Home Staging Mistakes to Avoid
There are several common mistakes that home stagers make when staging a home. Some of these mistakes include using bold colors and custom wallpaper. To avoid these mistakes, follow these simple tips: First, declutter the home. Next, avoid putting your pets or family members in the home.
Avoiding fake plants
Many home stagers use silk flowers or real live plants in their staging efforts, but using fake plants can actually turn some buyers off. Plants add a natural feel to a home, while artificial ones might appear fake and unnatural. Proper staging should involve clean lines, elegant furnishings, and subtle home accessories. Avoid using fake plants, props, and decorations.
When using faux plants, avoid putting artificial plants in high-traffic areas. Moreover, they will look phony if they are too dusty and have a plasticky appearance. If you do use fake plants, hang them high and away from the eyeline. You can also fill in around them with live plants to add color, texture, and shape.
Faux plants are more expensive than real ones, but they don’t require regular watering and sunlight. They can also be used in areas where natural plants don’t look natural. However, real houseplants require weekly watering and maintenance.
Avoiding matchy-matchy decor
You’ve probably heard that you should avoid matchy-matchy decor when staging your house. While it’s true that you’re not a professional stager, you can make your house look more inviting by avoiding the matchy-matchy look. Instead, choose items that compliment each other. These pieces can be grouped together on shelves, tabletops, and fireplace mantels. They can even be displayed on a bedroom dresser.
While staging your home can be tricky, it’s important to remember that the main goal is to make your home look inviting to buyers. Matchy-matchy decor can distract from this purpose and make your home look smaller than it really is. For example, don’t use the same color for the ceilings in two different rooms. Try to choose neutral paint colors and choose neutral furniture arrangements.
Avoiding people and pets
Avoiding people and pets while home staging your home is an essential step in the selling process. Pets leave chew and claw marks throughout the home, so you should make sure to replace them as soon as possible. Keeping pets away from your home will also avoid the risk of attracting buyers with allergies. Keep your pets out of the staging area by removing pet paraphernalia, cleaning up after them, and washing sliding glass doors. Moreover, make sure to vacuum frequently and remove any signs of pet ownership.
Home staging is not difficult to do, but there are several important things to remember. First, you have to make sure that there are no odors in the home. This can be a real turn-off for buyers. Pet odors, smoking smells, and odors from everyday living may make your home smell foul. If possible, you can ask a third party to inspect the home to make sure there are no offensive odors. In addition, you should never leave your pets in the house during the staging process.
Decluttering
Decluttering is one of the most important steps when staging a home for sale. This process goes beyond cleaning out the home and is essential to create the best first impression for buyers. Decluttering the home also creates a feeling of space by making it look bigger than it is. Decluttering also helps maximize the square footage of the home, which is important if you’re trying to sell it.
The first step in staging your home is to remove any personal objects and decorations from the home. Personal items can make a home feel too cluttered, which can be an off-putting factor for buyers. Moreover, outdated furniture can be a turnoff to buyers, so if possible, declutter the home of any outdated pieces.
Another mistake homeowners make when staging their home is using too many small items. Typical examples of this are overstuffed bookshelves, coffee tables, and sofas with tiny pillows and frames. Rather than using these small items to clutter the room, try replacing them with big objects that have a sophisticated look.