Tips For A Successful Home Showing

Real estate showings give potential buyers the opportunity to see and experience your home in person.

According to a recent study, 79% of buyers said that taking a private tour was extremely or very important to their home-buying decision.

So, here are 10 tips for having a successful showing and transaction!

1. Clean thoroughly: Steam the carpets, mop or vacuum hard floors, clean windows, polish appliances and give the bathrooms a serious scrubbing.
2. Depersonalize and declutter: Room by room, remove little items that clutter up space and make rooms look smaller. Remove family photos and personalized decor, you want buyers to picture themselves living in the home, and they can’t do that with your family pictures on the wall.
3. Rearrange furniture as needed: Remove furniture to make rooms seem bigger, and swap pieces in and out of different rooms to give each space an obvious purpose. For example, add a desk and chair to a bonus room to show it as a home office, or move a twin bed into an empty bedroom.
4. Don’t forget the outside: Curb appeal helps your home make its first impression, and your to-do list will vary seasonally. Common tasks include planting flowers, pulling weeds, and mowing the lawn.
5. Keep storage spaces tidy: Every buyer is looking for a home with plenty of storage, which means they’re going to be opening your closets, pantry, and garage doors.
6. Highlight the best features: Identify the features that are most attractive about your home. If you have beautiful hardwood floors, remove the rug that’s covering them up. Love your stainless steel appliances? Don’t hide them behind refrigerator magnets.
7. Secure your belongings: Lock away any valuables to avoid theft of expensive items or private information.
8. Have a plan for pets and kids: Your showings are much more likely to go smoothly if family pets or young family members aren’t around.
9. Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature: If tours will be happening when you’re at work and you usually turn the heat off, keep it on so that buyers will be comfortable during their tour. The same goes for the summer, if you have a nice, cool house, buyers will be inclined to stay longer and enjoy the home.
10. Provide refreshments: Make your home feel welcoming with snacks, candy, and desserts. Don’t forget to leave a garbage can in plain sight so visitors can clean up after themselves.

The above tips admittedly can take time to implement, so they're perfect as guidelines to follow throughout the entire purchase process from the day you listed your home to closing, i.e. cleaning and decluttering regularly.

Before your home goes under contract though, during the first week of listing in particular, it's common to receive short notice showing requests. The following is a checklist for this type of panic:

10 more tips for last-minute showings!

1. Sound: Turn off the television and tune the radio (low volume) to a soft rock or a classic rock station.
2. Sight: Turn on every light in the house (day or night) and open every drape and blind (day time only).
3. Odors: Heat some frozen pastry slowly in the oven or heat a pan on the stove and then drop in a few drops of vanilla.
4. Kitchen: Wipe kitchen counters, place dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
5. Bathrooms: Wipe counters, flush and close toilets.
6. Living/Family Rooms: Hide magazines, newspapers, and games; remove clutter.
7. Bedrooms: Straighten beds. Hide clutter under bed (not in closet).
8. Exterior: Put away toys and clutter. Keep the walkway clear.
9. Children & Pets: They are a distraction, so send them outside.
10. Goodbye: Sorry, but this is the single most important thing you can do in a showing to help sell your home! Even if the showing agent insists that it is okay to stay, you must leave. Buyers must get emotionally committed to your home to buy it and they cannot become emotional about "their new home" if you, the current owners, are "hanging around." Please, at the very least, go into the backyard. Even better, go to the store.

Putting your best foot forward when showing your home is key to getting top dollar for your home. Things as simple as cleaning and decluttering your home can make the difference of thousands of dollars. If you're ready to speak with an agent to get started with the listing process, don't hesitate to fill out the form below to contact us.

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