Let’s face it…
Selling your home can be a hugely stressful event. There’s a lot of moving parts and a lot of time and money involved, so it’s no wonder that stress is a byproduct!
But what some sellers don’t’ realize when they list their home is that life can be turned upside down on a frequent basis. After all, we need to show the property to potential buyers in order to get it sold. That means keeping your house in tip-top shape virtually all the time and being willing to accommodate showings morning, noon, and night (and weekends too!).
All of that only adds more stress to the equation, so here’s three tips for keeping your sanity while your house is for sale.
Make a Checklist for Keeping Things Tidy
You might have the most gorgeous house on the block, but if a Realtor strolls through with potential buyers and there’s dirty clothes on the floor, dirty dishes in the sink, and the bathroom hasn’t been cleaned, buyers will not be impressed.
On your checklist for showings, include some of the following to help your home put its best foot forward:
- Clean the kitchen, including wiping countertops, getting rid of fingerprints on the appliances, and having all the dishes washed and put away.
- Have your family put their dirty clothes in hampers and their clean clothes in drawers and closets. If you have little ones, help them put their toys away.
- Keep things like shoes, boots, and coats from being piled up by the door.
- Open all curtains and shades to let in as much light as possible.
- Turn on all the lights in the house.
- Clean the bathroom thoroughly before you leave the house.
- Instead of air fresheners or burning candles, consider having fresh flowers in the kitchen or living room. Baking cookies will also fill your house with a great smell!
This isn’t a complete list of things you need to do to stage your home for showings, but it’s a good start. For an in-depth staging guide, click here.
Get in the Habit of Living Cleanly
Between kids, work, and everything else life throws at us, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with chores around the house.
But if you can get into the habit of living cleanly – for example, immediately putting that dirty glass in the dishwasher instead of sitting it in the sink – you’ll have much less to clean and organize each time your home is shown to potential buyers.
Additionally, get your family into the habit of living cleanly. Don’t let them kick off their dirty boots and leave them in the middle of the entryway or throw their dirty clothes on the floor of their room. Instead, get your family into the rhythm of putting things away as they’re used, so those last-minute requests for showings don’t cause everyone to panic.
Make Your Bed Each Morning
Much like the previous tip, this one is all about eating the elephant one bite at a time rather than trying to rush around and clean the whole house 20 minutes before a showing.
By starting the day off with making your bed (and having your kids make theirs as well), you set the stage for living cleanly in all aspects of your home life.
Besides, making your bed each morning helps you start the day on the right foot with a sense of accomplishment that can carry over to other tasks you need to tackle over the course of the day.
With that, you have three quick and easy tips for prepping your home for showings. Give each a try, and see how much easier life will be while your home is for sale!