Different are the final finishing touches you administer immediately before important showings—the tweaks that improve the odds of selling your house. The object is to do away as much as possible with the artifacts of everyday living. The object is the same as always: to make it easier for prospective buyers to experience the property as owners rather than as guests.
But what can you do if circumstances conspire to compel a showing when there just isn’t time to perform the finishing touches?
If I am your agent, I’ll guarantee strict adherence to your advance notice requirements—but even so, emergencies can happen! Sometimes your own schedule gets upended by one of life’s little surprises; sometimes signals get crossed, or the clock gets away from you—you know!
Realtor.com put together a how-to video that recognizes this reality. They may have exaggerated with the title ("How to Get Your Home Ready in 10 Minutes”)—after all, selling your Boise house isn’t supposed to be like an episode of American Ninja Warrior. But the video contained some useful ideas for less dire emergencies:
- Don’t freak out.
- Open all the window shades, draperies, curtains, etc.—and switch on the lights. This should lead off so that not only is the place light and bright, but you will see clearly what requires the most attention.
- Grab a couple of heavy-duty garbage bags and tornado your way through the house, collecting offending debris and bric-a-brac. There will be plenty of time to sort it all out after the showing.
- Make the beds (this is when you’ll bless the day you kept comforters at the ready).
- In the kitchen, take advantage of the dishwasher’s alter ego as a dirty dish storage unit.
- Leave!
Call me when it’s time to get started!