Essential things to do before a last-minute viewing
Viewings can be a pain.
But without viewings, you will definitely get ZERO offers!
Living in a home that is kept to a show-home standard is unattainable for most families.
So what can you do to make your home as inviting as possible to a viewer without having to take the whole day off to clean and prepare?
Essential things to do before a last-minute viewing
Viewings can be a pain.
But without viewings, you will definitely get ZERO offers!
Living in a home that is kept to a show-home standard is unattainable for most families.
So what can you do to make your home as inviting as possible to a viewer without having to take the whole day off to clean and prepare?
You don’t want to refuse any viewings
But you also have to make sure that you have time to make your home look its’ best
Imagine that you have been at work all day, you know that you have left the house in a bit of a mess from the chaos of getting everyone ready in the morning, and your agent calls to say that there is a viewer that can only come to view tonight at 7 pm.
What do you do?
Go into a blind panic?
Tell your boss you feel unwell and go home to tidy up?
Tell your agent that they can’t come tonight and miss out on that viewing?
What if that viewer was your buyer? You will never know!
Well, you needn’t panic or pull a sicky, just follow these quick tips to make sure that your home is as well presented as possible.
Create the illusion of tidy - hide your washing basket and throw any clutter that is lying around into a plastic packing box and put it in the boot of your car. Now is not the time for a deep clean!
Run the hoover round and polish - the smell of polish will make the house seem clean and smell fresh
Febreeze all fabrics - Febreeze is a wonder product sent by the gods (#notsponsored). It smells like a summers day and can give your home a fresh feeling with just a few sprays. Use it on curtains, bedding and cushions.
Open the windows - let some fresh air in.
Empty all bins - there is no point in Febreezing and opening windows if there is a full bin in the kitchen!
Flowers - Ideally have flowers in the property somewhere. It doesn’t need to be a hand-tied bouquet, garage flowers would be fine or even some cut from your garden. Flowers always make people smile and the house will appear welcoming and cared for. If there is no time and you have no flowers in the garden to cut, miss this step - maybe brew a pot of coffee instead (an oldie but a goodie!)
Hide pet bowls and beds - Not everyone is a lover of our four-legged friends, so ideally have the pets out of the house. If you have dogs, ask someone to take them out for a walk, or if it is not too hot, put them in the car (remember to open the window for them!) If you have cats you don’t have as much flexibility here as cats will largely do whatever they please, but try and get them outside if possible. Hide the food bowls, beds and litter trays from view.
Arrange for pets and kids to be out - if possible! You want to show the property as spacious as possible, not cram it full of people. You don’t want it to feel small and cramped! This is not always possible, your family do live in the house after all, but if you can (perhaps everyone could take the dog for a walk?) then have all family members out for the appointment.
Quick bathroom clean - I really mean QUICK! Bleach down the toilet and towels hung up properly. Give the taps a wipe to make them shiny.
Cars off the drive if possible - let your viewers use the parking space that is available so that they can get a feel for driving up to the house as if they live there. You want to show them what it will be like to live here and they don’t want to be driving around looking for a parking space.
Don’t cook anything before the viewing - you have worked hard to get the house smelling lovely, don’t ruin that by making scrambled eggs just before the viewing! Cereal or sandwiches only. Unless of course, you are baking bread or cookies so the house will smell divine, although you wouldn’t be reading this article if you had the time to bake cookies would you?
This is not a cleaning tips article, but a quick mad dash around your home to make it as presentable as possible before a potential buyer comes to view.
All in all, it should only take you half an hour or so to run around and do these few things but it could make the world of difference in getting an offer!
And if someone asks for a viewing at the last minute you won’t have to turn them down or worry, just follow the tips and get them booked in.
You never know, they could be your buyer!