Checklist: Preparing Your House for a Showing

We’re trying to sell our house and have shown it six or seven times in the past year and we have learned that preparing your house for a showing is the most important step in selling your house.

Preparing Your House For A Showing

 

Our most recent showing was three days ago, and we got an offer! 

So I guess I must have done something right. 

When an interested party contacts us (when we were selling it ourselves) or our realtor, anxiety sets in; we can have a few hours to a few days of notice, but it’s never long enough to do as much as I’d like to! 

Here’s the checklist for preparing your house for a showing. 

I do it just hours before the showing so it doesn’t have time to get messed up! 

If at all possible, I send my husband and kids out of the house from before I clean until after the showing. 

The bedrooms and living room tend to go pretty quickly at our house, so I do those first just so I feel like I’m making good progress! 

Real quick, before we talk about inside the home.

It’s worth noting that investing in landscaping can result in a return on investment of 100 to 150 percent –– there have even been instances of homeowners experiencing 1,000 percent returns on landscaping.

So before you focus all of your efforts on the inside of your home, remember to show your curb appeal some love.

Checklist: Preparing Your House For A Showing

Every room:

I spray a nice non-chemically smelling air freshener when I start the “big clean”, so it will smell nice when they get there, but not like I’m trying to hide something. 

     Put away clutter (Doesn’t have to be perfect, just has to be hidden.)

     Sweep down cobwebs

     Dust

     Sweep and mop/vacuum floors–don’t forget baseboards! (I do this last.)

     If time: wash windows, wash hand prints from light switches, doors

Bedrooms:

     Make beds

     If time: do laundry so it won’t be funking up the room. 

Kitchen:

     Do dishes and put away.

     Scrub sink

     Counters need to be spotless

     Trash can need to be empty and not visible

     Clean stove

     If time: clean fridge (Ok, ok, I’ve never had that much time!  A girl can dream!)

Bathrooms:

     Clean toilet all over and inside

     Scrub tub

     Clean sink

     Clean mirrors

     Remove used towels

     Close shower curtains

Outside

     Mow lawn or shovel if necessary

     Put away tools and toys.

Finishing Touches:

The last step is to close all closet doors and turn on lamps instead of overhead lights for ambiance. 

If you are inheriting a house in a trust, it’s important to take the necessary steps in preparing your house for a showing, such as cleaning, decluttering, and making repairs to ensure a successful sale.

If I can, I like to leave some vases of fresh flowers around. 

Of course, we had done major tasks like touching up paint, planting a flower garden, and hauling away old appliances.

And it was all done before we ever listed the house for sale, so I haven’t included those things. 

That’s another post for another time.  Good luck selling your house! 

So if you liked this article learn more; Refinishing Old Hardwood FloorsNew Home Cleaning Checklist and How to get Your Kids into Gardening.

And for more related articles on Cleaning check these out;

Starting Your Spring Cleaning 

My Big Goal to Organize my Toddlers Room 

New Home Cleaning Checklist  

Spring Cleaning Tips for Kids   

Cleaning Your House and the Most Missed Spots 

How to Clean and Organize your Kids Room 

5 Steps to Clean Like a Pro  

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