Home Staging: Remove the Family Photos?

Should I remove all the family photos? HGTV says yes. Most blog posts say yes. I say...maybe.

Check out my youtube video on this topic for more examples: https://youtu.be/xLOVvnRX0Po

Now I have prepared many houses for sale.  I am tasked with telling the homeowners that they are going to have to remove all the photos of the kids in various stages of braces that are proudly featured on the wall going up the stairway. (Side note – I am almost always going to tell you to remove the art on stairway walls. It’s distracting and makes the stair feel much narrower than it is)

I know what that means to you, the homeowner. I know that it’s the first big step in leaving the home that holds so many memories. I know that it’s a reminder that your kids are growing up and away. I know that it means you are going to have to spackle the holes and paint the whole wall and stairways ain’t easy to paint.

It’s worth it. 

It is a popular pottery barn display trick to group the family photos in beautiful large frames on a display wall something like this:

If you have a professional install your photo display I say leave it.

If you are also showcasing your skills in creative tabletop display that’s wonderful! Save your creative skills for etsy or the local craft fair however. We are selling your home and your fabulous craft work is honestly a distraction. The Buyer will often say: “Oh yes that was the house with the great photo bottle collection....instead of “That was the house with the nice family room.”

On the other hand we don’t want to remove the soul of your home altogether! We want the new family to see what a happy place your home has been. A few family photos of similar size scattered about (just one to three in a room please) is perfect. Let’s go through them together and thoughtfully place them where they will have to most impact. I’ll be right there with you when you take that first step toward moving.