Selling House - Tips for Keeping It "Show Ready"

Updated on January 10, 2014
E.M. asks from Chicago, IL
16 answers

We have a 4-1/2 yr old, 6-1/2 yr old, and a dog. We are putting our house on the market in February. Anyone have tips on keeping the house ready to show at a moment's notice? Vacuum every night after the kids go to bed? Keep disinfectant wipes in the bathroom to wipe down the toilet and sink after each use? Certain rooms off limits? Suggestions, please! I can't figure out how to make this work.

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K.S.

answers from Detroit on

I have decided we are going to renovate and expand rather than try to sell the house for that very reason. :)

1 mom found this helpful
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P.K.

answers from New York on

Go live somewhere else! Lol. Less stuff. Very hard to do with kids. I would hope people would understand if things not perfect. This is the real world.

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F.B.

answers from New York on

Extra de-cluttering-

take down all but a few photos, pictures in each room
declutter your bookshelves and be sure there is some extra space on them
edit your tchotckes, and limit yourself to one or two decorative items on an end table.
take a hard look at your houseplants, if they are faltering, trim them back or send them to a better home.
clean out your closets and the closet floors so as to create the illusion of extra space.
can your living room do without that extra wing chair?
is the hot zone in the front entry tidy? not every set of keys to every house and car on display?
don't overlook your pantry, fridge, dishwasher, laundry area.
empty and deep clean your kitchen cupboards, baseboards, toe kicks.
dust your light fixtures, ceiling fans, light plates, wash your walls and ceilings.

These wil help ready your house, and ready you for your move. If done well once, and done say every two weeks or so until contract, it will certainly help.

Best
F. B.

7 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

Make sure you have storage boxes for their toys. They MUST be put away EACH time they are used.

Get rid of EVERYTHING you are NOT using or haven't used in the last six months. Clutter kills a sale. Makes potential buyers believe there isn't enough storage in the house. So they will pass.

In your bathrooms? I don't think wipes are bad - a fresh smelling home sells. Odors will put potential buyers off as well. I would NOT wipe down after each use, however, I would wipe down before a showing.

Vacuuming each night? I thought I was the only one who does that!! LOL!! My girlfriend does it too. My dog doesn't shed - but I don't like dirt around the house...I swiffer my kitchen floor each night after dinner.

Personally? I would have a stager come in and stage the home so that it gets the best look. We kinda get "used" to our homes and can't always see the potential it has.

I would also get a home inspection done NOW - so any problems can be fixed BEFORE you list and not hamper a sale. Yes, the buyers will still get an inspection done - but think of how much smoother negotiations will be if there are no issues found during an inspection?!

Best thing I can tell you is to DE-CLUTTER!!! Leave only current season clothes in the closets...get rid of everything else...put it in storage...oh yeah...people WILL look in the attic. so if you store it up there? Make sure it's organized.

Get storage containers in specific colors for each child. And put there stuff in that - makes it MUCH easier unpacking after a move.

Good luck!! Hope your home sells fast!!

7 moms found this helpful
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K.S.

answers from Denver on

You got great tips on the cleaning already, but here's what we did.

-limit playing to one room. and as someone else said, I could just throw all of those toys into a basket to shove somewhere at the last second.

-we packed up a lot of extra stuff in advance and rented a 'pod' storage unit. Lots of the extra stuff that was unnecessary during showings- pictures, knick-knacks, etc. Made the house so much more open. and saved us from having to pack it later.

-turn as many lights on as possible, right before people get there. just makes everything look nicer!

-I stayed at the house until I heard the realtor show up with people, then grabbed my daughter and snuck out the back door. seems so silly, but if we had a showing at 10, I didn't want to leave earlier than that and guess when we could return, hard to entertain kids that long. And the showings were so often late. So I would play with my daugher in the one room since everything else was clean. Then I would hear car doors or even our front door, and we would scoot out the back. On nice days, we would just walk up and down the street, and could see when they left. Huge time (and money) saver- didn't have to go anywhere to occupy my daughter. Felt silly sneaking out of my own house, but it was less stress.

Good luck!

6 moms found this helpful
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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

I've been getting my house ready--I have an almost 6,4 and 10 month old. I removed 1/3 of the furniture, and I put baskets in all the closets, so everything is neat.

I already vacuum and wipe down the bathroom, and I already do laundry everyday. For me, it's really about figuring out where to put things. I have no clue, for instance, as so where to put the mountain of fruit that is always on my small counter!

In any case, if you don't already fly lady, I've been fly ladying for over a decade, and it's a great way to stay on top of the dirt and mess on a daily basis.

Eta: I also plan on leaving the house show ready whenever we leave. But I will expect an hour to get things ready, and I have no problem telling my realtor I need some time. I mean, everyone understand if you have small kids and/or an animal:-)

4 moms found this helpful

J.P.

answers from Lakeland on

Pack everything that is not necessary and just be sure to clean up daily. The hardest part is the dog, be sure to vacuum everywhere the dog sleeps and pick up some fabreeze.

Keep the kids toys organized where you can toss them into a tote and put it into a closet. You can also request at least 12 to 24 hours notice before showing.

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V.T.

answers from Washington DC on

Unless your kids are incredibly messy and inaccurate when using the bathroom, you shouldn't need to vacuum every night or wipe after each use. I would restrict eating to the kitchen and at the table so it's easier to clean. Baskets can be your best friend. When we moved when my daughter was 3, we filled her playroom with bookcases and baskets from Wal-Mart. When people were expected to come for a viewing, we threw everything into baskets and put them on the bookcases. It looked clean and was quick and easy.

Clean as much as possible off of your kitchen counters and bathroom counters. People want to see space. Make sure your closets are neat and organized. People also love to see storage. Beds need to be made and toilet seats always down. Leave all the lights on when you are getting ready to show the house.

Also, in my bathrooms, I had nice towels that I left on the rack that weren't to be used. We used other towels. When we had a showing, I threw the towels in the washer machine.

The most important thing is that your house doesn't look cluttered. We boxed up a lot of our stuff and stored them neatly in closets and in our garage.

3 moms found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Raleigh on

Keep a checklist of everything that must be done before leaving the house before a showing, and assign each person a standing chore. Kids can check their rooms, pick up any clothes laying around, make the bed, flush their toilets, etc.
You and/or hubs- wipe down kitchen/bath counters, take out trash, get dog ready to go with you (don't leave dog there!), open blinds/curtains... to name a few. Keep it reasonable and short.
All our showings were literally at the last moment. There were many times we were running out of the house with everything in tow when the buyers were showing up. They are supposed to give you notice, but our experience was that they rarely do.
One of the biggest helps was to keep laundry in check. When you do the laundry, put it up right away. Laundry makes a ton of clutter that can't be easily hidden.
Hope this helps!

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S.S.

answers from Atlanta on

When we sold our home to move to Georgia, I got rid of everything that we weren't using. I had several garage sales and donated what did not sell.

I have 4 boys, so I understand your plight. I had my boys select their top five toys. that's it. top 5...all the rest were either put in storage, sold or donated. I bought tubs (the rubbermaid kind with lids) and gave them each one to put their toys in.

I vacuum every night anyway. We have two dogs - one German Shepard and he's a shedder! I hired a cleaning service to come in every week. That helped me a lot. So at night before I went to bed, I made sure the counters were wiped down and dishes put away.

I put all pictures of the family in storage. As our real estate agent told us - it's no longer "your home". We went through room by room and took out stuff that was making a room look too small. We repainted every room. We spent about $10K in painting, staging, upgrades on appliances (found great deals on craigslist for newer kitchen appliances) and used quartz instead of granite for our kitchen and bathrooms.

We also had an inspection done to see if there were any problems we weren't aware of. Our heating system was less than 5 years old - it needed a "tune up" and there was a problem with some shingles on the roof. We repaired all of that. We also got all of the windows washed. Kept the drapes and blinds pulled back and let in a LOT of light.

We had two open houses and 4 showings. For each showing, it was easy as the kids had to put their toys in their tubs and the house was already clean from the cleaning crew I had hired. It was worth it. NOT to have to stress over it. Got the kids and dogs in the car and went to the mall and walked around.

Our home sold in less than 30 days for asking price.

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M.L.

answers from Cleveland on

Make plans to either bring the dog in the car w you when you head out or arrange for it to be somewhere else, I like dogs ok but I don't want to see or smell one when I am looking to buy a house.

pack up about half of your house and put in storage in your attic or basement or in a storage unit. if You stack uniform bins or boxes they don't look too bad and would be preferable to tons of clutter everywhere.

I say yes you should plan on vaccuming every night. enlist your 6 yo to help w a lot.
eat off paper plates and make simple meals you'll be dealing w enough other messes you don't need more.

I liked to keep an under the couch/ bed etc bin in each room and put special toys in them so it was easy to just toss the toys in and hide it. It also cut down on the toys wandering from room to room that my kids love to do. like a little trail of bread crumbs.

Legos got packed up, except for one small set that was kept in the car. and brought out at grandma's or what ever. I might even buy some new toys that they get to play with special for moving.

I would do one load of laundry a day instead of how some people do it all on the weekends. I would do the dishes after every meal. everyone gets one cup for the day and rinse it out in between instead of gettid a new cup for each drink with in reason, I might rinse w soap for milk. make the beds every day, pack up all but 2 special stuffed animals. plan out outifts for the week so you know what the kids are wearing. not really a moving tip but it makes things easier.

I would by a nice airfreshener, or candle warmer or something .

lots more tips but my 8 yo hasn't stopped talking for the last 10 mins and I just can't concentrate. I guess she is a little excited.and my half attention isn't cutting it.

this was the best best best help to me...

http://www.flylady.net/d/br/2012/05/21/moving-tips

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I'd say clean the house after everyone is in bed then when you get up the next morning and everyone is off to school go through and clean up any messes left over from breakfast. That way the house is clean all day. IF the Realtor calls after 5pm when everyone is home it would be your choice as to whether you want to let them come or not.

1 mom found this helpful

V.B.

answers from Jacksonville on

I did that. I was constantly furious b/c I would get calls that they wanted to show the house at x time (usually in less than 30 minutes) and then I'd run around like a mad woman, throw the kids and the dog in the car, and leave to drive around for 20 minutes... only to come back and they hadn't been there yet. So I'd go drive around some more... and come back and still they wouldn't have come. So I'd unload the kids/dog, and go inside and then I'd get a call that they were running behind and would be there in about 15 minutes. The kids would've just dragged something out or started a snack, and I'd leave for 30 more minutes. I'd come back and they would JUST be pulling into the driveway. UGH.

I felt like a horrible mother the entire time, always "on" my kids about picking up and being stressed over anything out of place.

I learned to use laundry baskets. Dump all the toys in a laundry basket and shove it in the bottom of the closet (or the shower). Or even leave it in the middle of the room. It was "tidy" at least.

It always seemed to be just late enough that it screwed up my plans for making dinner, too.
I don't miss that process. Good luck.

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❤.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Declutter
Give things away you no longer need (will make moving easier too)
Put extra appliances that you don't use every day away (mixer, blener etc
Keep surfaces clear (kitchen, bathroom)
Organize bookshelves to look clean
Vacuum, dust every day
Put kids' toys in bins

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J.H.

answers from New York on

I hated that period so much I think I've blocked it from memory (4 yr old, 6 yr old and a dog too).

I know I had a ton of stuff in boxes in the garage. And used the wipes in the bathroom all the time.

The one thing I remember the most is my husband saying "See, you CAN keep the house clean all the time!" I can't believe I didn't haul off and slug him after that one :)

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P.K.

answers from Chicago on

Once the house is de-cluttered and ready, my tips are to keep a laundry hamper ready to pick up stray items on your way out of your sparkling clean house and pack it into your car with your dog and kids until the showing is over. Have a new set of white fluffy towels and new duvets on hand-- use these for your showings only and put them away afterward. Get your kids excited about moving and keeping the house clean- it will help to get them involved and feeling helpful.

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