Top 5 Home Staging Mistakes

When you're selling your home, you'll want to make the best possible impression on everyone who sees it. Staging can help your home sell faster and for more money than it would otherwise. It lends a very human touch to an empty house that many buyers connect with. It also helps buyers see how living in that home could be for them. Staging doesn't always come naturally, so beware of these five common home staging mistakes.

1. Keeping the decor too personalized. 
   Everyone loves being able to add their personal touches to their home. But once you decide you're selling your home, it's time to go neutral to make it as appealing as possible to as many potential buyers as possible. Remove items like personal collections, most of the family photos, vacation souvenirs, and custom artwork. Paint over bold wall colors with a neutral color.
2. Having nothing exciting or memorable about the rooms. It's true you have to go neutral, but don't overdo it. Having no style, contrast, or visual interest in a room makes it seem cold, sterile, and unmemorable to buyers. You can use texture and finishes, along with an accent color to add visual interest.
3. Use the 60-30-10 rule. This applies to your color choices, so your room looks put together and exciting without going overboard with color. Your main neutral color should be 60% of the visual of the room, your other neutral 30%, and the accent color as 10%.
4. Outdated window treatments. Windows are such a prominent part of a room; if you leave them with outdated window treatments, it will immediately attract the wrong kind of attention. Luckily there are plenty of affordable options out there that will compliment any room.
5. Staging multi-use rooms with more than one use. If you have an extra room that could have a variety of uses, pick one for staging purposes. Nobody will be impressed with a treadmill in the middle of the office, or a reading nook in an exercise room. It helps to know what kinds of buyers you're likely to see in your neighborhood. Growing families might appreciate seeing that room as a child's bedroom. Single buyers in their thirties might like to see an office.

When selling your home, a little staging effort can go a long way with potential buyers. As long as it's done right, staging will help sell your home, and you'll be glad you took the time to do it.

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