A realtor once told me that when you are trying to sell a house, whether you are thinking about doing it as a "For Sale By Owner (FSBO)" or using a Realtor, it is best show it to others completely empty. But what if that isn't always possible? Buying a house is one of the biggest purchases a person will make during their lifetime, and it isn't usually possible to have two of them at the same time. Fortunately, by following a few simple rules, you can show your FSBO house while you are still living in it.

The basic rule is to have as much white space as possible in every room. When you are showing the house, turn on the lights so everything looks bright and cheery. You may need to "edit" your furnishings in order to magnify the space in each room as follows:

Kitchen: The general rule for the kitchen is to have clean countertops, with only three items on the counters. This might be a coffee pot, the toaster, microwave, or a nice food processor. Whatever it is, make sure it is clean and shinny and fits in well with other kitchen dcor.

Bathroom - make sure it's spotless, with a nice set of matching towels; a small soap dish with colored soaps adds a pleasant touch. Do not have toothbrushes, used towels or used soap anywhere to be seen. If you have a linen closet, make sure every item is folded and stacked nicely.

The Living/Dining Room of the for sale by owner house should be free of clutter, even those prized collectibles that you want to show all your friends. The future owners' tastes might not be the same as yours, and anything they see that they don't like could ruin your FSBO sale. Furniture should be kept at a minimum, and arranged in a way that makes the space look the largest. If you don't have talent for deciding how best to arrange your furniture, hire a professional to "stage" your house for the best viewing. In the long run, it will be well worth it.

Make sure all coffee tables are dust free, and display a nice arrangement of flowers or coffee table books. Again, shelves should display only a few generic items. If you are selling close to the Holidays, make sure your holiday decorations are put away by the first week in January.

If you have a lot of paintings or art on the walls, remove some until there is only one nice painting per wall, and please, if you remove the art and there is still an outline of it on the wall (because the paint has faded) repaint the walls so they are clean and free of any telltale art lines.

Bedrooms - White space is also necessary in the bedrooms. In the closets, remove half of your clothes and try to get everything off of the floor. Get a nice shoe rack or something to hang purses and belts. Make sure your bedspread is stylish and new looking. It should to look like a fancy hotel room, where a person would want to stay forever.

Here are two more things to keep in mind: Each room should have a focal point that attracts the visitor's attention. If you have a nice view, make sure the curtains are open before you show the house. If there is a fireplace, put a nice piece of art on the mantle to attract attention.

And, last but not least, remove anything that you definitely want to keep. If you have bar-stools or chandeliers that you would not consider selling with the house, take them out before you show the house. Otherwise, you might find yourself giving them away, or worse yet, having to buy them back from the new owner.

I hope you now have a good idea of how you can show your FSBO house and still live in it. You may need to move some things into a basement or closet, or rent a storage space for items for a short while, but if you follow these simple rules, you should not have to worry about it for long.