Showing Your Home Successfully

Showing Your Home Successfully
Your house should always be available for show, even though there may be times that will be inconvenient for you. Allow your Realtor to put a lock box on the front door to make it easy for other Realtors to show your home to their prospective homebuyers. Otherwise, prospective buyers and selling agents will have to schedule appointments for later dates, which is a nuisance and inconvenient. The majority of these potential buyers and selling agents will simply skip your home to show the house of someone else who is more cooperative. Find Something Else To Do Potential buyers will feel like intruders if you are there when they visit, and they might not be as receptive toward touring your home. Take your family to the closest park or stop by your local Starbucks. If you are still adamant about staying, and will not take my advice, remain in an out of the way area of the house and do not move from room to room. By all means, keep quiet, and do not volunteer any information. Feel free to answer any questions that the prospective buyer or the selling agent may ask. Lighting to Set the Mood When you know that someone is coming by to show your home, turn on all the indoor and outdoor lights, even during the day. In the evening, a house that is full of light, gives a warm, and inviting impression when viewed from the street. During the daytime, having al of the lights on prevents harsh shadows from sunlight, and brightens up any dim areas. Trust me; your house will appear more inviting, and cheerful with all of the lights on. Just remember to turn all of the lights off after the showing so as not to make an extra donation to your local utility company. Inviting Scents Whatever you do, stay away from scented sprays when you are preparing for showings. It is very obvious to prospective buyers and selling agents and many will find the smells of those sprays offensive, not to mention that some may be allergic. If you are trying to achieve a pleasant aroma in your house, a little preparation is in order. Purchase a potpourri pot, a scented candle or something else natural. If you have not planned for this event, simply turn on a stove burner for a moment and put a drop of vanilla extract on it. It will smell like you have been cooking all day. Believe It Or Not, Everyone Does Not Like Fido If you have pets, make sure your listing agent puts a notice with your listing in the local Multiple Listing Service. The last thing you want is to have Fido running out the front door and getting lost. If you have been given enough time, and know someone is coming to show your home, take the pets with you while the prospective homebuyers and selling agents tour your home. If you absolutely cannot take them with you, it is advisable to keep Fido in a penned area in the back yard. Try to keep any other pets, such as cats, in a specific room when you expect visitors, and e sure to place a sign on the door. Most of the time, an indoor cat will hide when buyers come to view your property, but they may panic and try to escape. Remember, not everyone is a pet lover. The Kitchen Trash Make sure you empty your kitchen trash before every showing. The prospective homebuyer is more than likely going to open up every cabinet and door in your kitchen, the last thing they want to see is garbage. Remember that you want to send a positive image about every aspect of your home. Kitchen trash does not, and will not, ever send a positive message. You may go through more plastic bags than usual, but that small cost is well worth it. Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness Not everyone makes their bed, and tidies up everyday, but when you are trying to sell your home, I strongly recommended that you quickly begin to develop the habit. Pick up daily newspapers, do not leave empty glasses on end tables, and most importantly, keep everything freshly dusted and vacuumed. Try your best to have it look like a model home.

Todd Little
President at Americas Housing Educators, LLC