6 tips for parents to get your home “show ready” for selling

by Jessica DeCotis

Selling your home as a parent is complicated. You have more stuff, and more people to think of, when moving. Here are some quick tips to get your house show ready for buyers to walk in and feel at home.

1. Cloth bins help with a quick cleanup

Target and other mass retailers have inexpensive collapsible cloth bins that look pretty and fit nicely on most shelves. If you’ve got counter/table/floor clutter and need to get out of your house fast, have these on hand. Throw that chaos into those ‘designer’, mess-reducing bins and pop it on a shelf.

2. Pre-make your meals for showing days.

This one is a little harder, but if you have a set amount of days you’re showing your home (e.g. delayed negotiations here in NY), and you’re not going out of town, you don’t want to leave a lingering smell of food in the air. Just like candles and air fresheners can be overpowering, food odors can make a house smell less than pleasant to potential buyers. Yes, even cookies and bread baking in the oven. You just don’t know peoples’ allergies or aversions.

Tips: For dinner think about pre-made sandwiches or wraps, fresh cut veggies with hummus, or cereal/oatmeal/yogurt, again low odor foods are best. If cooking absolutely can’t be avoided (I know, kids are very specific), try not to cook or bake things like fish or with strong smelling meats or oils. If you can, go out to eat to break up the process and relieve some stress. Remember, it’s temporary, and your house will sell soon.

3. Make sure you’re not nose blind to your pets

Stemming from that last tip, if you have beloved pets, you need to invite your trusted Realtor, friend, or family member over who will tell you if your home smells less than pleasant. Not just for showings, but all the way to closing day. I once walked into a home during a final walkthrough and the entire house smelled of cat urine. We ended up asking for a credit so we could have the home professionally cleaned. The sellers had cleaned it for showings but let the cat urinate on things again afterward. Not okay. On that same note, please pick up after your dog in the yard. It’s never a good impression on buyers when they leave with a stinky parting gift on their shoes.

4. Reduce the toys and clutter

Moving is the perfect time to get rid of old toys, clothes, and kitchen gadgets, (Hello never-used bread maker from 2009). Getting started can feel overwhelming, so if you can, enlist help, turn on some great music or your favorite podcast and just start one room at a time. You should start this process as early as you can before you list to make sure give yourself ample time (and breaks) before showings begin. The less stuff you have filling up the space, the easier it will be to show the house on short notice.

5. Remove personally identifying information from view

If you remember nothing else from these tips, please remember this one. Photos, invites, kids’ artwork and school papers all show a loving home when you’re living in it. However, I don’t like this stuff around during showings due to the privacy/security factor. Personally, I don’t want strangers knowing my kid got an A on his math test, along with his name, school, DOB, and his next doctor appointment on the wall calendar. You don’t know the people coming through your home, so please hide all the personal information in the house that’s usually up on the walls and fridge.

6. A Clean house = less stress before showings

No one lives in a perfectly clean house at all times, especially with kids. But this is a special circumstance. Do your best and clean as much as you can and make your home show ready. As I tell my clients, cleaning is free! (Unless you want to hire a professional cleaning agency, by all means go for it!). Either way, get those corner dust bunnies, all the cobwebs swept up, and clean your ceiling fans! You’ll breathe a sigh of relief knowing your home is as clean and ready for the best possible showings and buyers will say, “Wow, this house is well cared for and worth more than what they’re asking for it!”.

Jessica DeCotis is a Licensed Realtor in Rochester, NY with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. Click here to connect with her if you are interested in buying or selling your home in the Rochester area.

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