When your house is on the market you need a plan on how to prepare for showings so that makes sense for you, your family, your pets, and potential buyers. Hopefully, you will be given at least 2 hours notice but that’s not always possible. Try and keep your home as tidy as possible so that you are prepared for showings with little notice.
Big, Bright, and Clean
Rooms and hallways that are free of “stuff” appear bigger. When you get notice of a showing, collect and put away clutter, run the vacuum cleaner if time allows, and generally pick up the house. The kitchen and bathrooms should be sparkling clean.
“Light and bright” makes prospective buyers feel at home, so open draperies and blinds to allow the sun to shine through. Turn on lights and bedside lamps, and if the showing is after dark, make sure to turn on any outside lights.
It’s nice to have some soft music playing in the background – not loud and not too taste-specific. Select music that has a calming effect.
Welcome mats by the front and back doors are always nice so folks can wipe their feet before entering, which will help you keep your house clean between showings.
A very important thing to consider when you have to prepare for a showing is the weather. If it’s hot outside during showing times, be sure to have the air conditioner cranked up. When your home is on the market during cooler months, it’s nice to have the gas fireplace on a low setting, for both warmth and ambiance! If there is snow on the ground, make sure the walk is shoveled and salted or sanded.
Feel free to leave a few bottles of water and some hard candy for your guests on the kitchen table or counter. After looking at multiple homes, buyers and Realtors® appreciate this nice gesture.
Take extra house keys with you. Even with a post-it note that says “Don’t Lock!” on the door to the garage, agents or buyers might accidentally lock that door.
Pets
Do you have pets? Even people who love animals don’t want to see evidence of them in houses they’re touring. To prepare for showings, a step you shouldn’t skip is vacuuming pet hair off of furniture. If you have dogs, you’ll have to be vigilant about keeping the yard free of dog poop. Dogs should be crated or removed from the house for showings. If you have cats, scoop out the litter box right before the showing.
Pets are really important to their owners, so whether you have pets or not, it’s a good idea to show that your home would be a good choice for buyers with pets.
If you have an invisible fence, it’s nice to provide information about where the fence is in the yard. You can get little survey flags at a local big box store and mark the corners and/or boundaries.
Provide Information
To best prepare for showings I like to provide information to prospective buyers that they won’t learn from a real estate website. I often ask my home sellers to fill out a questionnaire that lists:
- what they love most about the house, which room is their favorite, and why.
- favorite neighborhood shopping places (groceries, specialty stores, hardware stores)
- nearby parks and libraries
- voting locations, trash days, community events, etc.
Providing the above information allows the buyers to see that you are friendly and helpful, and they imagine the neighbors will be also. It’s one more step towards them seeing themselves LIVING in your home!
Also, it’s nice to provide a list of home features. While it may be obvious that you have granite countertops, it may not be obvious that you have 3cm granite instead of the less expensive 2cm. List features whether you think they seem obvious or not, because after reading your list of features, the buyer may say, “Wow – this house has it all!” You are SELLING your home, so it’s okay to brag!
Last of all, don’t stress. Do the best job that you can.
If you are planning to sell your home in the greater Tulsa area, I am happy to help you get ready and walk you through the process.
Lori Cain, REALTOR®, Serving Midtown and the greater Tulsa, OK area. Call 918-852-5036.
