Top 3 Tips to Prepare Your House for a Showing

The “For Sale” sign is up. You’ve completed the big projects and the little tweaks, so you’re hopeful your efforts will pay off with a quick and profitable offer. But now comes the most critical part of the home-selling cycle: the day of a showing or an open house. A negative first impression can directly translate into dollars off a full asking price.

Detach from the Stuff

Home experts agree the first and most important step to a successful listing is to emotionally separate from the house and the objects within it. Letting go of the emotional connections to the items inside the home will make you more objective about any necessary changes and more open to Realtor and buyer feedback. To ease the selling process, embrace the idea that your house is a commodity that needs to be sold, and transfer any emotional connections to your new destination.

Make Sure It Looks Clean

Cleaning seems so obvious, and is inexpensive, but the lack of it is one of the biggest complaints agents hear. Hopefully, you’ve done the big scrub leading up to open-house day: carpets steamed, floors mopped, windows wiped, appliances scoured. But on the day of a showing, don’t overlook little details like crumbs on the table from breakfast, toothpaste remnants in sinks, half-full trash cans on display and dust bunnies in rooms you don’t frequent. Do a quick walk-through with a duster, reaching into recessed lights and corners. Straighten the bedspreads in all the rooms, put away loose shoes in hallways and tuck away pet beds and bowls. For added visual appeal and a more spa-like vibe, switch to new, clean towels just before a showing.

Improve Traffic Flow

Over time, homeowners become desensitized to what their possessions look like and where they are placed. The coatrack by the kitchen door, for example, might be practical for your family, but it can look like poor storage to a potential buyer. Walk through each room and determine if the furniture arrangement contributes to a comfortable flow and use of space, or if it simply is that way because that’s how it has always been.

eXp Realty—The Results Team—is ready to help you buy or sell your home! Stop on by our location at 2623 N. Walnut St, Bloomington, IN 47404. Or call us at: (812)822-2746.