Preparing to Show Your Property

First Impression is Everything

The First impression is the most important impression. You will want to ensure that buyers looking at your home are left with the best possible impression and memory of your home over the competition. It is always important to take a step back and look at your own home as a Buyer would or even better the potential home inspector. That being said, when preparing your home to show keep the following in mind:

Exterior

  • House exterior in good repair
  • House number easy to read
  • Eavestroughs, down spouts and soffits in good repair
  • Garage/ Carport clean and tidy
  • Litter picked up
  • Cracked or broken windowpanes replaced
  • Lawns and hedges cut and trimmed, garden weeded and edged
  • Walks shoveled and salted
  • Boot tray inside front door
  • Doorbell and door hardware in good repair
  • Porch and foyer clean and tidy
  • Fresh paint or paint touched up
  • Ensure windows, doors and any other areas needing caulking have been attended to

Interior

  • Chipped plaster and paint touched up and repaired
  • Doors and cupboards properly closed
  • Leaky taps and toilets repaired
  • Burnt out light bulbs replaced
  • Squeaky doors oiled
  • Mirrors, fixtures and taps cleaned and polished
  • Seals around tubs and basins in good repair
  • Floors cleaned, garbage containers emptied
  • Inside of closets and cupboards neat and tidy
  • Family photos taken down
  • Appliances cleaned
  • Countertops neat and polished
  • All lights turned on
  • Air conditioner turned on (in warm weather)
  • New Air Filter in your furnace
  • Fresh air in house
  • Fireplace lit/ furnace on (in cooler weather)
  • Halls and stairs cleaned
  • Drapes opened during daylight
  • Carpets freshly vacuumed
  • Fresh flowers in various rooms
  • Jewelry and valuables locked safely away or taken with you
  • Valuable property (such as objects of art, vases and figurines) out of reach, out of sight or locked away
  • Pets absent, where possible, or contained during the showing, and litter boxes are cleaned
  • Gentle music for ambiance playing during showings

All of these details will certainly ensure that you obtain top dollar for your home!