“Hello Mrs A, it’s Judith from XYZ estate agent, we have someone who wants to come and see the house” “Great – when?” “Um well is half an hour OK, they are actually in the office with me now and they’re very keen?” “Er yes, no problem.” Gulp!
Does this sound familiar? The phone call from the estate asking if they can show someone round, only they are in the office and want to come round straight away? If you have ever sold your house you have probably experienced this in some form. My reaction in these circumstances has always been to say “yes” if I possibly can, after all you want to take advantage of the viewer’s enthusiasm and they might get cold feet if they have to wait. When the property first goes on the market we tend to be full of enthusiasm and keep our home clean and tidy but this can be difficult and after a while the enthusiasm wears thin. So here are 5 simple tips to help you keep your property viewing ready (or at least lessen what you need to do!)
Make the beds when you get up – simple and it only takes a few minutes but once it’s done it’s done and you don’t have to worry.
Wash up – it’s tempting to let the washing up pile up but if you do it after each meal and rinse the mug after you have had a cup of coffee then again it’s out of the way. As a minimum, stack all dirty crockery by the sink so that at least if that call comes in all you have to do is the actual washing up and you don’t have to worry about rushing around trying to locate all the dirty cups and plates.
Wipe down the sink and the bath after use – I am always banging the drum for cleanliness when selling. If you wipe round the sink and the bath after use then this ensures these are looking good inbetween cleaning.
Hoover – a quick whizz round with the hoover at the end of the day keeps the house looking prepared. This is especially true if you have pets.
Tidy – I’m afraid I’m not very good at this myself but if you keep on top of maintaining a tidy house then again there is less to do if you have a last minute viewing. Hang up clothes (or put them in the laundry basket) immediately you take them off, have a basket at the foot of the stairs for items that need to go upstairs and take a look around last thing before you go to bed. If you have children encourage them to put their toys away when they have finished playing with them.
It takes discipline I know and you might need to get up 10 minutes earlier in the morning, but these simple tips can make all difference. Next time you get the call you can say “yes” with confidence and not panic.
If you need advice on getting your home ready to sell contact me by e mail at info@homestyle4u.com call me on 07745 876182 or send an enquiry via the contact us page. I’d love to help you sell. I cover Cheshire and the North West