Staging is debatable. Do I stage? With what? How much stuff is enough? Every agent and professional stager will have a different answer. What I am sure is that in the non-existent “Staging Your Home Guide” by Turner, Turner & Turner, there is no mention of pest control devices as being appropriate staging pieces.

I showed two houses to a buyer on Tuesday. The first had a couple of “mouse” traps big enough to slaughter your average purse dog. The traps weren’t set but were the first thing you saw sitting on the shelf entering the basement. The second house had an electronic rodent killer under a dining table; two hours into a broker open.

Of course, we all make mistakes. I was just accused of writing, “the worst directions ever to a listing.”