A Checklist For Last-minute Home Showings

Preparing a home for sale is among the first things a Realtor will recommend home owners do prior to listing their home. “Making sure your home is in tip top shape while up for sale is imperative,” says Costa Poulopoulos, president of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA). “A clean, staged and functioning home will ensure a home owner receives the best possible price for their home.”

For best results, home owners should begin preparing their home for sale well in advance of putting it on the market. Once the bigger projects are out of the way, and the home is finally ready for showing, home owners need to be prepared for those unexpected requests for showings.

“Outside of the scheduled open houses, prospective home buyers may request to see a home with only a half hours’ notice,” says Poulopoulos. “Home owners need to be prepared to open their door to these potential buyers at all times, even if that means abandoning a half-cooked meal at dinnertime.”

For those unexpected showings, Poulopoulos offers these last minute tips:

Sights – If you’ve done a good job at keeping your house clean while it’s been listed, then a last minute tidy-up job should be no problem. Make sure beds are made, fresh towels are laid out, the kitchen sink is free of dishes, closet doors are closed, dirty laundry is out of site, the toilet lids are down and valuables are locked away.

Sounds – Be sure to turn off all televisions and turn on light music on a very low volume. This helps put home buyers at ease and helps them relax and enjoy their home tour.

Smells – While selling your home, try to refrain from cooking strong smelling foods like fish or foods with a lot of garlic. Eliminate pet smells by cleaning your carpets and furniture before listing your home. A last-minute freshen up job is simple to achieve by just opening up all the windows and doors and letting the fresh air into your home. It’s also a good idea to keep a light-smelling air freshener on-hand.

Finishing touches – Turn on all of the lights in your home, open all drapes and blinds to let in light, set the table and put out fresh flowers or fruit in a bowl.

More information is available at, www.wedothehomework.ca 

This article is provided by local REALTORS® and the Ontario Real Estate Association for the benefit of consumers in the real estate market.