Home staging is quickly becoming a necessity and an integral part of selling real estate. Gone are the days when staging was simply an option; in today’s tough real estate market proper staging is the only way to set your house apart from the competitors down the street or in the same neighbourhood. Overall, staging follows some simple and proven techniques to maximize the appeal of your home to the greatest number of buyers. However, despite the theoretical simplicity of the staging concept, there are quite a few common mistakes that undermine the success of staging and a potentially successful sale of your home.

Here are top 20 common mistakes that sellers make when preparing their house for sale. You should keep these in mind if you’re thinking of or getting ready to sell your house:

1. Don’t neglect the clutter. What might seem like clean and organized to you, might not translate the same to others. Make sure to tour the house top to bottom by enlisting a friend or the help of a professional stager that will give you an honest opinion about what needs to go and what can stay.
2. Don’t do any major renovations.This is not the time to splurge on expensive renovations and replacing all appliances. Smart investment dollars can go a long way in creating the desired, updated look. Sometimes simple things like adding an attractive backsplash in the kitchen, replacing the faucets, light fixtures, hardware and door handles, and painting the walls a warm but neutral colour can go a long way. To finish of the look, it is important to bring in attractive accessories that will compliment the rest of the space and add warmth.
3. Don’t block light & views. Natural light is extremely important and blocking it off with heavy curtains or bulky pieces of furniture is false economy. Especially if you’ve got attractive views, instead of hiding them – make them the focal point, and see the positive result it has on the buyers.
   
4. Don’t paint with dark, intense and custom colours. Now is not the time to bring in your personal taste to the table. Choose a nice, neutral and warm colour, such as any of the following families: beige tones, grey tones, or light blue or pale greens. You’ll be surprised at the transformative effect a few coats of fresh paint will have on your space!
5. Don’t take it personally. When you make the decision to sell your house, you have to realize that now is the time to emotionally detach from your home and think of it as a product. The same way that products in a store are marketed, your house will have to be treated with the same marketing strategies in order to secure a successful sale. It can be a very emotional and difficult time letting go of your beloved home, but you have got to keep the bigger picture in mind, and think that you will create more amazing memories in your new house.
6. Don’t stay at the house during showings. It can be quite awkward and uncomfortable for buyers to have you around, as they will not feel comfortable to voice their honest opinion in your presence. Make sure to leave the house for all the showings and trust that the realtor will do a proper job at showing your house.
7. Don’t leave your pets around during showings. This goes along the same lines of not taking it personally. It is important to keep in mind that not everyone loves animals, and some people might either be allergic or afraid of them and therefore, some will even refuse to walk into the house, knowing there is a certain creature in there. So take them away on a mini adventure during showings, and make sure that all the pet odors have been eliminated as well.
8. Don’t think the house will sell itself. Real Estate is like a game in any market, and especially in today’s market conditions, you have got to implement some preparation strategies if you want to sell quick and for maximum profit. So de-clutter, de-personalize, clean, make all the small repairs, paint if you have to and overall create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Make sure to take some attractive photos for online listings, as that is the first step most buyers take when starting their search. Read this post and learn How To Take Magazine-Style Photos for Online Listings.
9. Don’t over-stage and over-accessorize. It is easy to get carried away when decorating, but the thing to remember is that there is a huge difference between decorating and staging to sell. A few, well thought out accessories in key places is all you need. No need to fill the tub with bubbling water and sprinkle bath salts in order to create a spa feeling. Instead, a few candles, fresh towels and minimal bath accessories will do the trick!
10. Don’t buy all new furniture. If you current furniture pieces are not working because they’re outdated and unattractive, there is other ways of going about it. You can always ask to borrow friends’ or relatives’ furniture for the time being, or rent furniture items while you’re selling. The problem sometimes can also be that there is just too much of big and bulky pieces, and a simple rearranging of key pieces and removing the rest will make all the difference.
11. Don’t add personality. Now is not the time to bring in your unique style into the home. Staging is all about de-personalizing the space, and creating more of a luxury hotel or a Model Home look that will appeal to most everyone.
    
    
12. Don’t neglect the outside spaces. With outdoor entertaining becoming more and more popular with each year, the importance of these areas should not be overlooked when selling the property. A neatly groomed front yard and a cozy and comfortable backyard can turn some lookers into buyers instantly. So mow the lawn, plant some blooming flowers, add some outdoor furniture and you’ve created an outdoor oasis that buyers will instantly imagine themselves enjoying for years to come.
13. Don’t neglect the refrigerator and the pantry. Go through your entire fridge and pantry and get rid of any old and expired items. Thoroughly clean the entire fridge and pantry from the inside out, and then neatly organize only fresh produce and food items back in. Make sure that there aren’t any odors when you open the fridge. A good tip to remember is to leave an opened box of baking soda in the fridge. Baking soda absorbs odors and prevents them from interacting with each other.
14. Don’t neglect the closets and the storage spaces. According to a recent study, 86% of buyers said storage was one of the most important items on their wish list. When you move, you are going to have to pack anyways, so why not get started a bit earlier and do something that will benefit the sale of your home at the same time? Purge through all the clothes and linen closest and other storage spaces, get rid of anything that hasn’t been used or worn in over a year or two, pack away seasonal items and only keep the essentials. It will make the closets and storage spaces appear a lot more spacious if they are not crammed with clothes and other things. Attract more potential buyers with an organized home by installing closet design organization systems in lieu of cabinets
    
    
15. Don’t neglect the laundry room/area. Often the laundry room or area becomes a catch – all place for all the odds and ends that you couldn’t figure out where else to store. It is time to address this issue and de-clutter. Make sure that the only things that are left are laundry related and are neatly organized.
16. Don’t neglect the garage. People are looking to buy space, so having your garage piled with boxes and other items will make it look smaller. Store all things off premises if possible. If you can’t find a friend or a relative to ask to help out, there are other storage solutions that are affordable these days. The investment will pay off in the long run.
17. Don’t neglect the basement. Most of the time the basement is a place for all things unfit elsewhere. Excess furniture, clothes, books etc. Pack whatever you’ll be taking with your to your new home away in boxes and arrange the rest in attractive seating or lounging areas. Poorly maintained basements can leave a bad overall impression on an entire house.
18. Don’t keep your photos and knick-knacks out. Buyers are there to potentially find their dream home, and it would be impossible to try and imagine their own lives, when they’re surrounded by constant reminders that this is someone else’s house. So eliminate anything that will cause buyers to be reminded that it’s not theirs, since you want them to feel at home and envision their own family enjoying the space.
19. Don’t list your house if you’re not ready. It is truly false economy to rush and list your house if the house is not ready for showings. Instead invest the time and money to prepare your house to be viewed and judged from all angles, and then watch it be snatched up in the first few showings, because people will fall in love with it, when they see how well maintained the house is.
    
    
20. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. It can be an overwhelming and daunting task to know exactly what to do and how. A professional stager will provide you with the knowledge and expertise to transform your home into a Show Home, which will be invaluable to the success of your home’s sale. Depending on the scope of the project the investment in staging can cost you anywhere from $300 to $5000 dollars, and it will certainly be recuperated after your house sells. And remember one last thing, your first price reduction will probably be more than the investment in preparing your house to show at its best! 

Photo Source: http://www.frontdoor.com, http://www.arnewde.com, http://denverpost.com, http://www.womansday.com, http://i.ehow.com, http://www.garage-it.net

Below is a list of top 10 fixes that you MUST do, if you want to secure a fast and profitable sale:

1. De-clutter – I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to minimize clutter in your home before the Open House. Even if your house is beautiful, buyers will NOT be able to see past the clutter and will most definitely remember the clutter instead of the beautiful fireplace or the large windows. My advice is to pack all of it away, since you will have to pack before the move anyways, think of it as killing two birds with one stone – Your house will look its best, and you will be ready for the move in no time!
2. De-personalize – When it comes to selling your home, personal items like photos, religious artifacts or collectibles are also considered clutter. Basically, clutter is anything and everything that will sway the attention of buyers from the house to your personal style and life. You want the buyers to imagine their own lives in this house, and being surrounded by your personal items will only remind them they’re visiting yours and will have a hard time disconnecting from that. 
3. Clean, clean and clean again! – Now that all the clutter is sorted out and packed away, you are ready to give your house a thorough cleaning. Think of it as if your most nosy guest is about to come for a visit, and will be checking all the corners, drawers, mirrors, walls and floors for anything to nit pick at. That is how you have to think of the buyers, because there is nothing worse than coming to an open house and seeing dust or dirt anywhere. Your house has to look like a model home, in order to appeal to the greater number of buyers. If the prospect of cleaning is too daunting or you have no time, it is for sure a smart investment to bring in a cleaning crew. It will pay off – trust me!
4. More cleaning – Apart from cleaning the inside of the house, it is very important to either do it yourself or invest in having all the windows cleaned properly. There is nothing worse than looking through dirty and streaky windows; it just leaves an overall bad impression of a poorly maintained house. Where as, clean and streak free windows will let the sunshine in and will improve the general look and feel of your house.
5. Complete all the small repairs – Small repairs can add up to huge, daunting tasks in buyer’s eyes. Nobody wants to pay top dollar and then have to move in and start fixing things. It is advisable to address everything, from leaky faucets, holes in the walls or floors, to replacing burnt out light bulbs and whatever else needs attention. Of course, if the budget permits, replacing the old carpet with the new one, new hardware on kitchen cabinets, new lighting fixtures and freshly painted walls will certainly pay off at the end, as they instantly add value to your house.
6. Organize all the closest and drawers – Storage is a one of the huge, deciding factors when buying a home. Most people have too much ‘stuff’ that they never use and that just sits and collects dust. Well, when getting ready to sell your house, it is a perfect opportunity to purge all that you do not need, pack and store the rest away in off-storage for your move, and only keep the most essential items like seasonal clothes, every day dishes and other every day items. Essentially, buyers are purchasing space, and storage is a big part of it, so having neatly organized, and minimally staged drawers, cabinets and closest, will further the illusion of extra storage space.
7. Curb appeal – Yes, it is a cliché, but a true one at that; You only get ONE chance to make a first impression. And when it comes to selling real estate, it better be a positive one, or you run the risk of potential buyers driving up to your property, and if the outside doesn’t look appealing, some will drive right off, because it makes them think: “Well if the outside is so poorly maintained, what can be expected from the inside?” It is a shame really, because maybe you’ve invested a lot of your time, money and effort in creating beautiful interiors and it will all go to waste, if the potential buyers will not even want to walk past the front door. Little things like painting the front door and trim, replacing the house numbers and the mailbox will have a great impact on the overall look of your home from the outside. If you’re selling in spring, summer or fall, make sure the lawn in freshly cut. Blooming flowers are a great way to add colour and liven up the outside of your home. Plant some fresh flowers in varying heights for interest around the entrance, and place two large urns with more flowers at the porch or front door, which will add definition and symmetry to the entrance. If you have to sell in the winter months, make sure the driveway and walkway to the house are always shoveled clean, and sprinkle some salt to make sure it is not slippery.
8. Get rid off the smells – Odors are one of the most important things to consider when selling your house. People can be quite sensitive when it comes to smells, especially when they’re walking into the house and trying to envision themselves living there. Odors such as smoke, pet smells, spices and cooking smells or any other strong smells will turn off the buyer right when they first walk into your house. Best way to eliminate house smells, is to paint the walls, replace the old carpet, wash and dry clean all the soft surfaces, such as couches, pillows and drapes. If there are pets in the house, before the Open House, hide away any sign of them, and if possible make sure to have the house free of any pets, as some people could be allergic or afraid of certain animals, and you really don’t want to take that chance and ruin a potential sale of your house. Great way to add a nice, homey scent to your house is to bake cookies or boil a combination of orange peels, cloves and cinnamon in lots of water.
9. Turn on the music – appropriate music can really set the right mood in the house. You always want to consider your target market, who you think might be the potential buyer, and choose the music that will suit their style. Styles such as jazz, blues or instrumental tunes appeal to most people, and therefore are a safe choice in most cases. Just make sure the volume isn’t too loud.
10. Bring in the fresh flowers – You really can’t go wrong with adding beautiful fresh flowers to every room. Flowers add colour and wonderful scent to any space and create a luxurious look without breaking the bank.

I hope you found these tips helpful and they will give you some starting off ideas to what you need to do to prepare your house for sale. If you would like some specific advice, feel free to contact me personally with your questions for more helpful ideas and tips.