You did it! All the purging and staging is done and now your house is listed on the market. Now that people are coming to see your home, you’ll need to keep up with all the hard work you did to get it ready. This is the time to mindful of everything and anything.
- Pick up after yourself every day. If you do a little each day, you will never get behind and will never be taken by surprise if a showing is booked.
- To keep your home smelling fresh, take out the trash daily. Avoid cooking pungent Thai or Indian food for dinner. People do notice how your house smells when they first step inside.
- Wash the dishes or place them in the dishwasher after every meal.
- Come up with simple ways to stash things such as kids’ toys, dirty laundry, pet toys, and other evidence of your daily life. Collect these items at the last minute before showings and tuck them into closets, the trunk of your car, or the garage.
- Keep the cleaning company coming regularly.
- Take note of the small things. A burned-out light bulb or stained rug doesn’t go unnoticed.
- Refrain from shopping while your house is on the market. The less stuff you bring into your home during this time the better and the less you’ll have to pack and move with you.
- Curb appeal is important, so don’t overlook the outside! Keep the lawn mowed, watered, and free of toys and pet waste.
- Have a plan in place for times when showings are booked and you need to be out of the house for a couple of hours. Even young children can take responsibility for putting away their toys, turning on lights, and other small tasks.
- Find a place for the pets to go while showings are happenings. There’s nothing worse than walking through a home while a fearful pet is barking or hissing. It’s not their fault strangers are coming and going.
