You are about to have your first showing. Are you ready? You have completed the “To Do” list, you have “Staged” the house, the listing agreement is in place, the sign is on the front lawn – but are you ready?
Here are a few last minute things you can do to make sure your house will show in the best possible light:
Lighting – turn on the lamps (not over head lights), even if it is mid-day – they give a soft glow to the house.
Warmth – if it is cool or damp day, make sure the house is pleasantly warm – or cool and fresh if the weather is hot and humid.
Atmosphere – put on some subtle background music. Turn off all other electronics – computer screens, TVs, radios. Have a fire going in the fireplace (gas) or have a log fire laid ready to be lit (but don’t light it for safety reasons).
Clutter free – make your home, for the duration of it being on the market – a clutter-free zone.
Do not use air fresheners – many people are very sensitives to scents. The best scent is fresh air!
Display photos, if they are good quality, of your home in all seasons. Make available for viewing, other documents that might be of interest to a buyer, such as a recent inspection report, historical photos, or a magazine article in which your home was featured.
After you have everything ready, you will need to vacate the house during the showing. If you have a pet or pets, best to take them with you. If this is not an option, please see blog # 10.
While the Realtor who is showing the property will suggest to the potential buyers to remove shoes – sometimes they won’t. If you are a stickler for no shoes allowed, buy a box of disposable booties that people can slip on over their footwear. Everyone is happy and your sparkling clean house remains immaculate.
Written by: Sandy Morgan