Preparing to Sell Your Home: What Common Staging Errors Should I Avoid?

When preparing to sell your home, you want to show the house as the buyer wants to see it, not necessarily as you want to show it. Use the checklist below to avoid the most common staging errors:

1. Don't use heavy air fresheners, candles or other fragrances. Potential buyers or their children may have asthma, allergies or other sensitivities and can leave the wrong impression. Use a light fragrance and check to make sure it’s hypo-allergenic.

2. Use chemical cleaners like bleach, disinfectants and deodorizers well in advance before showing the house so they have time to dissipate.

3. Be sure pets, diaper pails, trash bins and other common household hazards are out of the way. Potential buyers will peek into the pantry and the laundry. Make every space look its best.

4. Make sure appliances are clean and easily visible. They are often part of the sale so potential buyers will inspect them carefully.

5. Do not showcase your personal items. Properly staging a home allows buyers to envision their lives in the home. Personal items will detract from the living space and lifestyle of the buyers.

For more information about staging your home for sale, call me at 317.777.1805 or email me at Scott@LacySells.com.