Stop staging homes for photos. Start staging them for buyers.

Professional photography has become an essential part of selling a home. Agents invest in lighting, furniture placement and carefully selected angles to make listings stand out online. But there is a problem with focusing too much on how a property looks through a camera. A home can look beautiful in photographs and still disappoint buyers the moment they walk through the door. The purpose of staging should not simply be to produce attractive listing photos. It should be to help buyers understand the space, recognize its potential and imagine living there. A beautiful photo doesn’t always mean a functional home A large sectional sofa might look impressive in a listing photograph. But if it makes the living room difficult to walk through, buyers are going to notice. The same goes for oversized dining tables, crowded bedrooms, and decorative furniture that serves no practical purpose. These choices can create attractive images while making the actual rooms feel smaller and less comfortable. Buyers aren’t simply evaluating furniture or decorations. They’re thinking about where their own belongings will go, whether their family will have enough space, and how the house will function on...