Tips for Keeping a Home 'Show Ready' While Living in it

Keeping your home meticulously clean the entire time it is up for sale so that it can be ready at a for buyers to look at is difficult and can be stressful. Follow these tips to make keeping your home perfect a little bit easier during the selling process.

Use a Reward System to De-Clutter 

Before your home can be sparkling clean it has to be free of all but the bare necessities. This can prove to be a tough, daunting, and maybe even an emotional process, especially for kids. Make the tasks of getting rid of and packing away belongings a little easier and motivating with a reward system for your kids and even one for yourself. Some people have used paying a certain amount like a quarter for every item their child decides to give away or a number of points or maybe a sticker to earn something extra special they have been wanting after you move. Don’t forget you can reward yourself for parting with clutter and putting in some packing work as well. Maybe if you get rid of 10 or 15 clothing items you can purchase that high-quality jacket you have always been wanting. 

Have a Designated Junk Zone 

No matter how many things you get rid of or pack away you will still have items you use on a daily basis that will need to be put away in a hurry when a realtor calls to tell you they are just around the corner with their client and would like to come see your house. Keep a few bins that you can dump the clutter you need to hide quickly and then stack these bins neatly in the back of a closet. 

Try to Use Only One Bathroom 

It may be a bit of a pain, but try to keep all the members of your household to only using one bathroom. Cleaning the bathroom and getting it meticulously spotless takes more time than any other area in the house. If your family’s daily schedule will allow for it, try to only use one bathroom, so that you only have to clean the one on an almost, if not, daily basis.

Make a Checklist 

Make a list of important tasks you want to make sure are done before a potential buyer walks into your home and quickly go through them when a realtor calls to say they will be there soon. This can be things like putting the toilet seat down, wiping off the kitchen counter and dining room table, and vacuuming the area rug in the living room. This will help you and all the other people in the home with you quickly give some extra sparkle to the home.  

Likewise, you can also make a daily cleaning checklist for bigger tasks to help you stay on top of them so that you don’t find yourself in a bind when you have 30 minutes to a showing and the bathroom hasn’t been scrubbed in a few days. The more often you wipe down every surface in your home the less time you have to take doing it and the less stress you will have about the condition of your home.