If you’ve sold a home before, you’ve probably been told to keep your home ready to be shown at all times. But how can you keep a home show-ready with busy schedules, kids or pets, and all the knick-knacks you use in daily life? These tips for showing your home will make getting it ready for potential buyers far less chaotic!

Reduce Clutter 

When you list your home clutter becomes the enemy. It makes your home look smaller than it is and can deter buyers with all the dirt and chaos it seems to inspire. Tips include renting a storage unit while your home is on the market, borrowing basement or garage space from family or friends, or having a garage sale and making a donation of household stuff to a charitable cause. For items you’re going to keep in the home, store as many of them as possible in closets, drawers, and cupboards. An easy tip is to have a couple of decorative baskets ready in each room to throw magazines, remotes, papers, and other things into when you have to show on a moment’s notice.

Cook Neutral

You’ve heard that neutral decor sells homes, well neutral cooking aromas do too. If a showing has to be done, cook foods that give off a mild, pleasant aroma, and avoid those with heavy or harsh smells likes onions. Baked chicken and apple pie are good choices, while salmon patties and curried rice are not the best selections. If you have a showing scheduled, wait to cook dinner until afterward whenever possible. Realtors usually recommend airing out your home 30 minutes before the showing to freshen the air and help remove unpleasant odors. A burst or two of air freshener will help too.

Fix and Clean Up Front 

You simply can’t deal with broken window blinds, burned out light bulbs, carpet stains, and other repair and cleaning tasks in the minutes before a showing. Put in the effort upfront, so when a real estate agent calls to schedule an appointment, all you’ve got to do is light picking up and cleaning. Take time to create an atmosphere inside and out by fixing the most obvious fixes.

Have a Plan

A checklist prepared ahead of time means you won’t have to spend time thinking or rushing around. Get to the important tasks as soon as you can with a list.

When you pay attention to these four tips for getting your house presentable for a showing, it will look better and hopefully sell faster too!

 

About the author: Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information on ideas for selling a home, these Princeton real estate listings all feature great pictures and ideas. contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.