Showing Your Home
Preparing your home for showings is all about helping buyers see its best features, imagine themselves living there, and feel confident about the condition and care of the property.
First Impressions Are Lasting Impressions
The exterior of your home often determines how buyers will view the interior.
- Make sure your front entrance is clean and inviting.
- Paint or replace your front door if it's faded or worn.
- Add paint to shutters, trim, and other exterior features showing signs of wear.
- Add vibrant plants and put down fresh mulch.
Accentuate the Positive
“How we live in a home and how we sell a home are often two different things.” Try to see your home with a fresh perspective and arrange each room to bring out its best attributes.
- Keep windows and floors clean.
- Replace faded wallpaper and repair loose areas.
- Repair worn woodwork.
- Repaint scarred or dirty walls in a neutral color.
- Steam clean carpeting or replace it if necessary.
- Repair loose knobs, sticking doors and windows, warped drawers, broken switches, and other minor flaws.
- Check and repair caulking in bathtubs and showers.
Arrange Each Room to Show Its Best
- Open draperies and curtains to let in as much natural light as possible.
- Remove unnecessary clutter from the attic, basement, and closets to better show available space.
- Arrange rooms neatly and remove excess furniture.
- Keep fresh, clean towels in the bathroom.
- Use candles or air fresheners to create a pleasant scent.
Put Your Home in the Best Possible Light
Strategic lighting can create a warm atmosphere and highlight the best features of each room, even during daytime showings.
- Avoid relying only on overhead lighting that can make rooms look washed out.
- Arrange lamps to help smaller rooms feel larger and larger rooms feel more intimate.
- Use lighting to highlight living areas, such as chairs near a fireplace or a table in a breakfast nook.
Inside
- Clear unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house.
- Keep decorative items limited to small groups of 1, 3, or 5.
- Clear unnecessary items from kitchen countertops.
- Remove messages, pictures, and clutter from refrigerator fronts.
- Remove unnecessary items from bathroom counters, tubs, showers, and commode tops.
- Coordinate bathroom towels to one or two colors.
- Rearrange or remove furniture if necessary to make rooms appear larger.
- Take down or rearrange wall art if needed and patch or paint where necessary.
- Review each room for paint, carpet, drapery, and window cleaning needs.
- Leave select lights on during the day and turn on all lights and lamps for showings.
- Keep soft background music on during viewings if desired.
- Lockbox: If agents cannot access the home, they cannot show it.
Outside
- Trim landscaping to reveal architectural details such as the bottoms of windows.
- Move garbage cans, wood scraps, and extra building materials into the garage.
- Check gutters and the roof for debris or visible damage.
- Prune bushes and trees so plants do not block windows.
- Weed and mulch planting areas.
- Keep the lawn freshly cut and fertilized.
- Remove dead plants or shrubs.
- Clear patios and decks of small planters, toys, barbecues, and other clutter.
- Check the paint condition of the house, especially the front door and trim.
In General
Try to look at your house through the buyer's eyes, as though you've never seen it before. Any time or money spent improving presentation can help your home show better, potentially sell faster, and support a stronger sale price.
Nine Minute Showing Drill
Occasionally, you may receive a call to schedule a showing within just a few minutes. Use this checklist when time is limited.
- Sound: Turn off the television and play soft background music at a low volume.
- Sight: Turn on every light in the house and open drapes and blinds during the daytime.
- Odors: Create a pleasant scent, such as warming a pastry or adding a few drops of vanilla to a warm pan.
- Kitchen: Wipe counters and place dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
- Bathrooms: Wipe counters, flush toilets, and close toilet lids.
- Living & Family Rooms: Hide magazines, newspapers, games, and other clutter.
- Bedrooms: Straighten beds and remove visible clutter.
- Exterior: Put away toys and clutter and keep walkways clear.
- Children & Pets: If possible, have them leave the home during the showing.
- Goodbye: Leave the home during the showing whenever possible. Buyers need the freedom to imagine the property as their own and discuss it openly with their agent.
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