When I go into a home to do a home staging consultation there are many things that I am looking at and addressing. My focus is to see your home as the buyer will see it, understand what they are looking for and help you as a seller get a top dollar offer quickly.
One thing I often see are rooms that are being used differently than what they were originally intended to be. That is totally okay for dwelling, but not for selling.
If you are using the formal dining room as a toy room that is great! If you are using a living room as an office that is also just fine. BUT, when your ‘home’ now becomes a ‘house’ that is going on the market, I will almost always recommend that a room goes back to it’s original purpose and gets staged as such.
Although a buyer may change the way a room is utilized, most of the time they want to see the true intent of the house. They know they can always make a room something different to fit their family’s needs.
Some sellers think it is okay to show alternative uses for a room, or that the buyer will want to see how the space works for them. The buyer really is only interested in seeing how they will live in the space. If you have converted that small third bedroom into a walk in closet, convert it back to a bedroom. That bedroom is much more valuable as a bedroom than a closet. 
In addition, if the listing says it is a three bedroom house…the buyer will be looking for that third bedroom as that is probably what they need. A bedroom is going to look even smaller as a closet. At a minimum, place a bed and a nightstand in the room so they can see how their furniture will fit.
Be in communication with your listing agent and stage all the rooms to match the listing specs. If the listing says there are two dining areas, make sure there are two dining areas for the buyer to see. Confusion for a buyer is not what you need.
To assist you with this and all areas of getting your home in top selling condition, be sure to reach out to a trained and certified Home Staging Professional.
