Picture this, after your agent has left, your house has never looked so pristine and beautiful. It’s an amazing thing, but we understand if you’re stressed about keeping your home in tip-top shape – especially if you have kids and pets. Luckily there are plenty of things that you can do to keep your home stunning and showing ready, here you will find a few tips to keep your well-staged home intact, even when you’re still living in it.
1. Entryway
Your entryway, foyer, or mudroom is an easy place for clutter to develop, whether it’s shoes, jackets, mail, etc, things can pile up. You want to make sure these things are put away before showings. You can place a decorative wicker basket in the corner as a catch-all for your daily loose items. When a showing pops up you can easily move the basket into a nearby closet to get it out of sight.
2. Furniture and Accessories
When living in a home that’s on the market, it’s inevitable things get moved around. After the agent has come in and put their finishing touches you should go through your house and snap photos of each room at different angles. This way you have some images to refer back to, this will help show you how the rooms were set up and keep to the stagers original design.
3. Living Areas
To keep the clutter at a minimum in your living spaces, keep a few large storage bins on hand. This will be an easy way to collect excess clutter to store away before showings. It’s also a good idea to go around and remove cords from gaming consoles, TVs, etc. They can be a bit of an eye sore if they’re prominent and in abundance.
4. Pets
Although part of our family, pets can make a pretty big mess within the home. So prior to showings, go through each room with a vacuum to pick up excess hair, put away their water and food dishes, and be sure to put the litter box away. Day of showing, if possible, have your pets visit a close and trusted family member or friend. If the showing notice is really short, take your pets on a car ride or out to a local park for an hour or two.
5. Kitchen
The kitchen can be a focal point for a lot of buyers, so keeping your kitchen clean and tidy is crucial. Keep your meals basic, this shouldn’t be the time to experiment with pungent spices, seafood, or strong smelling vegetables like onions, broccoli, cabbage, etc. You should also remove the kitchen trash on a daily basis to ensure no lingering odors occur. This can be really off putting to potential buyers.
6. Bedrooms
It may seem excessive but making the bed every morning, including decorative throw pillows can make last minute showings less stressful. This way you are ready for any time a showing may pop up. It’s also important to put the laundry away everyday, no buyers want to see a pile of clothes in the corner of the room.
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