our home is for sale. officially on the market for 3 days now. we had our first call for a showing yesterday and i was so excited. i had about 3 hours advance warning from the Realtor, and i used every second of it. but up until a few days ago i wouldn't have known what to do to get my house ready for a showing. up until a few days ago, if you told me to get my house ready to show i probably would have walked circles around the house staring blankly into space.
thank God for my Twitter friends. they really came thru for me a few days ago when i asked desperately:
___________________________________________________________
Prep tips for showing your house to prospective buyers? Anyone? {help}
here are the Top 10 Prep Tips for Showing Your House to Prospective Buyers, a collection of tips from my Twitter friends:
{edited to add: first and foremost - PRAY. for the prospective buyers. for the Realtor. for your future home. for the entire process to be in line with God's timing and will.}
1. Clear 75% out of your closets. Purge and declutter.
2. Take down a LOT of your pictures. Clean off the refrigerator of photos and artwork. Depersonalize the entire house. I packed our personal photos and knick-knacks up in a big box.
3. Pie or fresh bread (or cookies) right out of the oven. Two reasons: smells up the house and a snack for your guests. No time to bake? Boil a splash of equal parts vanilla and water on the stove for a few minutes before the showing.
4. Give carpets a fresh vacuum. Fluff pillows. Make the beds.
5. Clear off and wipe down all counters. Put away toothbrushes, toothpaste. Keep towels and cleaner (vinegar) handy at all times. The cleaner and clearer the counters, the better.
6. Turn off electronics (printer, computer). Turn on all lights. Open shades, curtains. Let in natural light.
7. Go around the house on your way out filling a laundry basket with personal items. Laptop, phone cords, mail stack.
8. Remove all evidence of any pets in the house. Hide pet's food bowls, toys, beds.
9. Tidy up the yard. Rake. Poop scoop. Trim hedges. Refill mulch. Sweep the porch.
and the most important tip...
10. DON'T STRESS OUT over it. People understand someone lives here.
i did all of those things before our very first showing yesterday. 30 minutes before the scheduled showing, our home was sparkling. immaculate. depersonalized. smelled like fresh baked cookies. 30 minutes before the scheduled showing the showing was cancelled. *SIGH* ....we'll just chalk it up as a test run.
-------------------------------
linked with love at OhAmanda's Top Ten Tuesday!