Home Staging Rules You Don't Want to Break

When Today Show Real Estate Expert, Barbara Corcoran profiled her latest list of five fabulous homes you can get for $350.00, one of the listings was more of a diamond in the rough. The house was actually meticulously clean and the exterior was exquisite. Who could pass a classical red brick house in the middle of a new york neighborhood that had an Annual Quaker Arts Festival? However, in describing the value of the house, Ms. Corcoran couldn't help to point out things the buyer needed to ignore. This is easier said than done.

This house is definitely a boon to any prospective buyer. The problem is they may not be able to see it. You see, the home, while, neat, clean, and tasteful, breaks many home-staging rules. This can put off any prospective buyer. It really a shame when fixing the issues are easy and relatively inexpensive as opposed to have the house remain on the market for months on end.

The biggest broken staging rule in this house is paint choices. The paint, is bright, bold, and it is what I like to call a feature wall nightmare. Most rooms in the house have a wall that is painted a bolder color than the other walls in the home. Even rooms that flow into each other have a series of colors in the area, that segments up the home and breaks up the visual space in the home.

Some of the decorating is also a bit dated. In the 1990's stenciling was huge, and the pretty stencil painted around the big arched picture window is quaint, but it needs to go. Quaint is out. Clean and classic is in.

The kitchen is also a problem in that is is only partially made over. The Kitchen has brand new hardwood floors, but the counter tops are laminate. While they are neat and clean, granite, siltstone, or another hard rock surface would be best in this kitchen. This will make it look brand new and completely made over.

Finally, the home owner still has photos on the mantle and trinkets spread around. It may seem crazy, but it is best to pick up all personal items and leave only a few neutral decorations up when trying to put the best foot forward for your home.

While the home owner will probably feel out of sorts in this house, if they want to sell it, they will be best off painting the entire house Antique white with bright white trim. That will make it a blank slate that anyone can see themselves adding their own flair to. They also need to pack up all of their trinkets that are distracting and eat up space in the home.