two showings already tomorrow. oy

molliedb · January 2012

anyone looking for a house in circle c? our realtor sent a notice of our house coming up for sale to her office and we have two preview showings tomorrow. looks like the house should be officially listed this weekend!

we put a contingency offer in on a house today so we're ready to sell!

nothing like one day's notice to have your house ready for showings and listing photos. i am TIRED!

any last minute tips for tomorrow would be appreciated. i took everything off the fridge, decluttered, organized all closets. yadda yadda. random question- should i remove the rugs in the bathrooms? i feel like i remember hearing that on one of the hgtv shows. lol.

fjaril · January 2012

We were asked to take down personal photographs.

We had bathmats down and no one said anything about it.

One realtor suggested we put the knife block either up on the fridge or in the pantry. I was all wtf no way to that one.

We often left music playing, I think we used a new age/ zen station on directv

molliedb · January 2012

i took pics off the fridge. i haven't taken them down elsewhere- i'm not sure what to take down. if i take them from over the mantle there will be nothing there

our realtor is coming to show the house since there isn't a lockbox yet. maybe i can ask her right when she gets here!

good tip on the music- THANKS!

intheatx · January 2012

We recently bought, and our old house will be listed tomorrow. Playing music for the showings is a good suggestion. We were also amazed at the difference it made to remove our window screens. Ditto removing most personal items/photos. We were told to put clean towels in the bathrooms in addition to removing bath mats, and to keep kitchen and bathroom countertops as empty as possible. Also, if you can afford it/ have time, fresh black mulch really upped the curb appeal.

A&Jmom · January 2012

fjaril:
We were asked to take down personal photographs.
We had bathmats down and no one said anything about it.
One realtor suggested we put the knife block either up on the fridge or in the pantry. I was all wtf no way to that one.
We often left music playing, I think we used a new age/ zen station on directv

Yeah, I remember from my HGTV watching days try to make it as impersonal as possible- so they can imagine themselves living there.

good luck!

fjaril · January 2012

The screen! do it. It'll brighten the house so much. Just remember to number them. I wouldn't do it for the first two showings b/c you'll likely need window cleaners to come.

I can't believe I forgot about that.

You don't even have to put them back up once you sell, just leave them in the garage

intheatx · January 2012

fjaril:
The screen! do it. It'll brighten the house so much. Just remember to number them. I wouldn't do it for the first two showings b/c you'll likely need window cleaners to come.
I can't believe I forgot about that.
You don't even have to put them back up once you sell, just leave them in the garage

If you're willing to DIY the window washing, we windex-Ed the insides and used windex's hose-end window washing product, and were impressed with the results.

cia · January 2012

Open all blinds and curtains so that all the natural light shines through and turn on lights in any areas that are typically dark. Good luck!

misjenn · January 2012

Oh I did the exact same thing. I went to Ikea about 5 times getting more wooden hangers for the closets to all match. Got baskets for fruit and vegetables to organize our fridge. Oh good luck. I was super tired by the end.

When they came through to take pictures the lady rearranged things to make it show better on film She moved out a trashcan and some other things small like that. I had taken the mats out of the bathrooms to show the tiling we had done. I would light a few candles when they come tomorrow and let them do their thing.

GOOD LUCK!!!

ec3under4 · January 2012

No advice other than what pp's have said. Just wanted to say that my husband and I have bought/sold way too many houses but whenever we questioned if it was a good decision, we just waited to see how it sold. It looks as though it's meant to be for you and although moving once(or possibly twice) with three littles sucks, it will be so worth it in the end!!

mrs.wildman · January 2012

Having seen your house, I don't think you need to remove the pics. At least what I've seen downstairs. I think you have more of an artistic display (canvases, right?) and that would just leave empty space on your walls. I think that this staging tip is geared more to picture frames on every surface.

If you have time (ha! i know!) bake some cookies or something that makes the house smell homey/yummy.

I'm so excited for you!!

OrangeFelt · January 2012

Everyone covered the main points REALLY well. Good luck to you!

august8080 · January 2012

Wow! That's awesome! I'm sure your house will show beautifully and your pictures are a work of art, not the usual clutter

kiarox2002 · January 2012

mrs.wildman:
Having seen your house, I don't think you need to remove the pics. At least what I've seen downstairs. I think you have more of an artistic display (canvases, right?) and that would just leave empty space on your walls. I think that this staging tip is geared more to picture frames on every surface.
If you have time (ha! i know!) bake some cookies or something that makes the house smell homey/yummy.
I'm so excited for you!!

I haven't seen your house, but I agree about the canvases. I would totally leave them up.

MrsMillerTime · January 2012

I've also read (esp. when you're trying to sell a house with kids) to have a laundry basket (or two) and use it to grab anything that looks like "clutter" when you're about to leave a house for a showing. It's a lot easier than trying to clean up and put stuff away....just dump everything into the laundry baskets and take them with you.

thethomps · January 2012

We actually were told to leave some of our professional photos (wedding/engagement) up by our stager.

We had to put our bathmats over the side of the tub and leave the shower curtains halfway open.

Ditto on the knife block. I think it's for the Realtors' safety.

We left music on, too.

I would have a tub of cucumber Method wipes that I would use to quickly wipe down bathroom counters before a showing. That way, it smelled fresh in there when people were looking at it.

Also, make sure your blinds are partially open. You want light coming in, but don't want full light coming in, if that makes sense.

mlf625 · January 2012

MrsMillerTime:
I've also read (esp. when you're trying to sell a house with kids) to have a laundry basket (or two) and use it to grab anything that looks like "clutter" when you're about to leave a house for a showing. It's a lot easier than trying to clean up and put stuff away....just dump everything into the laundry baskets and take them with you.

That was exactly what I was going to say. Saved my LIFE when we had our house listed in Austin. I'd run through the house throwing all our randomshit into the basket, grab the kids and the dog, and go.

ndluvsrk · January 2012

I can't think of any other tips. Just wanted to wish you oodles of luck and dust for a quick sell!

molliedb · January 2012

these tips rock!! thanks a million girls!

thankfully gofurr is here helping me today so she can wrangle the girls while i get the house ready. we are going out of town this weekend so hopefully they will show the crap out of it this weekend

agran · January 2012

lots of super quick house selling dust... sounds like you have it under control. But I'd leave up the canvases too who doesn't want to follow in the footsteps of your beautiful family?

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two showings already tomorrow. oy

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