children and pets to run around, buyers place importance on the outdoors nearly as much as they do on the interior. By staging the exterior of the home and the grounds around your property, you create a cohesive appearance that enhances the entire home.
   
   
4. Skimping on the Cleaning or Home Improvements
   Even the best staging practices will fail to cover up a lack of cleanliness and areas of the home that need to be remodeled or repairs. What's worse is that, upon viewing the dirt, dust, or damages in the house, prospective buyers may assume that there are other unseen issues with the property and disregard your property completely. Home repairs, remodeling projects, and thorough, professional cleaning services must be completed prior to the staging process.
   
   
5. Not Asking for Help
   Ultimately, the biggest mistake that most homeowners make is not asking for professional assistance when staging their house. Staging is an art and a science, a subjective talent backed up by legitimate data. Trends change and generational needs evolve, making the process of staging a home quite unique to the house, neighborhood, and time of sale. Attempting to stage a home without professional help can actually harm showings and leave your home on the market for an extended period. However, enlisting the advice of real estate agents and professional staging companies has the potential to make your home one of the hottest properties on the market.

Are you ready to stage your home to sell alongside our Naples homes for sale? We can help. Contact us today to begin staging your home for a successful sale!