House Showings | How to Prepare Your Home

No one appreciates how difficult it is to prepare your home for showings as much as we do!  At this point we’re assuming that you have read our home staging blogs or watched our videos, taken all necessary steps, listed your home for sale and are at the point where potential buyers are about to start touring your home on a regular basis for the (hopefully short) foreseeable future.  This phase can be more stressful than getting your staging done in the first place.  It is our goal to make this a painless as possible for you!

We feel it’s important to break this segment of our blog into two parts, firstly, the things you need to do on an ongoing basis to keep your home ready and in showing condition, and secondly the last-minute things you need to do when you know a potential buyer is coming to see your beautiful home.

Ongoing Checklist

1. Keep your home clutter free all day, every day, we get that this is hard, but it’s harder if you have only 15 minutes to make your home picture perfect before potential buyers arrive. Holding the clutter at bay will ensure that you put things where they are supposed to go rather than shoving them haphazardly into a drawer or a cabinet that a potential buyer may peer into, decide that you’re disorganized, then wonder what else you haven’t taken proper care of.
2. Keep your home clean.  Consider hiring a cleaning company to come in on a weekly basis to ensure that you’re not worrying about dust when you’re running around making sure everything is put away.  This way you can run out the door knowing your home is ready for showing.
3. If you’re cooking meals at home (some people decide that it’s easier to eat out or eat take-out during this period) make sure you use your hood fan to remove odors quickly, if necessary and reasonable to do so, open doors and windows to create airflow while you’re cooking and for a few hours afterwards.
4. Stay on top of minor repairs.

Last Minute Checklist

1. There should be very little clutter around if you’ve stayed on top of keeping your home “show ready”. Have baskets strategically located in areas where you have things out as a matter of day-to-day convenience such as remote controls for TVs, reading glasses, the book you’re currently reading etc.  Then all you need to do is place those things neatly into the baskets and store them in a place specifically designated for them.
2. Perform a “sniff” test. Given that you’ve cleaned carpets, furniture, draperies etc. and you’re now actively removing food smells, you should smell nothing.  If you do, use a deodorizer that is relatively innocuous but effective.  We often get complaints about “strong” air fresheners, please avoid these!  If you have pets, again, we have dealt with the main problem areas and are staying on top of keeping them under control, however, if you can still smell your pets or are worried that a potential buyer will smell them, try keeping one of these DIY remedies on hand to be used before you walk out the door:  i) Fill a spray bottle with plain vinegar. Add five to 10 drops of essential oils if you like, such as lemon, lavender, or vanilla. Spray the vinegar around the house; or ii) Add ¼ cup (55 g) of baking soda to a spray bottle and fill it with water. Shake well and spray liberally.
3. Check to make sure that all rooms are straightened and tidy. Accessories should be where they are intended to be.
4. Turn on all lights and fans, you want to show that everything is working properly and show off your home in the best, brightest light.
5. Make sure that all valuables and medications are locked up.
6. Take your pets and head out the door. NEVER stay home for a showing if the potential buyers will have a REALTOR® with them.  If you’re selling your home on your own, you should stay home, but send your pets away if you can.

Every time you plan to leave your home for more than 15 minutes, run through and execute the last last minute checklist items so that if your REALTOR® calls to set up a showing, you can gleefully say YES knowing that your home is in top showing condition and there is no need for you to drop what you are doing and race home.  You may want to leave out step 4, your REALTOR®  should be willing to take care of this step on very short notice.  If you keep your home in “ready” condition, you will be well prepared to accommodate last-minute showings and be out the door in 15 minutes or less!

That’s it for today’s post, if you want more information on house showing or if you want to stay up to date on all things Anthem, make sure you like our Facebook Page at ‘Wise Move AZ’ or subscribe to our Wise Move AZ channel on YouTube.

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Remember, if you or anyone you know is looking to buy or sell their home, please give us a call!  It’s always the right time to make a wise move with the Wise Move AZ Team.