What not to do when you are staging your home

Home staging is the process of preparing your home to be viewed by a potential buyer. The idea is that you are setting the stage so that people coming to view your home see it in its best light. It is not meant to be used to hide problems with your home, but rather to highlight the strengths of it.

There are a few big mistakes that people make when staging their homes. We have rounded up our top three staging don’t dos.

Worn out or outdated kitchens and bathrooms

Kitchens and bathrooms can quite literally make or break a sale. You may be trying to avoid renovating these rooms before you move because of the cost but potential buyers will also be wary of the cost of having to do up these rooms. Broken cabinets, tired paint and outdated appliances or bathroom suites can all ring alarm bells for potential buyers. They may even make them worry about what else in the property has been left uncared for. No amount of carefully placed plants or stylishly arranged pans can hide these faults so it is a good idea to tend to these before putting your property on the market.

Damaged Flooring

Rugs are great for pulling together the decor in a room or designating areas in a multifunctional room. They are, however, no good for hiding problems with the flooring. Most flooring issues can be felt underfoot when walked over and using a rug to hide them can appear deceitful which will not impress a potential buyer.

Replacing your carpets may be an expense that you do not want to consider when placing your property on the market and rugs can, to an extent, help to make an ageing carpet look better but realistically they will not be able to completely cover up a tired or dirty carpet. If you really can’t afford to replace your carpets, having them steam cleaned can make a real difference.

Unwanted odours

No matter how immaculate or how well staged your home is, if it smells bad then that will be enough to put most people off. Lingering smells such as pet odour cigarette smoke or any other unpleasant odours are best dealt with before you start having viewings. Believe me no amount of plug-ins or scented candles can truly cover up lurking smells and in fact can lead to a concoction of scents that is truly offensive to the senses. Choosing to have furniture, carpets and rugs professionally cleaned can be a very worthwhile investment if you are looking to achieve the best price possible.

When preparing to put your property on the market it is important that you look at it with critical eyes so as to identify any areas that need a bit of sprucing up or that could be enhanced with a little bit of staging. We know how hard it is to view your own home through impartial eyes so we are always happy to come out and give you our professional and tactful opinion.

If you are thinking of putting your home in the Larbert, Bonnybridge & Dennyon area the market please do give us a call on 01324 811233 and we will be delighted to assist you.