How to Prepare Your Home for Showings

For every homebuyer who is aspiring to sell their current home, the process starts with hiring a professional real estate agent. Once you have found the right real estate agent, your journey to selling your home officially begins. But with a saturated market, how do you increase your chances of being able to sell your home faster than your competition?

Just like with any other competition, you can increase your chances of winning through an ample amount of preparation.

When your home is officially listed in the MLS for sale, it is to be expected that potential buyers would want to see your home in person. As the seller, this is the perfect chance for you to showcase your home and its unique features. And in order to further increase your chances of selling, here are a few tips on how to best prepare your home for showings: #1 Focus on the Curb Appeal Most homeowners only tend to focus on the interior of the home and are completely oblivious as to how much the exterior of their homes affects the sale. It all starts from the exterior of your home. Once a potential buyer reaches your home, this is the first thing that they notice and you only get one shot at creating a great first impression. This means that if you have a front lawn, you have to ensure that everything looks properly trimmed and well-maintained. This could also mean having to repaint your home’s exterior to fix any patches that are showing. Everything down to minute details such as your front doorknob. All these little things already help your potential buyers build an initial impression of what is to be expected for the interior of your home. #2 Remove any Odors Odors can be a huge turnoff for potential buyers. Whether it’s an odor coming from your floor carpets or furniture. Maybe you cooked something in your kitchen the night prior to the showing and the odor is still lingering, or maybe you have a pet at home. Any foul odor can completely ruin a sale and scare away buyers. This rule doesn’t only apply to foul odors, it also applies to scents such as an air freshener or a scented candle. Although some may think that this enhances their chances of selling, it may actually backfire. Some buyers may not like the scent that you chose or even worse, some buyers might think that you are overcompensating and are trying to mask a foul odor. #3 Deep Clean Every Inch When you’re preparing your home for a showing, you don’t simply clean it, you have to deep clean every inch of your home. From your walls to your furniture, windows, appliances, and floors. You have to ensure that your home is ready for the most observant buyer possible. You can clean one corner of your home and highlight it the most but once a buyer notices even the smallest of detail that isn’t clean, you already run the risk of a buyer backing out. Furthermore, it is also key to maintain this throughout the entire selling process. You can’t simply clean your home once and just wait for it to be sold. It is possible that it will take weeks or even months for your home to be sold. Therefore, this process should be done and repeated every single time there is a showing. #4 Showcase Features Once you have ensured that your home is clean, it’s time for you to focus on the key features of your home. For most homeowners, the highlight of their home is the kitchen. If you have a large kitchen space then that’s definitely something you should highlight. Just ensure that all of your pantry items, pots, and towels are organized and that your countertop is clean and shiny. For others, the highlight of their property can be their backyard. You can be creative when showcasing your backyard. Try to bring it to life by placing some furniture and really demonstrate to the buyers how they can utilize the space. #5 Depersonalize the Space As hard as it is, it is recommended that homeowners shouldn’t be physically present in the property for showings. The simple reason for this is that your buyers should feel comfortable to voice out their concerns and criticize the property. If the owner is around, they might feel uncomfortable and uneasy. The second part of depersonalizing the space is to try and remove any personal item from the property. From picture frames with family photos to your kids’ trophies and medals, the goal here is to allow your buyers to imagine living in your property. The more a buyer is able to imagine themselves living in your home, the easier it’ll be for them to decide and commit. #6 Make Quick Fixes The smallest of things can turn off your buyers. Taking the extra steps to make small repairs in your home can mean a huge difference. You can start by checking if all of your doors are working properly. Are all of the locks and knobs working? Then you can move on to your windows. Are there any broken glass or panels that need to be replaced? Then you can move on to sealing or repainting any small crack or patch. Making these small repairs can help you sell your home faster and at a much higher price.