It is no secret that a well-staged home shows better and sells faster. Buyers have a hard time seeing beyond the room in front of them so you cannot rely on their creativity and imagination to help them see the best features of your home. When it is done properly, staging can highlight your home’s most desirable features and create an emotional connection with Buyers. Here is a list of 5 home staging mistakes to avoid and some Calgary based resources to help you get your home staged and sold!
1. Using a generic staging checklist
With a quick Google search, you can find a handy generic checklist with ideas for staging your home. This is definitely convenient but it is not a good idea. Every home is different and there is no one size fits all technique for staging your home. If you know that you have a problem area, ask your Realtor for advice or look online for specific solutions to address that particular room or decorating dilemma.
2. Over staging
Do not over stage your home so much that it looks unrealistic. Buyers know that someone actually lives in the home and they want to picture themselves living there, too. Avoid using items like plastic food on the dinner table. Make sure your bedroom is tidy and inviting, but forget about putting rose petals on the bedspread and a champagne bucket on the nightstand. Over staging your home can negatively impact the Buyer’s experience and make it hard for them to see past some of these clichéd techniques.
3. Overlooking nooks and crannies
When you are preparing to sell your home, remember to pay attention to nooks and crannies like your pantry, closets, and other storage spaces. Buyers are definitely going to look in these areas and will want to see that your home has adequate storage. It will not make a good impression if items are toppling off shelves or bursting through the door. It only takes a few minutes and a couple of cute storage containers to organize these spaces.
4. Displaying too many personal items
Sure, your home might be perfect for a young couple just starting out. That does not mean that they want to see pictures or memorabilia from your first days as a new homeowner. Tuck away your wedding portraits, family pictures, and other personal knick-knacks. Replace pictures with some inexpensive artwork or cute, well-done DIY projects.
5. Forgetting about the Buyer’s comfort
Staging is a very sensory experience so do not leave your Buyers in the cold or fumbling through the dark. Ensure that your home is set at a comfortable temperature so Buyers are neither too hot nor too cold. Even on a cloudy day, open all your blinds and curtains to let in as much natural light as possible. It also helps to clean your windows inside and out. In the winter, you can schedule your programmable thermostat to turn on before Buyers arrive and then reset to a lower temperature after they leave.
Many Sellers are concerned about the cost of hiring a home stager. Most home stagers can work with a wide range of budgets and will utilize as many of your existing items as possible. Study after study has shown that professionally staged homes sell more quickly and for more money than homes that are not staged.
If you are not sure where to start, check out a few of these Calgary based home staging companies.