It’s not difficult to find the best tips on home staging when you’re selling your home. I keep my Top 10 Ways to Prepare Your Louisville Home For Sale updated each year.
What might be more difficult to find are the “don’ts” of home preparation. What are the things we do not want prospective buyers to see?
Let’s count down the Top 6 things you don’t want visitors to see when they visit your home.
#6 Family Photos and Memorabilia
Just because you love your family, doesn’t mean everyone will.
I think this tip is fairly well-known. If visitors see all the photos of your beautiful children, it’s clear this is someone else’s home. Instead, we want them to envision this house as their potential home.
Plus, some photos can be quite distracting, taking the visitors out of “housing hunting” mode. Remove the memorabilia and present your home as a blank canvas… ready for a new family to make their own.
#5 Valuables
Keep jewelry out in plain view. It might be a temptation too great for kleptomaniacs.
Some visitors might not be the most honest folks. It’s better not to leave anything out to tempt them.
Anything that you consider valuable should be inside a safe, locked in a cabinet, or at least out of plain sight. Just think, if it can be sold quickly at a pawn shop, put it away.
#4 Statement Makers
Not everyone shares the same beliefs. So don’t give a prospective buyer a reason to get mad.
Today, almost nothing is as divisive as politics. But more than that, any item that forces a strong opinion should be hidden from visitors. Here in Kentucky, both UK and UofL fans can see what we mean, right?
#3 Weapons
This gun is probably not loaded but you never know.
Makes sense right? Why leave a gun or knife lying around? The liability alone should scare you to death.
The bottom line is if it can hurt someone, store it away. Wouldn’t want to make the evening news because of housing hunter went squirrel hunting with your loaded weapon.
#2 Anything Risque
What some call art, others call pornography.
You want visitors to be focused on the house: the rooms, the layout, the upgrades… not the nude sculpture in the living room.
After visiting six properties, you certainly don’t want the buyers to remember your home as the one with all naked people on the walls.
#1 Taxidermy
Mounting dead animal heads on your wall is so 2nd Century.
Not everyone is a hunter. But even if they were, it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to display your mounted, stuffed, or otherwise preserved dead animal to potential home buyers.
You’ve just landed the biggest deal killer (pun intended) of the bunch.
Conclusion
Hopefully, these Top 6 Things You Don’t Want Visitors to See on home showings can help if you’re looking to sell my Louisville home quickly. If you need any other advice, always happy to help.
