Home staging can turn a white elephant house into an attractive property, but you need to recognize a few key concepts. A major mistake many home sellers make is forgetting that staging is not the same as interior decorating. When preparing to sell, you think of potential buyers, not your own individual tastes.

The challenge can be especially great when it comes to putting art on the walls. Choosing the art that you love to live with will be very different from choosing the art to sell a house.

Many home sellers simply leave their own artwork on the walls. If you’ve been living with the house for a while, you could be making a big mistake. Art that works for you personally probably won’t help sell the house.

Inappropriate or offensive: An actor who walked into a house and was faced with a gigantic painting of the seller’s naked boy, in ALL his glory. That’s a bit extreme, but prospective buyers can be sensitive.

Individualistic: religious icons, Asian art, or a collection of African masks … Buyers have strong feelings either way. You may be lucky and find a buyer who loves your collection. But shoppers often have trouble erasing these images from their subconscious minds.

Bland and Ho Hum – Beige on beige? Art that could be seen in a local motel? Even a new frame can make an image stand out a bit.

Walking a fine line in art can be tricky. I spend a lot of time with my clients going over these topics. They are often amazed at the huge difference the artwork makes.