How to Avoid Costly Home Staging Mistakes When Selling Your Home

Successful home staging requires meticulous attention to detail

It also helps to have home staging training!

Home staging is a concept that most people are familiar with, thanks to HGTV. Staging incorporates elements of interior design and decor with principles of marketing. Many people fail to recognize that home staging differs from home decorating in a few important ways.

When decorating a home, the homeowner chooses an aesthetic that appeals to them–and sometimes, only them! Wild patterns, crazy color combinations and an eclectic array of furnishings make some people feel at home. When staging a home for sale, though, the homeowner’s preferences don’t matter–not if they want to sell quickly, and for the amount that they want.

Home staging is a process of evaluating the appearance of a home, and strategically moving or placing furnishings and decor to play up the positives and distract from the negatives. Sometimes, a staging job requires honest discussions about wall color, fixtures, clutter, and furnishings that may distract or repel buyers. After trolling around the pages of realtor.com today, it would appear that some homeowners could benefit from such a discussion with a home stager. Let’s discuss some costly home staging mistakes to avoid!

Note: the photos are all courtesy of realtor.com and are used strictly for educational purposes.

Staging mistake #1: Failing to stage a home

Staging a room not only dresses up a plain or dreary room, it gives a buyer context for the size and use of the room. In the top photo, a chrome shower rod, new shower curtain and curtain hooks, artwork over the toilet, and a basket or plant for the back of the toilet would dress the room. It may even make the 60’s tile appear charming, but not as it is currently.

In the second photo, who can tell how large the room is, or the purpose of the room? A dining table and chairs, or a bed and night stand would give the room context. As it currently stands, I can’t tell how large the room is, or what the room is. Can you easily imagine living there? Me neither.

Staging mistake #2: Only partially staging

By only partially staging, I mean that the room has some furnishings, but it isn’t actually staged to attract buyers. In the first photo, there are furnishings, but the right wall is bare, leaving the room unbalanced. Also, the lovely built-in shelves were left completely empty! That is a missed opportunity to sell a buyer on a custom home feature.

In the second photo, there is a set of burgundy curtains and a lonely halogen lamp. I feel sad just looking at this room. The lone lamp also draws attention to the lack of a ceiling light fixture, which most buyers expect. If a full stage were impossible, removing the curtains and lamp would look better for the listing photo. Replace the lamp for in-person showings if absolutely necessary.

Staging mistake #3: Awkward furniture arrangement

It doesn’t show in the photo, but across from the couch is a console and a wall-mounted TV. There aren’t any other walls for the piano. Sigh. The walkway between the back of the couch and the piano is narrow, and the oversized sectional makes the room feel overly crowded.

In a case like this, I would recommend storing the sectional temporarily, and I would rent two matching couches. Place the couches across from each other, with the back of the far couch facing the back door. The need for seating would be addressed, the piano could stay, and the TV could remain where it is as well.

Staging mistake #4: Too personal!

I had to include this mistake, because I live in the South and Southerners love those large, painted portraits of their kids. In this photo, I cut off the heads of the kids to keep them anonymous. Which is what the homeowner should have done. Someone with malicious intent could easily see family photos or portraits online, or during a showing. Keep your family, as well as your personal information, safer by taking down personal photos, diplomas, awards, and other identifying items.

Staging mistake #5: Wrong style for the target audience

In marketing, identifying the target audience is critical to sales. A thorough real estate agent will guide buyers in identifying the target audience, and a qualified stager will advise making necessary adjustments to snare that audience. In the top photo, the home furnishings seem drab, oversized for the space, out of proportion to the photos on the wall, and outdated. The target audience for the neighborhood is upper-middle class Gen-X and Millennial professionals with kids. This style is unlikely to appeal to that demographic.

In the second photo, we have the same issue. The curtain rod style is no longer current, and the furnishings feel out of sync with what that same target demographic wants.

It is wise to start looking at current home design magazines ahead of listing a home, and hire a professional stager if you feel stuck.

Staging mistake #6: Too much going on visually

The eyes need “white space” when reading, which is why we leave space between paragraphs. In photographs, the eyes need a similar blank space where the eye can rest. In the top photo, anyone would feel overstimulated looking at the book case. Removing at least half of the items would make a huge visual impact!

The second photo isn’t as dramatic. but the decorative clutter on top of the cabinets is distracting. I find it hard to focus on anything else in that photo, because the clutter stands out more than the kitchen itself. I would recommend removing the baskets and fake plants, and placing a large, fresh vase of flowers on the island to bring the focal point downward.

Mistake #7: Failing to leave any emotional connection at all

In a way, this relates to the first mistake of not staging at all, but I will address this as a separate issue. I believe that this house is actually occupied, by the appearance of the other photos. However, the homeowner made a mistake that I see way too many people making: They removed everything from the kitchen counters!

Some people believe that doing so makes the kitchen appear larger. It actually just makes the kitchen feel empty and neglected. Use these rules to guide kitchen counter staging: Leave plenty of empty space. No more than one appliance should be left out. Use a bowl of colorful fruit or vegetables to add color. Consider a vase of fresh flowers. And if there is an island seating area, please buy some inexpensive bar stools and showcase that feature!

Reach out to a professional for insights and advice!

Your home is your most valuable asset, and when you sell, you want the maximum offer possible…and quickly. By failing to stage, or attempting a DIY stage and getting it wrong, you could be losing thousands of dollars…or wasting time as your home sits on the market with no offers. Shameless plug: My home staging consultations are available via online consultation no matter where you are located! Visit my website at gatecitydesign.com for contact information and a current list of prices and services. Reach out to me if I can lend you a hand in getting your property ready for listing! 336.707.7324

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Hillary McAlhany is the owner of Gate City Design. She is a certified professional home stager/redesigner, E-designer & color expert. Although she is based in North Carolina, she offers remote design services outside of the central North Carolina region.