If you are busy preparing your house to show off to potential buyers, you may wonder about the ideal approach to making your home presentable enough to make someone want to buy it. However, while staging your home, avoid the following mistakes that could have the opposite effect.
Leave Your Personal Photos Hanging
For you, nothing gives off a warm, comfortable glow to your living spaces as your family pictures hanging on the wall. However, since these are personal items, they could turn off someone who is interested in buying your house.
While you may adore your children's baby pictures or those photos from your last family reunion, these pictures will mean nothing to a potential buyer. When they walk into your living room and see a wall covered with your photographs, they may have trouble imagining your house as their home.
Before you show your house, take down all of your personal pictures, and replace them with a few nonpersonal ones. Not only does this help create a neutral atmosphere for the potential buyer, but it also helps you begin the process of detaching yourself from the house.
Over-stage Your Dining Area
Another mistake you want to avoid making is to stage your home's dining area too much. If you spend a lot of time setting up perfect dining table place settings but never actually eat that way, it will look as though you set it up.
Unless a buyer is used to formal dinners every night, they will not see this as a welcoming sight. It may create a stuffy atmosphere they are not used to seeing, and it may put them off from buying your house, especially if this does not give them the impression of being home.
Instead of creating an elaborate place setting on your dining table, simply put a seasonal centerpiece in the middle of the table. Then, if you wish, place some pretty placemats at each chair without the silverware and napkins. This gives the area a used look without trying to give off an impression that is too formal.
Avoiding the above mistakes while staging your home for sale can help give potential buyers a welcoming and realistic view of your house. For more tips on properly preparing your house before showing it off, discuss your home's unique features with your real estate agent, who can guide you on ways to enhance your house and make it appealing to the right buyer.
