With such a competitive housing market, staging is a crucial step that home sellers cannot afford to skip.

Since there’s so much conflicting information available online, it’s hard to know what items are essential to include on your staging checklist. Keep reading to learn more about the most important aspects of home staging and to safeguard yourself against common mistakes.

Listing a Home Before It’s Ready

Home sellers might not have much control over the location and price of their home, but they do have a lot of power over its condition. Today’s buyers are looking for homes that are clean and have been well cared for. Listing a home before it’s fully ready is a mistake that could result in low prospects and disappointing offers.

Forgoing Professional Photos

Capturing pictures of your beautifully staged home is almost as important as the staging process itself. The listing photos are the first thing a prospective buyer sees when they are browsing for houses. Professionally shot images display the best angles of your home ensuring that it is advertised in the most appealing way possible.

Neglecting Simple Home Improvements

There’s no need to undergo major home renovations as a seller, but you shouldn’t forgo fixing up minor damages. Fixing dents or holes in the wall, replacing scratched paint, and removing broken or outdated fixtures can go a long way. It’s important to show buyers that you’ve put effort into maintaining the space during your time there.

Hiding Things Instead of Removing Them

It’s a common practice to toss clutter into the nearest closet when guests come over, but this strategy is a bad idea when it comes to showing your home to prospective buyers. Rather than hiding personal items, you should completely remove them. Buyers want to be able to envision themselves settling into the space, and that will be impossible to do if every closet and cupboard is stuffed with your personal articles.  

Overdesigning Your Home

Today’s housing market thrives on streamlined, simple, and neutral designs. Unnecessary props and obnoxious color palettes can hinder prospects from being able to fully visualize themselves living in the home. If you want to create a last impression, it’s best to keep things simple.

Neglecting the Smell

Even if your property looks beautiful on the outside, one foul smell can turn people away in an instant. The best way to complement attractive staging is to have a pleasant yet natural smell to your home. Some of the worst offenders that you should be aware of are cigarette smoke, pet smells, and food odors.

Sell Your Home Fast with East West PropertiesHome sellers don’t always have the time or luxury of being able to stage their home. If you need to skip the staging process and sell it quickly, East West Properties is here for you. We buy houses in Kansas City, Missouri, and would love to work with you regardless of price or condition. Contact us to get your fair, all-cash offer today!