It is time for ‘show and sell’
As a Realtor, I’m always reading articles not only about real estate (the market, trends, outlooks, statistics, different cities, provinces and countries…), but I’m also reading about homes (staging, maintenance, cleaning, trends…). For example I was recently reading an article about how professional cleaners clean a house. (They start in the bedrooms and bathrooms and finish up in the kitchen).
I recently helped a young couple sell their home. They have a little dog and a child in grade school. Showings were a big hassle for them. As a busy family they found it difficult to keep the house in show ready condition. Fortunately they sold quickly and their now life is back to normal.
One of my 365 Rules about Real Estate is: “How you sell a house is very different than how you live in a house”, so before we listed we decluttered, cleaned (and painted). All we had to do for the ten days that we were on the market was to ‘maintain’.
How to maintain a home in show ready condition
There is an old expression that says, “everyone wants to build but no-one wants to maintain”. But maintenance is easy. You just need a plan. You just need a morning routine, a room by room primp and fluff.
Bedrooms
- Make the beds every morning
- Put dirty clothes in laundry hamper
- Put your other things away
Bathrooms
- Wipe the surfaces clean
- Keep the toilet seat down
- Hang towels properly
- Close the shower curtain
Kitchen
- Don’t cook greasy or spicy foods
- Clean up crumbs from countertop and floor
- Keep countertop and sink clean and uncluttered
Living room
- Straighten sofa cushions
Foyer
- Put away shoes
Whole house
- Turn on the lights
- Open all of the curtains
Efficiency is key
That’s it. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes if everyone does their part. Do it or not. There is no try.
