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 minutes before. Even the laundry was gathered and stuffed into the back of our car.
As days turn 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, you have to act FAST!
The Home Showing Checklist makes it easy to get the rest of the family involved too!
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We are going 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!
Home Showing Checklist
Scents
Appeal to buyers sense of smell. Whether you like to bake cookies, light a candle, or use a diffuser. Make it smell great!
We love using our diffuser with lemon and lavender essential oils. It’s quick and easy!
Soft Music
Consider the power of music and play it softly in the background.
Open Curtains and Blinds
Don’t just open blinds, open them and pull them up! Let as much light in as possible!
Lights
Turn on every single light in the house! Overhead, lamps, stove, every light!
Make 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.
Spot Vacuum
You’ve already cleaned once this week. No need to thoroughly clean for each showing. That will drive you bananas! Vacuum those common areas, if they need it.
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.
Pick Up Clutter
Do a quick run through and pick up anything that doesn’t belong. Mail, shoes, backpacks, and even that pesky back scratcher. Put them in their rightful home!
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!
Close Toilet Lids
Put those lids down! It just looks better. Plus, you’ll know if someone has been trying out your toilet!
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!
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.
Click the picture below to print your own Home Showing Checklist!
What sense did we miss? We covered sight, smell, hearing, and I’m sure potential buyers have touched something. That leaves taste. We’ve left a few mints on the counter, does that count? I’m certainly not baking cookies every time. That doesn’t fit into my 30 minute routine!
