I have been a Realtor® for 8+ years in the North Texas area. I have learned some FABULOUS things from merely walking through houses with my buyers in search of their next home. I am going to grace you with some fun tips when you have a house for sale, and you are given the, “We would like to show your house tomorrow!” warning. I am not judging by any means, but it does make me grateful that I have been blessed with some UH-MAZING sellers over the years that understand the importance of staging your home for a showing.
Tip 1: I know there is no better sun than the Texas sun, but please…for the love of Pete…pull your panties and your husband's holey skivvies (not to be confused with the ones he wears on Sunday) off the clothesline before you leave the house. When a buyer's agent gives a tour of your home, there will be a tour of backyards too. It makes it difficult for potential buyers to imagine themselves having a backyard party on a summer evening when skid-marked undies are flapping in the wind.
Tip 2: Sometimes you plan on leaving your appliances for the next homeowners (thank you!)…when this is your plan, please, please, please, take a moment to clean it out. If I tell the homeowners…”Oh, it looks like the fridge stays,” and we walk over to it, of course, the potential buyers are going to open it. When they open a fridge that would make a mother-in-law cry, chances are they are going to walk out of your home with a bad taste in their mouth. The quickest way to see into a person’s true cleaning heart? Open the fridge. The truth comes out when the fridge is opened. And sometimes it’s an ugly truth. Oh, and please hide the tiny jar of jam labeled “for mice only.”
Tip 3: Check your children’s commodes. Make sure there are no snickers bars left behind. That is always fun. NOT.
Tip 4: Leaving a note for your child is sweet, especially on their bathroom mirror where they are sure to see it first thing in the morning. I LOVE this. Motivational notes, good-luck-on-your-test notes, bible verses, all of these things are lovely…really. But when the note reads, “If you don’t find Charlie before our house showing tomorrow, you are grounded for two weeks!” I promise you, this isn’t a comforting note at all, especially after walking into the bedroom and over to the empty aquarium that sits on a bookshelf surrounded by 250 books about snakes. Fun stuff.
Tip 5: The master bathroom is one of the most essential rooms in the house. Remember this. Make it wonderful. Make it look like a spa treatment get-away. The shower will be opened. Remove the toys…and I am not talking about the toys that your two-year-old plays with.
When you are trying to sell your house, you want it to look like it does the day after your mother-in-law arrives. Invite her over next time. It might be worth it if it means selling your house quicker.
