How to Prepare Your Home For Showings

The key to getting your home sold quickly and for the best price is making it available for showings whenever buyers want to see it. It’s one of the most annoying parts about having your home for sale, but it’s important to accommodate buyer schedules. You never know whether the person coming to see it today is going to be “the one.” To help you keep your listing in great showing condition, and almost as a last-minute “checklist” for things that you should do when buyers are on their way, here is a short guide to preparing your home for a showing.

1. Do a Quick Detailing                                                                                                                                     

Just like the detailing you did when you first put the home on the market, you should walk through and make sure that you have maintained that clean, uncluttered look:

•Do a general cleaning of the home: not scrubbing, but wiping.

•Check for broken or dim light bulbs.

•Remedy any distracting or unpleasant odors.

•Make all the beds.

•Put away dirty clothes in a hamper or laundry machine.

•Do the dishes or at least have them in the dishwasher.

•Put away children’s and pet’s toys.

•Put away personal toiletries.

•Remove all things on front and side of refrigerator.

•Keep all pets in a contained space, or take them out with you.

•Sweep driveway and walkways.

•Clean up the yard of any toys or debris.

2. Do a Quick Staging

Staging can be as extravagant as a Broadway show, or as simple as a children’s recital. Keep it simple, but do the little things that create the effect you want:

•Turn on enough lights to brighten the rooms.

•Open curtains and shades to let in outside light.

•Open the windows if it’s nice out

•Keep the home in a temperate zone , with air conditioning or heating if necessary.

•Open the shower curtain to expose the shower or tub.

•Put out fresh towels in the bathrooms.

•Close all television cabinets and put away the remotes.

•Set place settings at dining room table.

•Put on some ambient music.

3. Protection Issues

Finally, remember that virtually all your visitors are legitimately interested in looking for a new home, but just in case you want to protect yourself:

•Secure all your valuables in a locked or non-obvious hiding place.

•Put away any breakable heirlooms that cannot be replaced.

•Put your mail away in a drawer.

•Put any important papers on your desk away in drawers.