When you’re selling your home, keeping it ready to show at a moment’s notice can sometimes make a significant difference. In a perfect world, prospective buyers will always have time to schedule showings in advance — but exceptions do occur. That’s why experienced sellers know how to juggle living a normal life while keeping their place ‘show-ready’ by taking advantage of a few organizational tricks. They really aren’t all that difficult (but they do take a commitment to stay organized). When you follow them, it makes showing your home in town a snap!
Supplies at the ready
The easiest way to stay on top of messes is to nail them when they start. Stock up on wipes and ready-to-use supplies (think pre-soaked wipes and erasers instead of rags, sprays, and mops) — and stash them in critical locations around the house. You can even keep them in plain sight between showings: it reminds you to wipe down surfaces after each use without making it a major project. Regular quick wipe-downs will keep your home shiny and inviting — even when showing you’re home comes as a last-minute surprise.
Simplify storage
Place a few attractive bins and storage ottomans strategically in rooms prone to clutter (playrooms, bedrooms, and dens). Encourage everyone to make a habit of throwing odds and ends into them before the end of the day, and removing things only as needed. Showing your home on a dime becomes a no-brainer when the clutter lives out of sight.
Start packing
If you haven’t already started packing, get going early. Pack up everything you don’t regularly use — like those shelves of books you haven’t touched in years. And deal with the off-season wardrobe: When you’re actively showing your home in this spring or summer, those fall and winter items should be headed into storage, and vice versa.
Makes small adjustments
This idea is optional — but it really works! Encourage everyone to remove their shoes at the front door. Place a decorative mat at the entrance (and include a coat rack if the weather calls for it). This temporary house rule works to get everyone in on the act and subtly helps keep them conscious that showing your home is partly everyone’s responsibility. It’s also a reminder to keep packages and bags from building up near those doorways.
When showing your home is part of a well-planned and systematic project, just a few of these relatively minor adjustments can keep you and your family calm and collected — and make even last-minute showings a breeze. My clients make the rules for the minimum heads-up time for scheduling a showing, and I stick to it. But when they can create an environment when the odd last-minute showing is a no-stress possibility, it does seem to have a way of increasing the odds that the latest showing … becomes the last!
