It’s Showtime
Showing Your Home at Its Best

First impressions are important, whether it's meeting someone for the first time or showing your home on the real estate market.

To prospective buyers, a clean house projects that the entire house is well maintained, right down to its hidden elements such as heating and plumbing. Most people selling their home are aware that a clean and tidy home can help their home sell faster. The word 'clean', however, means different things to different people!

Keeping your home in perfect showing condition has its benefits:

1. it may sell faster
2. it may sell for more money
3. in a clutter-free home, any home improvements that have been made are clearly visible

Since an open house is an inevitable part of real estate sales, take the time to prepare your home well in advance of the open house date. Here are a few pointers:

1. Remove piles of magazines, books, clothes, etc. that are not being read or worn.
2. Clean out closets and drawers, discarding clothing and other items you no longer wear or use.
3. Shoes that tend to pile up beside a door, or in a hallway, need to be placed in a closet or other storage space.
4. Items not used on a regular basis can be packed up, and stored neatly.
5. Declutter, declutter, declutter! Aim for the look of an uncluttered, yet comfortable, hotel room.

Once the clutter is removed, focus on the house itself:

1. Wash walls, windows and doors.
2. Shampoo carpets.
3. For hardwood floors, consider having them professionally cleaned and varnished.
4. Oil all squeaky joints and hinges.
5. Polish the brass hinges and doorknobs.

If you own a pet, or pets, here are a few hints for successful home showing:

1. Put pets outdoors or in cages for the safety of all involved while the house is being shown.
2. Clean the kitty litter box daily, if you own a cat. (Some buyers fear the odour is permanent if they can smell this while viewing a home).
3. If possible, open the windows shortly before the house is shown, allowing fresh air to flow through the house.

The outside of your home shouldn't be neglected, either. This is truly where a prospective buyer will receive a first impression!

1. A fresh paint job of the whole exterior. If cost is a factor, touch up the worst spots, or try small accents, such as window frames or doors painted in a colour that contrasts the house.
2. Keep the garden neat and tidy. Pick up bedding plants at a local nursery to brighten up the flowerbed; use only two or three colours for a uniform look.
3. Flowerboxes or flowerpots on window ledges also brighten up an exterior, if you have the right style of home.
4. Keep the lawn mowed.
5. Trim all bushes and shrubbery.

Don't use the garage as a catchall for all the discarded junk, because prospective owners want to see the garage, too. Anything stored in the garage should be stored neatly. Create one space for boxed items, another for bikes, the lawnmower and garden tools.

The hard part is maintaining all of the above so your home is in peak showing form on a daily basis. But, it's worth it! Once a home has been thoroughly cleaned, it is a simple task to quickly vacuum and do a routine tidy up when a call comes from your realtor to show your home.