When Your Home is on the Market, here are 10 “MAKE SURE” Tips for Showing Your Home.
- Make sure the path to your front door is clear. This includes shrubbery overhang, toys or anything obstructing a pleasant walk to the door.
- Make sure your front entrance and door are clean, no cobwebs, bugs, or anything unpleasant should be lurking at your door.
- Make sure all clutter (paper, laundry, toys, personal items, etc) is kept off the floor, furniture, countertops or any such horizontal surface.
- Make sure floors, carpets, and especially stairs are free and clear of any potential “road blocks” of clutter, pets, boxes, etc.
- Make sure your home is spotlessly clean. This includes keeping bathrooms and kitchens meticulously clean to the point of it not looking like anyone lives there or uses those rooms. Fresh or guest towels should be out and soiled towels tucked away. Sinks and showers and/or tubs should be immaculate (no mildew, soap scum, toothpaste, etc). Carpets and floors should be vacuumed and free of dirt, crumbs, stains, etc.
- Make sure all beds are made.
- Make sure closets and basements are kept neat and tidy. If your things don’t seem to fit well or look messy, a buyer will assume there is not enough storage space in the house.
- Make sure your home is free of any unpleasant odors (such as fish, cooking seasonings or strong smells from a previous meal, pet odors like wet fur, & unclean litter pans, garbage that needs removed, and cigarette/cigar smoke, etc).
- Make sure you’ve “de-personalized” your home by removing personal pictures, religious items, offensive artwork, etc. Buyers become distracted if you have too many personal things for them to look at and actually forget what the home looks like but remember the personal items.
- Make sure your windows are clean with unobstructed views. Sunlight in a home makes it feel warm and inviting.
