When it comes to home staging, there are a lot of things you can do right, and that’s precisely what we’ve written about in most of our blog posts. However, there are also a whole lot of things you can do wrong, and it’s important to know about them. If you’re committing these common mistakes, you could very well be taking one step forward but two steps back.
It’s also important to know that realtors aren’t all perfect, and some of them may be making these mistakes. A realtor worth their salt will know about common mistakes, so make sure you too know the facts! If you want your Redmond home to sell as quickly as possible at the best price, knowing these home staging pitfalls is essential.
NOT TAKING “BEFORE” PICTURES
There are two types of “before” pictures that you should always take — the home as it looked in its normal state before it was staged, and the home as it looks when it’s completely empty. People love a good glow up, and sometimes showing good before/after pictures can be a great way to show off the home’s true potential.
It’s possible you might not decide to use the before photos. If your home looked really bad before it was staged, it might present an unflattering view of the interior. However, in most cases, being able to see the visible improvement is a good selling point. It’s better to have the pictures and not use them than to not have them at all.
NOT BEING NEUTRAL
When we say “neutral,” we mean that your home’s appearance should be fairly safe, without specific decorations and touches that make it feel more personal. If you’re a movie fanatic, for example, you may have full-size movie posters adorning your wall. That’s super cool! However, it’s less than ideal for a home staging job, where you’re aiming to appeal to as many people as possible.
It’s a good idea to remove most decorations and items that lean directly into specific hobbies and interests. It can skew people’s perceptions of what they’re looking at. By presenting a “neutral” room with safe colors and good-looking furniture, it gives people a relatively blank slate, helping them to imagine all the possibilities of how they could decorate it.
NEGLECTING THE YARD
It’s so much work prepping the interior of your house that it can be easy to neglect the exterior. It’s not a good sign if your realtor pays no heed to the outdoor presence of your home, because it’s the first thing that most people see. Even if your interior is one of the most beautiful living spaces known to man, a lot of people won’t even go through the doors if the yard looks gross.
Remember that your audience is made up of people who have vested interest in living in your home. They will inherit both the good and the bad, and if they think the yard looks ugly, or they anticipate that it will require loads of upkeep and work, it could turn them off. So be sure to present a beautiful, well-kept yard when you’re staging!
FORGETTING THAT LESS IS MORE
“Less is more” is a great expression that applies to a great many things, and home staging is one of them. Yes, it is possible to overdesign your home when you’re staging. If you want it to look contemporary and modern, you shouldn’t buy modern-looking decorations and place them every three feet throughout your home. Pillows are nice, but don’t put them all over the place. Want to improve the scent? Don’t overdo it with air fresheners.
“Overstaging” generally happens when people listen to common home staging tips and tricks, both from their realtor and from online blogs. Yes, there are countless pearls of wisdom out there, but it doesn’t mean you should follow all of them, all of the time, in all of your rooms. A sense of restraint is important, and that’s why it’s hugely beneficial to call home staging experts, such as our team at IntExt Staging.
EXCESSIVE RENOVATING
There’s definitely a delicate balance that needs to be achieved when you’re renovating your home. On one hand, good renovations can significantly improve your home’s value, and pay for themselves multiple times over. On the other, it’s easy to get carried away, and when you do, you’ll definitely reach a point of diminishing returns where the cost to value ratio is no longer favorable.
Don’t let yourself get swept up in renovations. At IntExt Staging, we can help you determine which little changes in your home can bring out maximum value.
NOT CALLING STAGING EXPERTS
Some homeowners stage their home all by themselves, while others depend on their realtor. In both cases, it’s easy to succumb to common mistakes. At IntExt Staging, home staging is literally our entire focus, so you can bet we know all of the best practices. Not only that, we go out of our way to make sure that we’re up to date with current trends to ensure that every single one of our Washington state clients is getting the best treatment.
You’d be surprised at how affordable home staging can be. Our services have added incredible value to many Bellevue and Redmond homes in the past. Don’t take our word for it — see what our clients have said about our services!
You deserve the best value possible for your home. We want to help you attain that. Want to get started with our quality home staging services? All you have to do is contact us today.
