When staging your home for prospective buyers, you should take steps to let in as much natural light as possible. Remove thick, heavy curtains and blinds, and avoid blocking windows with furniture. Use lamps with high-wattage bulbs to illuminate spaces that don’t receive much outdoor light.

Another way to appeal to buyers’ sense of sight: show them more of the room. Remove all excess furniture and clutter to make your spaces feel larger. When it comes to paint and décor, stick with colors and designs that are neutral, punctuating the room with pops of color for interest. This will leave more to the imagination, allowing visitors to create their own vision of the room, instead of limiting them to yours.

Depending on where you live, ambient noise from outside your home can be a blessing or a liability. If you’re in a more livelier neighborhoods, you’ll want to minimize street noise by keeping your windows closed. Conversely, if your yard plays host to hummingbirds, you might consider leaving your windows open.

Speaking of songs, you can also use sound actively in your staging. By playing soft, slow, classical music, you can provide buyers with a comfortable atmosphere to contemplate your space. Be sure to keep it simple, quiet, and consistent—after all, you don’t want to distract buyers from their big decision.

Few characteristics will put off home buyers more quickly than a bad odor. If you have lots of carpets or rugs, your agent will make sure they’ve been steam-cleaned thoroughly before you begin showing your home. Your agent will also prepare your home for open houses by making sure it smells great by opening windows to let fresh air in before buyers arrive. You may have heard stories about baking cookies or lighting scented candles to entice buyers.

While pleasant odors can have a positive impact, it’s important to keep your efforts subtle and simple. An overpowering smell, no matter how sweet, will reduce buyers’ focus and undermine your staging efforts.