5 Reminders to Protect and Prepare Your Home For Showings
Sellers have quite a task at hand when preparing their home for the market. There may be several items that sellers would like to repair and add to it the massive amount of staging they are responsible for. In addition to preparing the home for sale, sellers may also be concerned about having strangers in their home when they are not home. Totally understandable! Regardless if it’s for an open house or a private showing, it is common for sellers to worry about leaving their personal belongings in the home when they are expecting a showing.
As you prepare your home for a showing or an open house, consider these few reminders to help properly prepare your home.
Declutter and organize cabinets, drawers, and closets. Believe it or not, when you have potential buyers looking at your home, they will want to see all available storage. This means they are likely to look in all drawers, cabinets, and closets, so get those cleaned out and organized!
Oftentimes sellers hire cleaning companies to help keep their home show ready while it is on the market. Be sure as you live in your home and have it listed, do not forget about the mirrors and windows. Keep them clean!
Keep pet items put away. Also keep in mind reducing the number of personal photos displayed throughout the home. Keeping the home as neutral as possible will increase the possibility of potential buyers being able to see themselves in the space.
When you are leaving the home for a potential showing or open house, be sure to take all medication, jewelry, and valuable items with you. We do not want to think anything will happen to these items, but inevitably there will be people in your home that you do not know and it is best to protect these items.
Lastly, I want to remind you to keep the home “show ready“! This can be challenging and difficult, but think about as you leave the home in the morning that someone may come to look at it while you are gone. Be sure each day you are putting away all dishes, emptying the dishwasher, ensuring the sinks are clean and emptied, put away laundry, make all beds, pick up the living room and bedrooms, and open all blinds. Spot sweep or vacuum if there are noticeable high traffic areas. Also, if you expect someone to be in the home while you are gone be sure to turn on all lights.
As you prepare your home to sell, keep these five reminders in mind. Also, be sure you don’t forget about curb appeal! The first impression a potential buyer will have of your home is from the exterior. Curb appeal is so important, keep your lawn tidy and neat. If there are any noticeable repairs needed to the exterior, especially the front of the home, be sure to take care of those before your home hits the market.
One last bonus tip is to leave your home at least 15 minutes prior to any showing or open house. Most of the time, realtors schedule multiple showings on the same day, and it is difficult to judge exactly when they will arrive at your home. It would be uncomfortable for all parties if the potential buyers were to show up while the homeowners were still at the home or preparing the home for the showing.
Every home and client is different, be sure to talk to your realtor about your specific situation and together come up with the best plan for listing your home.