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Home staging is something every homeowner thinks they can do on their own. The reality, of course, is that home staging can be difficult and expensive—something most homeowners don’t realize until they actually try to stage their own.

Imagine walking into a big box store. You’re looking for some new towels. You go to the linen section – but there are socks, shoes, shampoo – all these unnecessary items cluttered around and not a towel to be found. You’ll probably never go there again, right?

Then you go to another store where everything is placed well, all cleaned up, clutter-free, and up-to-date. This will definitely make you feel more comfortable, right? You’ll walk out with those towels and a smile.

This can be the case with a house as well. Staging is an important process while selling your house. Always remember, buying a home is just as much emotion based as it is about dollars and cents.

There are 7 major embarrassing home staging mistakes that can negatively affect your homes saleability.

1. Paint: Clean, fresh, and bright, are the universal rules of staging. You can make a tired room look fresh, clean and bright with a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Don’t paint with drastically different paint colors throughout, be sure to keep the color scheme consistent. Painting each room a new, vibrant color takes away from the overall flow of your home.

2. Too much (or too big) furniture: I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying, “too much of a good thing is never a good thing” – this applies to furniture as well. Filling a house with excess furniture is a very common staging mistake — and if the furniture barely fits, buyers will have a hard time imagining how they’ll make their everyday lives, and their own furniture, fit into the same space. Consider the size of your house and which furniture you should keep on display.

3. Don’t Use Curtains: Blinds are amazing, don’t get us wrong. They can darken your room to help keep the heat out, and the warm in. But don’t dismiss the visual illusions of well-hung curtains. High hanging curtains with long vertical stripes are a trick of our trade as they create the illusion of height. Excellent for low ceilings. Paired with sheer curtains behind, mesmerizing and very appealing.

4. Poor lighting: To quote Cornelius Celsius “Live in a room full of light” Lighting is an essential way to change the entire “feel” of your home. Dimly lit rooms are uninviting and dreary, so make lighting a priority. We created a blog post here on ways to brighten your home. Natural light is the best light, but lamps are also a good choice.

5. Don’t clear up the table and counter space: Overcrowding the table and counters can really be off putting. Counter space is a huge sales feature so showcase the space. Reduce the number of items taking up the space.

6. Clutter: Enough said. Once your home is on the market, you must treat it less like a home and more like a product. Any product which is clutter-free is instantly more appealing.  We have a great blog post here about 8 things buyers really don’t want to see in a kitchen, but don’t neglect the rest of the house too. Replace worn out doormats, wilted houseplants, and remove old furniture. Create a relaxing environment that allows purchasers to imagine making your house their home, rather than seeing yours. Minimize clutter in every room and on every surface, such as family photos, eccentric art, and collectibles, so that it does not distract or turn off potential buyers. Clean, depersonalize, and simplify your home as if it were a show home, because that’s exactly what it needs to be while it’s on the market.

7. Empty: When it comes to selling a house, there is a fine balance. If your home is vacant, that’s one thing. However, if you are still living in the home – find that balance. Some sellers leave rooms completely empty but this is a massive staging mistake. You don’t need to fill the room with expensive furniture, but you can use a few pieces to show buyers the room’s potential. Furniture and decor also have the added bonus of hiding imperfections. Remember, there is an emotional aspect to the home buying process.

Be sure to avoid these 7 common home staging mistakes to give your home the best possible chance at impressing buyers.