How to Prepare Your Home for Showings

Selling a home has never been easier! The upswing in home sales has encouraged many owners to jump into the market. Stories of bidding wars have enticed people to see what they can get for their homes.  

If you are selling in this market, you should be aware that just because it is a seller’s market right now, that doesn’t mean that your home will sell no matter what you do. You play a pivotal role in whether your home moves or whether it sits on the market for months. 

Like many sellers, you’re probably wondering: How to get my house ready to sell?

How do I prepare my house for showing?

Staging your home for showings is one of those make-or-break moments for a buyer.  This is the time when the buyer tries to imagine themselves in your home; to make it their own, and to fall in love with its features and location.  

So, it is well worth making sure you have the key elements of good staging in place before potential buyers walk through your door.

Let Go of Your Home, Personally.  

This is the hardest aspect of staging for many homeowners, but it is a subtle thing that will keep your home from moving quickly.  

A buyer wants to imagine their own life in this home.  They don’t want to reconstruct what your life is all about.  They don’t care about the children’s art on the fridge and they probably don’t have your quirky taste in art.  

What you will have to do is depersonalize your home so that the buyer can imagine themselves in the space.  This home may hold a lifetime of memories for you, but you must let that go to allow buyers to envision what they need and make an offer.

Keep it Neutral.  

Start by packing up everything personal to you – personal pictures, framed diplomas, refrigerator art, and anything else that has the stamp of your individual personality on it. Look for the distractions in the room, such as clutter, sports equipment, collections of artwork and objects, and try to create a neutral space.  

This includes neutral colors. In some cases, if your interior walls are brightly colored, this will automatically turn away would-be buyers who know they can change the color with paint but don’t want to put in the time to do so.  

Note: Keeping things neutral attracts the widest audience.

Keep it Clean.  

Sellers will open your closet doors and cabinets, so make sure those things are organized and not messy. A seller associates a messy house with a lack of maintenance in other areas, too, so make sure you do not present the idea that you haven’t kept up with the house.  

Have too many things? Rent a storage unit. After all, you’re moving anyway and need to move things around.  Clean the counter space, the bathrooms and the floors before a showing. Vacuum the carpets as close to the opening time as possible so that things look fresh.

Make repairs.  

It really does make a difference to a seller to see cracks in the tile or holes in the wall.  Take the time to patch them. Fix a leaky faucet, for example, and make sure all the lightbulbs are working.  

These little features save a buyer from doing the work, and makes the overall ambiance of the place more attractive. However, once again, it alludes to the fact that there may be more negligence beneath the surface that poses a bigger problem.  

If the homeowner hasn’t replaced the lightbulbs, have they given a thought to the electrical panel?  Does a leaky faucet mean a plumbing problem?  

You don’t want buyers to create scenarios in their minds about why things aren’t taken care of.

Make it Bright.  

Take advantage of as much natural light as you possibly can. Clean the windows and make sure the curtains are not dark or open the curtains to show off the view outside. 

Let as much natural light into the house as possible. Of course, this means that any dust will be more visible, so make sure the furniture is dusted as well.  

Keep it Smelling Great.  

Before a showing, make sure the garbage has been removed. Many real estate agents light candles for this very reason.  

Touring a home is a full sensory experience, and creating soothing smells, sounds and sights help move your home. At the very least, you don’t want a buyer smelling garbage, old food, musty smells, or mildew.

Last Minute Curb Appeal.  

Pick up a few easy-grow potted flowers from your local home improvement store to spruce up the steps or the porch.  Take away any children's toys, bikes, and other items to make the area as clean and presentable as possible.

How to get a house ready to sell?  While it is, in fact, a seller’s market, that doesn’t mean the seller can just lay back and do nothing!  The work you put into the staging of the home can make a huge difference when it comes time for a buyer to decide to write a check. 

Selling your home? Get a pro to help show your home, contact one of the expert Agents in the Homes & Land Network!