PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR
SHOWING AND
q Set the asking price comparable to similar homes in your area which have sold recently.
q Secure all necessary legal documents and use them to protect yourself from fraud.
q Both the purchase and lender will require satisfactory proof that you have a good title to the property.
q Buyers and lenders will want a satisfactory survey including all easements, rights of way and encroachments.
q Have current tax information available.
q Have all utility bills available.
q Have information about your insulation type and thickness available
q Have all warranties on roof and appliances available.
q Check your property with a critical eye. Buyers will look for faults which could cost them money to remedy.
q Clean up, fix up and paint. You have only one chance to make a good first impression, so lavish time, money and energy on curb appeal.
q Rearrange the furniture to create the most open space. If you have “too much?” furniture, remove some and store it. Six very important words: no clutter, no clutter, no clutter!
q Keep the house immaculate at all times, since showings are not scheduled events. Remember that you are competing against professionally decorated builder’s model homes. Pay particular attention to the bathrooms and the kitchen. In the bathrooms, towels should be fresh and clean, sinks and baths scrubbed, and the floor freshly cleaned. In the kitchen, make sure all dishes are put away and countertops and sinks cleaned.
q Turn off the TV. Soft music on the radio. Build a fire in the fireplace. Open the shades and turn on the lights. Check the thermostat to make sure that the house is at a comfortable temperature.
q Keep children and pets out of the way during showings.
q Get every buyer’s name and phone number for follow up. Almost no one buys a home on the first visit.
q Give all family members assigned jobs in advance that will go into action when a short-notice showing is scheduled. Everyone must know their duties and carry them out, so that you don't end up banging into one another trying to get everything done quickly.
q Open every window covering. All drapes, curtains and blinds should be positioned to let in maximum light. Buyers like a house to be "light and bright," so accommodate them! Turn on as many lights as possible.
q Make sure the house smells good. Baking cookies, often recommended, may be overdoing it, but pet odors, smoke, or greasy cooking odors definitely will not work! Air out the house just before the scheduled showing, but close the windows (unless it is a perfect day) before they arrive.
q Make sure Fact Sheets are available and easily accessible. (The dining room table is an ideal place for them).
q If you are using an Agent, leave! If this is not possible, make yourself as inconspicuous as possible. If it is comfortable outside, go there until the buyers leave. If you are selling on your own, of course, you don't have this luxury. If this is the case, be as helpful as you can but don't crowd the buyers.
