Selling Your Home? 5 Easy Tips to Keep it Show-Ready at All Times

Selling a home is stressful!  You have a lot to do just to get your home ready for photos - things like basic repairs, a new coat of paint and staging your home to appeal to the most buyers.  You want to style it so that the home feels new - buyers don't want to inherit others hand-me-down problems. The more you can do to create a fresh new feel, the better. 

But once showings start, it can be difficult to keep your home tour-ready. You are still living your life there, and maintaining the sparkling clean showpiece every moment can be difficult.

Below are 5 tips to help make this process easier for you: 
 

1. Pre-pack
   
   The more you have decluttered, packed up and put in storage, the less you have to keep looking ‘perfect’ for staging.  It has to get packed for moving anyway, so why wait? Are you going to need it in the next month or two? If not, box it up! Have a POD (portable-on-demand) storage container delivered, fill it up & have it stored away until it's time to deliver it to your new home. 
   
   
   
2. Storage & Organization
   
   Invest in storage containers you love - you can use them again to stay organized in your new house!  They really help contain all the visual mess (caused by having lots of small items) in every room! Also, become a minimalist for the time being - no more buying extra soap bottles on sale!
   
   Have a pantry that is overflowing? Donate some to your local food pantry! Less to move later, buyers can see ample space for food storage and you have done a good deed :)
   
   
   
   
3. Hire out as much as you can! 
   
   Window cleaning, carpet cleaning, painting, yard work, etc. - Your life is probably busy & your time will need to be spent managing all of the projects, not exhausting yourself doing the work. I highly recommend a maid service on weekdays, especially if you work and usually clean on the weekends - that is the most popular time for showings! 
   
   This doesn’t have to be long term, only while the house is on the market. You have so much going on, stress levels get high, lots of decisions have to be made, and it can be money well spent to take something off your plate.  After the inspection and repairs are complete, things tend to get a bit easier to manage yourself again.
   
   
   
4. Eat out
   
   You may want to eat out while the house is on the market.  It cuts down on the amount of time spent cleaning appliances, you can buy fewer groceries (so you don't fill up the pantry you just cleaned out), it keeps pots & dishes clean, and helps eliminate smelly food & trash.
   
   There are so many healthy to-go options or you can create fun picnics with your family to enjoy your neighborhood park before you move away. Have family & friends nearby? Eat your meals with them for the time being.
   
   
   
   ^{inspiration photos taken while on a TollBrothers builder model home tour in Allen, Tx. Designer unknown}
   
   
5. Be prepared to leave the house at a moments notice.
   
   Sometimes you have to leave the house quickly for a showing - always be prepared!  The bathrooms and kitchens are the hardest to keep clean because they are used regularly, but they must be kept in pristine condition at all times! 
   
   You don’t want to turn down a showing because of short notice. Have some extra storage hampers that are ready to throw any unsightly messes into - you can put them in your car with you & deal with them when you get home. Keep the garbage cans empty, the beds made and floors vacuumed.
   
   Have pets or kiddos? Have a go-bag ready for their favorite toys, snacks etc. That way you can hop in the car with everything they need until you can return home. 
   
   Don’t forget about privacy too - have a system to keep your personal information private & put daily mail documents away as soon as you get them. Have a system to take your extra keys, cash, jewelry and prescription medicine with you.

Hope you found a few tips to help make this crazy time a bit easier for you.

Happy Selling!

- The Decorating Coach -

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