Our first home showing was a nerve wracking experience. Everything had to be to perfection and no stone left unturned. Flowers on the island, cookies on the table, and the home freshly cleaned just minutes before. Even the laundry was gathered and stuffed into the back of our car.
As days turned into weeks, we’ve developed a system to have our home show ready in 30 minutes or less. The laundry stays in its respective baskets right there on the washer and dryer and flowers and cookies have been replaced with mints and flyers.
We’ve accomplished the pre-requisites of staging our home, clean and mow on a weekly basis, and clean up after ourselves (ahem, most of the time). Consistency in keeping up with cleaning and yard work makes for a simple Home Showing Checklist! You get the call, buyers are in your neighborhood, and you have to act FAST! The Home Showing Checklist makes it easy to get the rest of the family involved too!
This Home Showing Checklist will set you in motion to get your house show ready in 30 minutes or less!
Home Showing Checklist
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It’s a good idea to attempt to appeal to a potential buyer’s 5 senses. Sight is the most popular sense, when you sell your house, but we can appeal to a few other senses, too!
1) Make your home smell good with scents.
Appeal to a potential buyer’s sense of smell. Whether you like to bake cookies, light a candle (don’t leave it lit, while you’re gone), or use a diffuser. Make your home smell … well, like home … a clean home, that is! We love using our diffuser with lemon and lavender essential oils from Plant Therapy. It’s quick and easy!
2) Play soft music.
Consider the power of music and play it, softly, in the background.
3) Open curtains and blinds.
Don’t just open blinds, open them and pull them up! Let as much light in as possible!
4) Turn on lights.
Turn on every single light in the house! Overhead, lamps, stove … every light!
5) Make your beds.
I’ve given up this battle, as a morning routine. If you can swing it, by all means, do! If not, make it a part of your 30 minute home showing routine.
6) Spot vacuum.
You’ve already cleaned once this week. There’s no need to thoroughly clean, for each showing. That will drive you bananas! Vacuum the common areas, if they need it.
7) Do the dishes.
You’re being extra good about staying on top of the dishes but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a few, in the sink, when you get that call. Throw them in the dishwasher or switch them out.
8) Pick up clutter.
Do a quick run through, of your home, and pick up anything that doesn’t belong. Mail, shoes, backpacks, and even that pesky back scratcher. Put them in their rightful home!
9) Wipe down sinks and counters.
Give the kitchen and bathroom sinks and counters a quick once over. Check the mirrors and straighten the towels. Some may even reserve special towels, just for showings. I’m just too lazy for that!
10) Close toilet lids.
Put those toilet lids down! It just looks better. Plus, you’ll know if someone has been trying out your toilet!
11) Put away pet dishes and supplies.
Have pets? Put away their belongings! Just like we clean up our own clutter and dishes, we should clean up the pets’ too! Some people have an aversion to pets. Just avoid that aversion by putting pet stuff away!
12) Lock up valuables and prescriptions.
Don’t leave anything to chance. It’s unnerving enough to give agents and buyers, you’ve never met in your life, free reign of your home. Lock up jewelry, guns, prescriptions, electronics, and anything else of value.
Get Your Home Showing Checklist Here!
What sense did we miss? We covered sight, smell, hearing, and I’m sure potential buyers have touched something. That leaves taste. Leaving a few hard candies, on the counter, counts! Baking cookies every time isn’t realistic. That doesn’t fit into the 30 minute routine!
Home Seller’s Resource
There’s a LOT to think about when you’re getting your home ready to sell. Use the Home Seller’s Resource to help you get organized and ready to sell your home, for top dollar!
kay ~ the barefoot minimalist
Sunday 2nd of October 2016
Oh my goodness, staging the house for every showing can be so tiring! I've wearily sat in the car down the street waiting for the realtor and potential home buyers to leave, in a blizzard! Your list is awesome Bridget. I can't think of anything you've missed. I used to do the flowers on the table thing too. It really is a beautiful way to class up the place! :)
Sunshine and Rainy Days
Friday 7th of October 2016
In a blizzard! Oh my! Flowers are great, especially when you can pick them from your own yard! I got lazy though;0) So good to hear from you, Kay!