Preparing for Showings

We recommended that your home be ready to show at all times. Some sellers are able to keep their homes in constant show condition while others need at least twenty-four hours to prepare for a showing. 

We realize that you are still living in your home and will need time to
tidy up a bit before each showing. You'll be given as much notice as
you require before allowing a prospective buyer to visit your home.

How agents show your home
Agents will call us to schedule an appointment. We then contact you to arrange a time that is suitable for both you and the prospect. You'll need to be flexible. The more difficult it is for agents to schedule visits, the
less likely they will be to show your property. Many buyers can't look at your home until after work in the evenings, so try to be accommodating. 

You won't need to stay home to answer the door. Agents have a keypad that opens a lock box attached to your door or other convenient location. When a code is entered, a house key is ejected from the box. The lock box allows easy access for the Realtors and will result in a higher volume of showings.

If a stranger asks to see your home
We recommend that you not show your home to anyone who asks to see your home because they saw the sign in your yard. Ask for the prospect's name and phone number and give us a call. We'll talk to the prospect so you don't waste time showing your home to someone who is not qualified
to purchase it or has other reasons for looking at the home.
 

Staging your home just prior to a showing

Turn on all the lights
Even during the day. You want to display a bright, well lit home not a dull, gray home full of dark shadows. Turn
on lights in the basement and near the furnace area. The prospective buyer and his agent will be unfamiliar with your home and may not be able to find the switches or strings that turn on the lights.

Open the drapes
You want sunshine and daylight to help sell your home. Close them in the evening.

Turn off the television
...and the radio, and stereo. You don't want buyers distracted from looking at your home or offended by your choice of entertainment. Soft, easy listening music is alright.

If you have a fireplace
You don’t need to build a fire in the fireplace, just make sure it’s clean.

Pets
Pets should be contained or taken somewhere else during a showing. Some people are allergic to, or afraid of animals.

Straighten things up
Put away the dinner dishes and pick up newspapers and the children's toys.

Clean-up the kitchen and bathrooms
Buyers take a hard look at these areas and make quick decisions base on what they see.

Make the beds
Can buyers be that fussy?  No, but unmade beds make buyers feel as if they're intruding on someone's privacy
so they won't take a good look at the room. When they leave they will not remember anything positive about
the bedroom.

The home needs to smell fresh and clean
Fresh air, flowers, potpourri, candles or freshly baked bread is a great way to give your home an inviting aroma.

Don't smoke in the house
The number of smokers is declining rapidly. Buyers who don’t smoke will have a negative reaction as soon as they sense the smell of stall tobacco smoke.

Avoid cooking with heavy spices
The Buyer hasn't been invited to diner so that's why he' there. Garlic, cabbage, onions or pungent spices that smell throughout the home may be in conflict with the Buyer's diet and leave him with a negative feeling about the home.

Leave the home while it is being shown
The presence of the owner will make buyers uneasy. They'll also feel that they are inconveniencing you and will hurry through your home. If you must remain in the home, stay out of their way by moving to an area that has already been visited.