14 Staging Mistakes You Don’t Know You Are Making
November 1, 2021 | amandasearlerealtor
Staging a home makes a big difference when showing it to prospective buyers. Many realtors recommend staging because it helps you get the highest possible value for the home. However, there are common mistakes many make without even knowing it. Here are some of the staging mistakes you may be making.
Choosing a Staging Company Based only on Price
Price is important, but the cheapest stager may not be the best. It’s more important to hire a talented, experienced stager than getting one for rock bottom prices.
Selling a Home Empty
It’s one thing to use your own furniture and stage the property yourself, but selling an empty home isn’t a good idea. Vacant properties, on average, take 90% longer to sell, which could have the home sitting for more than six months.
Not Hiring a Professional
Staging is an art and not every realtor has the knowledge to stage a home. They may be able to advise you on a few good tips, but it’s always best to hire a professional stager.
Not Hiring a Professional Photographer
Maybe you think since you hired a stager, taking a few pictures on your smartphone will be just fine. Trying to cut corners with the pictures will make your property look cheaper than it should. Always choose a professional photographer to get the best pictures after the staging has been completed.
Changing the Staging
After the home has been staged, it’s important to leave it alone and keep it in the same condition. Some stagers will make you sign a contract stating you won’t move or relocate items. You should pay attention to this and trust your stager.
Trusting a Simple, Generic Staging List
Many realtors will give you a generic staging list, which is helpful, but it’s not to be fully trusted. You need more than just this generic list. Hiring a professional will give you full and complete staging for your home.
Thinking you Don’t need to Stage your Home
Many home sellers think they don’t need to stage their home to get it sold. Some realtors will even tell you this because they have never had to use a stager over the decades they have sold home. It’s important to understand the way a home is sold has changed and a stager is a necessary part of the process.
Don’t Take Staging Personally
Your stager will set up your home to be sold, not for you to feel comfortable in. You may have to remove family pictures and special items. Don’t take this personally, as your stager just wants to help you get the most out of your home when you sell it.
Avoid Believing Your Home will Sell Itself
Thinking your home is so special that it will sell itself is very dangerous. You want to make sure you trust the advice of your realtor and make sure you get it staged. This will give you the best opportunity to sell your home fast and for top dollar.
Undermining your Stager
Both sellers and realtors may have the desire to undermine the stager. Remember, they are in the business of staging homes. Let the stager do their job with very little input from you or your realtor. They have the experience and the talent, so let them use it.
Waiting Until the Last Minute
When you decide you want to sell your home, the first thing you should do is hire a real estate agent. The second thing you should do is hire a professional stager. Don’t underestimate the amount of time it will take to stage your home and get it ready to show. You may need to clean up clutter, make repairs and do other things before the stager can even get in and take care of staging. However, they book up fast, so make sure you have them ready when your home is ready to be listed.
Censoring your Stager
Sometimes, you don’t want to hear what a stager really has to say. This goes along with not taking it personal. They have a job to do and they need to be able to discuss any topic and address all buyer objections when they stage your home.
Avoid Closet Stuffing
Buyers often open doors to everything. The last thing you need is for a buyer to open a closet door just to find your mess. If you need to store things, rent a storage unit for a few months and keep the closets clean.
Staging without Handling Smells
A professionally staged home needs to not only look good, but also smell good. If you have pets, smoke or have other odors in your home, you may not notice them. Make sure the odors are handled before the stager does their job. This will ensure buyers are not turned off by the scent of your home.
Staging is an art and some professional stagers are great, while others are not so great. Make sure you hire for talent and experience. In addition, avoid making the mistakes above and you will have a better home selling experience.
