7 Ways to Spruce Up Your Home for a Showing

Written by Posted On Friday, 12 October 2018 08:03

You’ve finally decided to sell your starter home and move into a home big enough to fit your growing family. You’ve had several showings, but no takers yet. You begin to worry that you’ll never be able to purchase that nice big house and wonder if there is anything you can do to make your home more presentable for showings…

 

Well, yes, there are countless things you can do to make homebuyers choose your house over the one down the street. Here are seven tips to help your home show like a model home:

 

1. Become a minimalist.

It’s important to declutter your home before attempting to show it. A cluttered home gives homebuyers the impression that the home is smaller than it actually is. How can they picture their own home furnishings fitting into the house if there is any open wall space?

 

Taking the time to follow organizational expert Marie Kondo’s advice of getting rid of things that no longer bring you joy, will not only help your home show better, but it will help you prepare for your upcoming move. Plan to toss, sell, donate or store a good portion of your belongings so your home looks spacious.

 

2. Stage what’s left behind.

Now that only your best pieces of furniture and decor are left behind, it’s time to stage your home. You’ve probably seen plenty of Pinterest posts on how to make a room look inviting or watched one of HGTV’s home improvement shows. Now it’s your turn to be the interior decorator and try your hand at making your home a show home.

 

3. Make it spotless.

Nothing turns a buyer away quicker than a dirty home. Now is the time to put some elbow grease into cleaning your stove and making it shine and cleaning the windows inside and out until they sparkle. Now is the time to make sure your refrigerator is clear of moldy food and that your bathrooms are immaculate. Now it the time to hire a professional carpet cleaner and upholstery cleaner to get your furniture and floors looking as clean as the rest of the home.

 

Not only does a spotless home make your house show better, it also shows your potential buyers that you take care about your belongings. In their minds, this translates into the type of care you’ve given to the home they’re thinking of buying.

 

4. Store personal items.

Before showing your home, it’s best to remove personal belongings such as photographs from the walls and drawings from the refrigerator. Potential buyers tend to feel more comfortable when they don’t feel like they’re invading someone’s private space. Removing personal items also makes it easier for home buyers to envision their own items occupying the home.

 

5. Clean up the front yard.

This is crucial. First appearances really do matter. If a potential buyer approaches your home and the lawn needs to be cut, there are weeds throughout the flower beds (or even dead flowers!), and children’s toys strewn across the lawn, there is a strong likelihood that they won’t even come inside to check out your home, but will just drive on by. Make sure your front yard is the best it can be.

 

6. Turn on the lights and open shades.

Once you hear that a potential buyer wants to see your home, before you leave the house for the showing, take a few minutes to open the window shades and turn on lights. A bright and cheery home is more appealing to potential buyers than a dark and dreary house.

 

7.  Make sure your home smells good.

A smelly house also turns away potential homebuyers. Bake a batch of cookies before the showing to fill the home with an tantalizing aroma. Diffusing essential oils is also a great way to stimulate the senses of potential buyers. Making sure the home smells amazing is especially important if you own a pet.

Now that your home is decluttered, staged, and spotless, with personal items in storage, and a front yard that has curb appeal, all you need to do is bake a batch of cookies, open the curtains, turn on the lights, and you’re ready to show your home. It’ll be sold before you know it!

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