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While everyone tends to focus on the things they're supposed to do in order to sell their house for a high price, many people don't appreciate common mistakes that can cause a house not to be attractive to home buyers. You don't want to be one of the frustrated people who can't seem to figure out why nobody is interested in their home. Realtors might offer tips and ideas on how to make your home more appealing, but be sure to address the issues laid out here.

Does your house stink? Don't laugh right away because most people who have stinky homes do not know it themselves. This is because common odors in the home go unnoticed by the people living there. Smoking in the house or keeping litter boxes inside the home are certain to cause alarming odors to potential buyers who do not smoke or have cats. Pets in general are responsible for a lot of smells that people without pets might not be used to.

When addressing the smell issues of your home don't think you can simply open a window or spray some air freshener to clean out the smells. You need to attack the odors at their source, which might include the need to clean the carpet , place the litter box in the garage, smoke outside, or make other small lifestyle changes so that the odors normally produced in your home are not there while the houses on the market. There are products on the market that spread ions into the home. These can be far more effective than many of the filtering products for actually reducing odors.

While pets cause many odors they also are associated with hair and other items that some potential buyers might find unsanitary. It is wise to make sure that your pet is not at the home when a potential buyer comes along. In fact, a potential buyer should not even be aware that there are pets currently living in the house.

Bathrooms are one of the most important rooms to maintain in a pristine state of cleanliness. Most home buyers will associate bathrooms with an overall level of hygiene of the home's occupants. Make sure your sinks faucets and mirrors all sparkle. Don't leave dirty wet towels hanging on a rack when a buyer comes through.

Anytime a buyer comes into a room that looks dark they may find that room uninviting or even depressing. Turn on lights and all the dark rooms, open curtains and blinds, and try to make sure that the house is bright and inviting.

Wallpaper is one of the items that divides people as to its appeal. Many people find busy wallpaper patterns disturbing and distracting. You might want to consider removing all the wallpaper, or certainly at least wallpaper that looks dated or is already scuffed up.

Your realtor will most likely suggest to you things you can do to the front yard, to the inside of the house, or to particular rooms to make your house have more appeal. However it is important to remember that their recommendations are just basic guidelines. When your house is on the market you should do everything in your power to live as if you are a clean freak. Remember that when people come by, their experience will suggest to them how the house has been maintained and lived in. Having the house cleaned for a few days here or there could cause you to lose the one buyer who was really interested in your house.