Home staging is the process of preparing a home for sale to maximize its current market value. This can include large projects such as painting, landscaping, and even small renovations of areas like bathrooms or bedrooms.
However, most sellers can find maximum value with more minimal input. By simply having a professional stager bring in or adjust your home with staging furniture & decor, they will be able to enhance the great features already there, diminish those we want to distract from, and offer a universally appealing look that any buyer could see themselves in – leading your house to book more showings and sell faster than an unstaged house.
Staging a home can make a significant difference in how quickly it sells and how much it sells for. Here are five common staging mistakes people make when staging a home and how to avoid them:
Mistake #1: Over-personalizing the space
Not creating a neutral space that appeals to a broad range of potential buyers is one of the biggest mistakes people make.
Buyers want to be able to imagine themselves living in the space. It can be difficult if the home is filled with personal items like family photos, unique artwork, or collectibles. It’s important to create a neutral canvas that allows buyers to visualize their own belongings in the space.
Check out this IG Reel from @zillowgonewild to see why over-personalizing the space can make potential buyers skeptical about picturing themselves in your home.
Mistake #2: Not Fully Furnishing a Room
Another mistake people make is only putting one piece of furniture in a room to give a sense of scale and calling it “staging”.
It may seem like a good idea to keep a room minimalistic, but having just one piece of furniture can actually make the room feel empty and uninviting. When a buyer walks into a room with a single chair or a lone sofa, it’s difficult for them to envision how the space could be used. They may also struggle to get a sense of the room’s size and potential.
A complete room helps create a sense of balance and harmony throughout the home, making it more appealing to buyers.
Mistake #3: Not Decluttering the Space
On the flip side of needing a room to be fully furnished, you don’t want it to be cluttered as clutter can make a home feel small and cramped- not ideal when trying to sell a home.
When staging a home, it’s important to declutter and remove any unnecessary items from the space. Over-decorating with too many accessories and decorative items can make the home feel overwhelming, which can be distracting for buyers. It’s best to keep the décor minimal and focus on showcasing the home’s best features.
Mistake #4: Using furniture that doesn’t fit the space
When staging a home, it’s important to use furniture that fits the space and highlights the room’s best features. Oversized furniture can make a room feel small and cramped, while too small furniture can make a room feel empty and uninviting. When choosing furniture, it’s important to consider the size of the room, the layout, and the overall style of the home.
Mistake #5: Not Matching the Style of the Furniture to the Style of the Home
Another common mistake people make is including items that do not enhance or fit with the style of your home. It’s critical that buyers see themselves at home in your space. Having items that feel disjointed can easily turn them off.
This is especially true in a city like Houston where you see a wide range of house styles offered. It’s common to find a street block with everything from a traditional Craftsman style house to an ultra-modern Contemporary house.
Your staging décor can look mismatched due to personal taste or a stager’s inventory that doesn’t align with your home’s style. If you love your stager, but not their inventory, encourage them to work with a local furniture rental company or another stager that offers rentals.
Boutique furniture rental companies typically are a great choice for where to rent staging furniture. They are built to stock a wide variety of products that fit a wide range of styles. They also might custom order for you if you have a large or long term need (such as a model home).
Another perk of using a furniture rental company for your staging is that they allow you to live on their furniture if your home is still occupied. Many stagers who rent out products still insist that it can only be used in vacant homes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, staging a home helps sell it faster and for more money – when done correctly! According to the National Association of Realtors, 83% of buyer agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home. Additionally, 44% of buyer agents said staging a home can increase the value of the home by up to 10%.
However, it’s important to avoid these common staging mistakes to ensure your home sells quickly, too!
Need a resource for staging rentals or a home staging service to help stage your home for you? Check out Hoffer Furniture Rentals for a wide variety of furniture & decor items to rent, and HF Staging for very affordable, fast, quality home staging services throughout the Greater Houston Area.
