It can be challenging to stage your home for an open house or for your real estate agent to show it to interested home buyers. You want to go for the right balance of homey and perfectly clean, and it's always best to err on the side of cleanliness. Talk to your real estate agent for advice on staging the home to best suit local home buyers. Also, make sure you never make these unfortunately common mistakes that home sellers make when staging their home for sale.

Stop! Don't Ignore Major Problems with Your Home

When you are staging your home for perspective buyers, it's a good idea to accentuate the finest features of your home. This is a common real estate practice. There's nothing deceptive about that, as it is simply what anyone does when selling something of value. However, some home sellers opt to completely ignore major problems with their home an even try to cover them up with careful staging. That is not okay ethically, and it may even be illegal, depending on the situation and what is being covered up. It's essential to either fix the problems or acknowledge them if they may have an impact on the safety and health of others.

Stop! Don't Completely Take Away the Life from Your Living Space

Although it is a good idea to remove religious artifacts and political posters from your living space, you do not want to completely remove all signs of life from it. You may keep things in your house to show that it is, in fact, a home. The family photos may go, but leaving artwork on the walls is a good idea. You want to leave things of beauty in your home to encourage prospective home buyers to imagine themselves in the home.

Stop! Don't Toss Clutter in Drawers and Closets

Although it may sound intrusive, some home buyers open kitchen drawers and bedroom closets when they are perusing a home. Some simply want to see what the closet space and drawers look like. However, if you have clutter in these areas, it can turn off some buyers and make them feel like the house would not be well-maintained.

Finally, keep in mind that any of the above mistakes could sabotage the success of your home staging efforts. It's important to stage your home with great care and keep in mind the things that you would want to see if you were the home buyer. Present your home in a way that makes it easier for prospective home buyers to imagine themselves at home in the house.