Yes, the secret is out–we’ve listed our home for sale. It’s been a great house and we’ve poured a lot of love into it over the years. HOwever, we bought our 3 bedroom, 1690 square foot home when we just had two little ones. Now as a family of seven things have gotten a little crowded. Since this is our first home, this is also our first time selling a home. I’ve quickly discovered it’s not for the faint of heart. Trying to keep your home ready to show at a moment’s notice is probably hard for anyone. Throw in five little mess makers and it reaches Olympic-levels tough. Today I’m sharing some tips with you for getting your house show ready, even with kids. This post is in partnership with Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
tips for getting your house show ready
declutter and organize
The first thing I did to get ready was declutter and start packing away non-essentials. These included extra toys and kitchen items that are only used once or twice a year. Packing these things away ensures that cabinets and closets are less crowded showcasing available storage. It also means that there’s less for your kids to get into and make a mess with. For example, if you’re listing your home in summer you cna pack away your winter coats. Likewise, if you’re listing it in winter consider if you can do without swimsuits and beach towels. You also want to walk the fine line between homey and TOO personalized. So I took down most of our personal photos and tried to clear excess clutter from the counters. Buyers should be able to picture themselves in your home, not overwhelmed by all your personal touches.
| Read: Organization BINGO Game |
deep clean
It’s a lot easier to keep things clean if they start out really clean. So, rather than try to do a quick clean up on a messy slate clean everything NOW. Things that probably aren’t done often like dusting baseboards or cleaning your shower doors shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s no surprise that showing a dirty home makes a buyer wonder what else you’ve let slide. I used Brawny Tear-A-Square paper towels to wash all my windows and glass surfaces. I love how strong and durable they are, perfect for holding up during use. Along with deep cleaning your home goes helping it to not look so “lived in”. So now is the perfect time to touch up paint if you’ve got extra and clean up wall scribbles that your little Picassos might have put there.
| Read: Cleaning Hacks for Busy Moms |
free printable for getting your house show ready
do your checklist
I’ve learned that sometimes you get a few days notice before a house showing. However, sometimes you get a lot less–we’ve been given just an hour notice before! Since your home is decluttered and deep cleaned already it’s easy to do a quick clean up before you head out the door. I’ve included a free printable to help make sure you leave your home show ready! You could also just save to your phone for easy reference. The Brawny Tear-A-Square paper towels are great for last minute clean ups, whether big or small. The 2-ply 1/4 and 1/2 sheets make it easy to only use what you need and not waste what you don’t!
Do you have tips for getting your house show ready?