Preparing a home for showings has the potential to boost buyer interest and net you a faster sale. Keeping your house clean and finding ways to accentuate its best features can also lead buyers to see its full potential.
You want buyers to imagine themselves in the space, and there are plenty of ways to make that easier. This guide includes all the tips you need to elevate your next “open house” home showing from good to great.
1. Make indoor and outdoor repairs.
Taking care of any interior and exterior repairs should be the first step when preparing for scheduled showings.
- Walk around your house and look for obvious signs of wear and tear.
- Check room-by-room and make a list of repairs and necessary touch ups.
While completing your walkthrough, take note of any scuffs or scrapes on walls or floors. Creaking doors, sticking windows, and squeaky cabinets are things people learn to live with as homeowners. To a potential buyer, these tiny quirks could be a big deal breaker.
Next, do the same thing for your house’s exterior.
Outside, look for chipped paint, warped siding, and signs of rot in wood. If you have fencing, make sure it is free of rust. Touching things up with a fresh coat of stain or paint will go a long way to breathing new life into your home’s exterior.
Many of the repairs you’ll come across should be easy enough for you to handle on your own. Even if it ends up being outside your wheelhouse, online DIY tutorials are plentiful.
You can even read up on our own list of common home repairs.
2. Check home appliances and systems.
Performing regular maintenance on your appliances keeps them in good working order and prevents breakdowns. The same goes for the electrical, plumbing, and other systems in your home.
Taking the time to perform simple maintenance on your HVAC system will help prevent any surprises during the home selling process. Naturally, this goes for all other appliances and home systems, as well.
Before a showing, inspect and perform maintenance on the following items:
- Refrigerator
- Dishwasher
- Oven
- Sinks
- Garbage Disposal
- Drains & Pipes
- Toilets
- Circuit Breakers
- Outlets & Switches
- Furnace & Heat Pump
- Air Conditioners
- Ductwork
To avoid any headaches and unnecessary complications, it’s a good idea to cover your appliances and systems with a home warranty. A home warranty puts you in touch with the right professionals in the event of breakdowns or repair needs. It also helps cover the costs of repair or replacement in case of a malfunction.
Did you know? Having a home warranty when selling a home also boosts the value of your house when you go to sell!
3. Declutter and deep clean.
Many home stagers recommend removing at least half of your items before showings. Decluttering and organizing the rooms of your house will enable buyers to appreciate its spaciousness.
You’ll want to keep items in storage bins and not just shoved in closets. Buyers will be checking those areas personally to see if they fit their needs.
Keeping things clean is a big plus for buyers when showing a home. Make a routine of dusting and vacuuming and stick to it.
Staying on top of a cleaning regimen throughout the home showing process will keep the residence welcoming and presentable.
4. Remove some furniture (but not all).
You’ll want to empty your home a bit. However, do leave some furniture for staging. Having a few pieces of furniture in each room will make it easier for buyers to imagine how things could be organized.
Keeping entryways and pathways between rooms clear will create a flow through rooms. You also don’t want any furniture blocking any unique architectural points that make your home shine.
In short, while you can still keep some furnishings present, you want the spaciousness of your home to be the first thing any potential buyers notice.
5. Depersonalize the interior.
Remove any family photos, religious symbols, or hobby gear you might have around. You want to make it easy for prospective buyers to imagine themselves and their own belongings in the house.
Neutral paintings or landscape photography can be kept hanging to give a lived-in feel. Again, the goal here is to allow buyers to imagine themselves living there. They are looking for a place to fall in love with and call their own. It’s hard to do that with other people’s personal items around.
Consider renting storage space to safekeep extra furniture and belongings while your home is on the market.
6. Add a fresh coat of paint.
You don’t need to repaint your entire home. Instead, focus on rooms that buyers are typically interested in the most. The foyer, entryways, kitchen, bathrooms, and master bedroom are good places to start. You can also touch up baseboards and any other minor patches that are needed in other rooms.
Choose neutral colors, such as beige, gray, tan, and off-white. Keeping things simple will make it easier for buyers to fantasize about making your house their home.
7. Stage your home.
Home staging can lead to a faster sale with higher offers. Again, showing off the spaciousness of each room is the key.
If you’re good with organization and design, this is a process that can be handled on your own. Professional stagers recommend using one focal point per room, such as a vase of fresh flowers or a perfectly placed painting to draw the eye. Air fresheners can also be a great purchase prior to any house showings.
Just like with painting, you don’t need to stage your entire house. Instead pay attention to the rooms that interest buyers most.
- Kitchen
- Living Room
- Master Bedroom
- Bathrooms
Don’t forget about your home’s exterior! Some potted plants or well-kept landscaping will “wow” buyers from the moment they pull up to the house (this is known as “curb appeal”).
A home warranty can help you sell your house faster!
Give potential buyers peace of mind by purchasing a home warranty plan that covers systems and appliances.
Home warranties can pass from seller to buyer, so why not add some extra incentive for home showings? A coverage plan will also protect you during the selling process in the case of unforeseen breakdowns. Learn more about how home warranties benefit sellers.
