Published April 15, 2020
Preparing Your Home For a Showing
A showing appointment, booked by the buyer’s agent on your
property, is one of the most important steps in selling your home. It is your
chance to really show off your home to potential buyers!
Read on for more tips and information to help your home make
a great impression.
How to Prepare Your Home for a Showing
With 90% of home buyers starting their home search online,
your ‘first showing’ is often a digital one. That’s why home staging and
professional photos and video of your home are so important. It’s also why The
Peggy Hill Team offers our clients complimentary home staging and complimentary
professional photos and video.
Showing appointments should be treated with great care. They
are your home’s chance to make a great first impression and leave buyers
dreaming about buying your home! With a little bit of effort you can greatly
increase your home’s appeal to potential buyers. Removing any distractions will
allow the buyers to focus on the best features of your home, and what their
lives could look like if they lived there.
Since you’ve likely already listed your home, you will have
already staged your home and taken care of any minor repairs and renovations,
but there are a few tasks to keep in mind for showings while your home is on
the market. The checklist below will tell you how to prepare your home for a
showing and ensure that your home always makes a great first impression:
Curb Appeal
You want to draw the buyers in with a ‘WOW’ as they drive up
to your home!
·
Make sure your lawn is cut & trimmed and the
gardens are weeded in the summer and that snow is shoveled in the winter.
·
Add some seasonal decorative pots or flowers.
This will greatly enhance your curb appeal.
·
Pick up outdoor tools such as shovels, rakes,
lawn mowers etc.
·
Pick up after your pets.
·
Remove any obstructions from curb view, i.e.
garbage and recycling bins.
·
Clear driveways and walkways.
·
Remove any seasonal decorations promptly.
Inside the Home
Once inside, you want to keep that feeling of ‘WOW’:
·
Open curtains and blinds to let natural light
flood in.
·
Turn on the lights for evening showings.
·
Turn on your fireplace (if applicable) to create
a cozy atmosphere.
·
Set the home to a comfortable temperature – if
your home is too hot or too cold the buyers may think there is a problem with
the heating or air conditioning.
·
Make sure all noisy radios and TV’s are turned
off. Contrary to what you may have been told, loud music is distracting to the
buyers and may hinder their ability to talk to each other during the showing.
·
Make sure rugs are clean and straight.
·
Empty waste baskets.
·
Clean off counters by putting away dishes and
small appliances in the kitchen.
·
Put away toiletries in the bathroom and ensure
that the sink, toilet and showers are clean, and the toilet seat is down.
·
Pick up dirty clothes.
·
Make sure all beds are made.
·
Deodorize pet areas and tidy up any toys or pet
bedding. Be careful not to ‘over-deodorize’ or buyers may think that you are
trying to hide something.>
·
Do a “once-over” cleaning: vacuum, sweep, dust.
·
Set out your special occasion towels (kitchen
& bathroom). Hint: remove them after the showing so you can use them again
next time!
These next items may not always be possible but will add to
the atmosphere of your home:
Set a fresh flower arrangement in the kitchen or main living
area.
Create a pleasant smell by having fresh baking in the oven
or potpourri throughout the home.
Preparing your home for a showing may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Get the whole family to pitch in and you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in a short period of time, and how big of a difference this attention to detail can make. If you’ll be away from the house all day try to work these tasks into your morning routine so your home is ready, even for last minute showing requests. You never know which showing will be the ‘The One’!
