As the market welcomes new listings and prospective buyers want to find the perfect home, Barry Berg and Chad Larsen are here to offer their expert insights for navigating showings with ease. The season is both thrilling and bustling for everyone involved. Rest assured, our guidance is designed to keep you prepared and poised during this dynamic spring period. By dedicating time to preparation, we think you'll be pleased with the results.
It’s the Little Things
Before putting your house on the market, the Berg Larsen Group recommends hiring professionals for the first round of deep cleaning. Hiring a team to do the initial sweep makes upkeep between showings easier. When prospective buyers walk through your home, we want to give them a clean slate for envisioning their lives there.
After you finish a deep clean, maintenance between showings will be manageable. Chad recommends that you walk through your house and yard before each prospective buyer arrives. Keeping your front entryway tidy is a great place to start. As you finish putting coats and shoes away, ensure any paths to the front door are cleared. While you’re outside, be sure to clean any animal waste in the yard; no matter the weather, prospective buyers may want to explore the property. As you clear the exterior, peek in your garage to see if it needs any rearranging. When possible, avoid using your garage for storage, as potential buyers may perceive that the house doesn’t have ample storage space.
Once you head inside, double-check that your house is at a comfortable temperature. For those who aren’t currently living in their home, don’t forget to adjust the thermostat. As you walk through your house, turn on all the lights and see if they are the same hue. Ensuring that your lightbulbs are the same hue adds a seamless feel to the interior. Following our philosophy that “30% of the floor can be covered,” open your closet doors and see if anything needs to be organized. Barry reminds clients to hit spots that are easy to forget, such as the utility room. Giving the room a quick wipe down and putting a filter in your furnace shows buyers that the house has been well taken care of.
As the showing time approaches, avoid putting out air fresheners or lighting candles. Strong scents can have an adverse effect on people with allergies or other sensitivities. Instead, use this time to finish any last-minute cleaning or organizing.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Curating your home to appeal to potential buyers extends beyond cleanliness. Part of creating the blank canvas for buyers is staging. We can recommend a team to stage with the furniture you already have for people living in their homes. If your home is vacant, stagers can bring in furniture and decor to emphasize the space.
According to Barry, “We need to help buyers see the properties for what they are, not the personal belongings within them. That’s why cleaning, decluttering, and staging are essential.”
Now that your house is ready to go, it is time to get potential buyers in the door.
Sellers and Buyers - Be Prepared to Jump into Action
When scheduling showings, home sellers have the flexibility to accommodate their needs. Generally, you’ll have a few hours of notice before a showing, so having a deep clean in advance is beneficial.
“If a prospective buyer requests a showing that doesn’t fit your schedule, try suggesting another time instead of declining,” says Chad.
As for buyers, being quick is essential during the showings season. If you find a house on Monday, don’t wait until the weekend to schedule a showing because an offer could already be accepted. Also, be prepared to show up on time since showings often don’t let groups overlap.
Surviving Showings
Staging and deep cleaning are done, and now someone has scheduled a showing - you need to be ready to head out shortly. Surviving showings can seem overwhelming, but the Berg Larsen Group has plenty of ideas: Keep a laundry basket or tote by the door to collect any last-minute items that you can easily stash in your car. Have a destination in mind - a local coffee shop, a friend’s house, or even running errands. Grab your laptop and charger, and get a few snacks and beverages ready to grab on the way. If you know you have back-to-back showings lined up, make plans for your pets.
Have a showing in a few hours? Here’s what you need to do!
- Clear any walkways or driveways
- Wash and put away any dishes
- Vacuum the high traffic areas
- Clear off and wipe down surfaces such as tables and countertops
- Make your bed
- Put the toilet seats down
- Turn on all of your lights and make sure that they all work
- Open all curtains and raise your blinds
- Put out a rug or boot tray at the entrance to avoid shoe prints throughout the house
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