4 Crazy Things MOST People Don’t Have to Be Told to Hide When Selling Their Home (But of Course There’s Always a Few…)

If you’ve ever watched a real estate show or spoken to a real estate agent about selling your house, you’ve probably heard that you should “depersonalize” your home while it’s on the market. If you haven’t, the advice basically boils down to making your house decor as neutral as possible, and taking down personal effects like family photos.

Some sellers take that advice to the extreme and leave no trace of who lives there. Most don’t go to such lengths, but do their best to make sure the place is neat and clean while it’s on the market. But there are some people who leave things out in the open that an agent wouldn’t even think they need to tell a client to hide!

So, for the few of you out there who might not know (and for the entertainment of the rest of you), here are 4 things you should make sure to hide while selling your house, so buyers and their agents don’t see them:

1) Bongs

Bongs seem almost old-school now that edibles are all the rage, but there are certainly people out there who still enjoy smoking their weed. It’s understandable how someone who smoked a bowl or a joint could forget to put away their paraphernalia, but that doesn’t make it okay! While more people are becoming as cool with marijuana as they are with alcohol, not everyone is as comfortable seeing a bong on your table as they would be seeing a bottle of wine.

Hide that hookah! Or, better yet, switch to the edibles ‘til your house is sold, just to be on the safe side. Nobody’s gonna think twice about that plate of brownies or a bag of gummies sitting around!

(Just to be clear: This also means your pipes, roaches, blunts, etc.)

2) Sex toys

Guests on MTV Cribs were notorious for saying, “And this is where the magic happens…” as they’d enter their bedroom. Potential buyers will probably presume that some magic has happened in your boudoir, but there’s no need to leave evidence of it! Make sure the toys are tucked away and out of sight in the bedroom—or any other room you perform “magic” in—when buyers are coming to see your house.

3) Guns

Most responsible gun owners who read this will be like, “A responsible gun owner would never leave a gun out in the open!” And they’d be right. Most responsible ones wouldn’t! But some gun owners aren’t responsible, and not only fail to lock them up out of sight, but will leave them out in the open. If you have a gun safe, make sure you lock yours up at all times. If you don’t have one, get one…or get the guns out of the house while your house is for sale.

4) Dead animals

Living animals are one thing; most buyers and agents can cope with a well-behaved pet or two in the house. But unless it’s a hunting cabin, or you live in an area where everyone hunts, you probably shouldn’t show off your taxidermied trophies while your house is for sale. Even if a person isn’t as much of an animal lover as Ace Ventura, they can still be turned off by the sight of a dead animal on your wall.