How to Show Your Home to Sell

I have said plenty on staging your home. That is all about preparing your home to come onto the market. It was about making sure that the photos of your home show the best that your home can be. Just to rehash...

How to Stage Your Home

1. Clean
2. Declutter
3. Depersonalize
4. Pre-pack
5. Repair
6. Paint
7. See to Curb Appeal

But there is another step to staging and selling your home. That is preparation you need to do just before the showing. This is what you need to do 30 minutes before your buyers show up.

This done through the eyes, nose & ears test.

You want to please every sensory input of your home buyer in order to have the best showing. So you should:

1. Clean Again
2. It Smells Like Home
3. Let There Be Light
4. Disappear the Dog
5. Sweet Sounds
6. Looks Like Nobody Lives Here

Clean Again

You already have performed numerous deep cleanings. This is more of a topical review to make sure everything looks good.

This is just a final cleaning to make things shine. So go over your countertop, windows and mirrors. Run a mop over the tile and wood floors to give it an extra shine.

Not only should your house be clean, but you want to give the appearance of being extra clean. So run a vacuum to go those brand new vacuum lines.

It Smells Like Home

You want the buyer to walk into your home and their first breathe of air be pleasant and comfortable.

That means getting rid of:

• Pet smells
• Smoking smells
• Cooking smells

So what should your home smell like?

It should smell clean. So the subtle (please note I say subtle) smell of some candles is pleasant. Fresh air from the windows on a cooler day is also pleasant. Yes you can go all out with baking cookies or an apple pie. But that can get tiresome after the 5th showing.

Be careful with plugins. They can be too strong of a smell and are visually univiting. They may make the buyer wonder what you are covering up.

Let There Be Light

Hopefully you got rid of your darker colors and put up some mirrors to reflect light. Now is the time to open all the drapes & blinds to let natural light in. Then turn on lights in your rooms.

Yes it can be a waste of electricity. But you can instruct the Realtor to turn off all the lights after the showing. Even better, just leave a note on the back of the front door to remind them.

Disappear the Dog

This can be the most troublesome. You should take your dog with you. What is hard about this? Well you don't know how long you need to have your dog. And that is assuming you are home and able to do this.

Your options are as follows:

• Leave the dog in the backyard. If unfriendly let the Realtor know and put up signs. The buyer may have to come back to walk the backyard.
• Leave the dog in a room. Preferably the utility room or a half bathroom. These seems to be less important rooms in a buyer's first review of your home. Again let the Realtor know and put up a sign.
• Take the dog with you. This is the best option but the most burdensome for you. You can ask the Realtor to give you a call when they are finished so that you can head right back. But there isn't always a guarantee the Realtor will call you if they are rushing from home to home.

Just to restate. When leaving the dog always leave the name of the dog and instructions on whether the dog is friendly or not.

I can't tell you the number of buyers who have decided not to go into a home because there was the sounds of a big, barking dog. They might not of seen them. The dog might even been closed in a room. But just the sound of the potential threat to them or their children decide it wasn't worth the risk of entering.

Sweet Sounds

While I don't always find this necessary, it can help. The thing to remember is nothing too loud and nothing to personalized. No dance music or rap. You just want a gentle, relaxing sound.

Looks Like Nobody Lives Here

Of course it is impossible to make it looks like nobody lives here. But this is the final review of your home before you leave and the buyers show up.

Starting in the major living areas look to see everything is put up. The toys are away? The throw pillows are out. The couch doesn't look like the dog just laid on it?

The Kitchen is your next step. Dishes out of the sink? Counter tops cleared? Table top appliances put away? Bills and coupons stashed?

Then head to the master and make sure your bed is made. Your duvet is placed. And your sixteen pillows are arranged. Walk into the master bath and make sure no laundry is laying out. Then clear as much as you can of the counters.

Also you should take a 2nd look at your master area to make sure there is no cash, checks, bills, drugs or jewelry out. Your Realtor will do their best to watch everybody but it doesn't hurt to be vigilant.

Next go to kids rooms and see what you can do. People are most understanding about kids and their toys. So if the bed is made and things are in a pile it should be ok.

Now check the bathrooms. Flush all the toliets if you have kids. And put down all the toliet lids.

Think you are finished? Nope look outside. The front yard should be cleared of any clutter and toys. If you can do the same with the backyard then you are finished.

Have more questions about getting ready to sell your home? Or are you ready to get the home selling process started? Contact us at 904-273-0125 or use the form below: