When selling your home, you want to welcome any potential buyer who is interested in seeing the property. Usually, these appointments are scheduled a day or two in advance to give you time to have your home looking its finest. But there may be times when you get a last-minute request for someone to see your house within a few hours. Instead of panicking, follow steps like these to have your home ready for shoppers anytime they wish to stop by and see the property.
Do a Comprehensive Cleaning
Prepare your home by removing debris, eliminating clutter, and organizing everything neatly so that little remains to be put away when the request for a showing pops up. Hire a professional maid service to thoroughly clean your home from top to bottom as well as digging into the nooks and crannies, leaving the entire place spotless. While it is unreasonable to expect your home to remain in perfect condition while you and the family still live there, longstanding dirt and grime can be removed and the house kept in generally good condition. When someone wants to stop by, minimal tidying will be needed.
Maintain Routine Order
Remind everyone in the home to pick up after themselves without leaving towels, clothes, toys, or books laying around. Set cute collection baskets in each room for daily pickup. Even if everything doesn’t get put in its regular place, things won’t be scattered on the floor or over the furniture in disarray. Keep dirty dishes stashed in the dishwasher until it’s full and ready to run instead of leaving them on the kitchen counter or stove. Laundry can stay in dryer for when you have time to fold it. Grooming tools and products for the family and pets should be kept in drawers or cabinets when not being used.
Do Spit-and-Shine Cleanups
This is an older expression akin to “a lick and a promise.” It means that following the comprehensive professional cleaning you had done, you should now plan to do a quick vacuuming or mopping and dusting every couple of days to catch the worst of the lint and dust. Your home will stay in decent condition when you do this, and will be ready for last minute visitors.
Keep Air Freshener Handy
While you can use scented plug-ins when shoppers are coming to see your home, natural deodorizers work well, too. In just minutes you can boil a teaspoon of vanilla or cinnamon in a medium saucepan of water to spread a wonderful, fresh smell throughout your home.
With your home kept well organized, clean, and neat, you will be ready for last-minute callers who may offer to buy your home when it makes a great impression.
Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing. You can follow her on Twitter @anitaginsburg.