Blog
Staging Mistakes That Can Turn Off Potential Buyers
October 24, 2014
There are many who underestimate just how important it is to properly stage a home. It can make a huge difference between a buyer envisioning themselves in the home and putting in an offer, and the buyer walking away. Unless your home is in absolute pristine and perfect condition, you're going to have to take at least a few days to do proper staging. While you're at it, consider asking your Realtor for their own personal tips and tricks. Before you put your home on the market, here's several staging mistakes that can turn off potential buyers.
Not removing the clutter
There's no excuse for a buyer to walk into your home and see clutter everywhere. If you don't have time to do everything at once, you can do one room per day. Another option is to walk through your home two or three times per day with a box, put random pieces of clutter in it, and either throw it out, donate it, put it in storage, or sell it. Also, make Quick read more or view full article sure you don't leave moving boxes around your home. Consider renting a storage unit for items you know you want to keep.
Not removing personalized items
A buyer wants to be able to walk into the house and picture themselves in it, and it's going to be hard for them to do that if they see your personalized items staring back at them. For example, remove all of your family photographs, take out mementos, and dispose of magazines you have yet to read.
Not neutralizing the home
Dark red walls in the living room and pink tile in the bathroom might be your preferred style, but it's not for everyone. The best thing you can do when staging your home is to completely neutralize it. Paint the walls taupe and, if possible, put in neutral-colored carpeting or hardwood flooring. It creates the perfect blank canvas for a buyer to envision what they can do with the house should they decide to make it theirs.
Not sprucing up the front
The front of the home is the first thing potential buyers see when they arrive or drive past, which means the more inviting it looks and the more you amp up the curb appeal, the higher the chances are you'll get interest. Trim the hedges, cut the grass, paint the front door, paint shutters around the windows, fix loose gutters, sweep away any debris like leaves, and shovel any snow.
Not taking care of repairs
Buyers are going to use any improvements that have to be made to the home as a way to negotiate on the price, and in some cases, the discount they would get would be more than what you would pay to make the repairs in the first place. Major repairs, such as fixing the roof, should always be done first if you can afford it and have the time to get it done. However, some minor repairs you can make, especially if you can't afford the expensive ones, include changing the carpeting, painting the porch, removing and replacing tile grout, and replacing any cracked bathroom or kitchen tiles. Not only could the changes help you get more money, but it will make your home look even more attractive to buyers.
Staging is one of the most important aspects of the home buying process, so it's essential to do everything you can to make your home look its best. Read Less
Not removing the clutter
There's no excuse for a buyer to walk into your home and see clutter everywhere. If you don't have time to do everything at once, you can do one room per day. Another option is to walk through your home two or three times per day with a box, put random pieces of clutter in it, and either throw it out, donate it, put it in storage, or sell it. Also, make Quick read more or view full article sure you don't leave moving boxes around your home. Consider renting a storage unit for items you know you want to keep.
Not removing personalized items
A buyer wants to be able to walk into the house and picture themselves in it, and it's going to be hard for them to do that if they see your personalized items staring back at them. For example, remove all of your family photographs, take out mementos, and dispose of magazines you have yet to read.
Not neutralizing the home
Dark red walls in the living room and pink tile in the bathroom might be your preferred style, but it's not for everyone. The best thing you can do when staging your home is to completely neutralize it. Paint the walls taupe and, if possible, put in neutral-colored carpeting or hardwood flooring. It creates the perfect blank canvas for a buyer to envision what they can do with the house should they decide to make it theirs.
Not sprucing up the front
The front of the home is the first thing potential buyers see when they arrive or drive past, which means the more inviting it looks and the more you amp up the curb appeal, the higher the chances are you'll get interest. Trim the hedges, cut the grass, paint the front door, paint shutters around the windows, fix loose gutters, sweep away any debris like leaves, and shovel any snow.
Not taking care of repairs
Buyers are going to use any improvements that have to be made to the home as a way to negotiate on the price, and in some cases, the discount they would get would be more than what you would pay to make the repairs in the first place. Major repairs, such as fixing the roof, should always be done first if you can afford it and have the time to get it done. However, some minor repairs you can make, especially if you can't afford the expensive ones, include changing the carpeting, painting the porch, removing and replacing tile grout, and replacing any cracked bathroom or kitchen tiles. Not only could the changes help you get more money, but it will make your home look even more attractive to buyers.
Staging is one of the most important aspects of the home buying process, so it's essential to do everything you can to make your home look its best. Read Less
