Six costly staging mistakes in preparing your home for a quick sale and high profit.

Written by Anna Topolinsky

De-cluttering and cleaning jobs are high on the list that real estate professionals recommend to home and property sellers.

But did you know that there are costly mistakes that can be made, which might mean that your house does not sell for as much as it can or as fast as it can?

Here are six costly staging mistakes you can make when preparing your home for a quick sale and high profit.

1: Not thinking about curb appeal.

You may think your landscaping is perfect and you probably love it. That love-blindness may make seeing things that are not adding to curb appeal impossible for you. The first unsightly mess is overgrown shrubs and trees. They should be mercilessly trimmed back. It may be hard at first but this is a sure-fire way to actually “spruce” up the landscaping.

The second problem is grass. In a dry hot summer your grass can look brown and unappealing. Worse are bare patches that indicate the property was not cared for.

Deep watering your lawn (once a week for 4 – 5 hours over night) will keep it green and healthy. And add some sod to those bare patches.

Your entrance should be inviting so take a broom to the cobwebs that may be there and while you are at it have a look for nails, hooks and other hardware that at one time were used for seasonal decorating but now just empty and bare.

2: Not passing the smell test.

Don’t under estimate the power of the nose to put buyers off of loving your property as much as you do. Your home or property ought to be free from odors.

If odors are present, don’t try and mask them with perfumes or other heavy scents. You really should get rid of the odours at their source.

Odors from cooking might be eliminated with a fresh coat of paint. If there was heavy smoking in the house, a deeper cleaning will be required.

3: Inconsistent improvements

If it is in the budget, remodeling the bath and kitchen is usually sound staging advice, but how would it look if you did the kitchen and bah in a totally modern look but neglected the 80’s wallpaper in your living room and the 90’s sisal carpet in your den?

Where possible dedicate some time and expense to decorating the whole house. Take up that old carpet; give those walls a fresh coat of paint. A mid-level renovation in the kitchen and bath should leave some budget left for the rest of the house.

4: Ditch the kitsch

One thing to keep in mind is that you want your prospective buyers to be able to imagine themselves living in the home you have for sale. That means that family photos have to go.

Bric-a-brac, gewgaws and knick-knacks all need to be cleared out too. Personal favorite like island art and other souvenirs don’t hold any meaning for your potential buyer and that goes for bold style choices in decorating, too.

A deep oxblood painted feature wall may appeal to you, but it won’t appeal to everyone. Go neutral.

5: Going overboard

Large items like beds and sofas and dining sets should not be removed. The scale of a room and what can actually fit in it is better shown when there are pieces to help with the perspective. Having a larger bed in a room easily show what works in the space. An empty room is harder to gauge.

6: Cut the Clutter

Golf clubs in a closet and toddlers toys are obvious types of clutter that need to go. You home will photograph better when all the corners of the rooms can be seen.

There is other clutter that you might overlook and that includes collections that clutter. Do you like porcelain elephants? If you have been collecting for years they probably take up a lot of space.

When photographed, collections tend to confuse the eye and are not helpful in getting the buyer to see potential in the room.

Less obvious yet might be paintings and posters that are clustered together. They may be artfully displayed but in a photograph they look like clutter.

A small self-storage unit will serve you well as a lace to keep your treasures until you can display them once again.

Staging a home is not a new practice. We all know that you will get a higher price which usually will result in a quick sale when you stage your home. A professional stager can help you avoid these and other costly mistakes. Why not call Images Staged With Flair now to discuss your staging project?

Stage Your Home! Sell Your Home!