Seller Guide
Selling your property involves a seemingly endless number of details. This guide is designed to make the process easier to navigate and understand. We hope it serves as a valuable reference, from hiring a realtor® to handing over the keys.5. SHOWING THE PROPERTY
Keep in mind: Once the property is listed, ongoing maintenance will help you capitalize on all your efforts to prepare it. To get the most out of each showing, use the Best Practices guides below. (There’s one for full-time sellers, and one for part-time sellers/vacant homes.)
HERE ARE A FEW ITEMS YOUSHOULD HAVE BEFORE WE BEGIN TO SHOW THE PROPERTY:
- Brooms for exterior and interior
- Snow shovel
- Door mats at all points of entry
- Toilet paper, soap and a hand towel in bathroom(s)
BEST PRACTICES FOR FULL-TIME SELLERS:
- Vacuum and tidy up.
- Clean bathroom, particularly the toilets, and lower toilet lids.
- Clear counters of personal items. Ideally, this applies to all horizontal surfaces like tables, bureaus, etc.
- Open all curtains, and raise blinds.
- Turn on lights to illuminate darker spaces. (Sometimes, the showing agent can not arrive early to turn them on.)
- Don’t cook foods that could put an undesirable odor in the air—think fish, brussels sprouts, etc…
- Make sure yard is mowed, grounds are looking beautiful, and decks, porches and patios are swept.
- WINTER: Make sure driveway is plowed and walks are shoveled and salted—including a path to the front door if possible. Ideally, decks and patios should be shoveled, too, so buyer can see these features.
- PETS: Make provision for your pets during showings. Do your dog a favor: take him/her for a walk or a ride. They may be as uncomfortable with buyers touring your home as the buyers are with a friendly dog jumping all over them, or barking in a crate. Clean cat box well in advance of showing, so no odors remain. Make sure we know of any special instructions regarding your pets.
BEST PRACTICES FOR PART-TIME SELLERS VACANT HOMES:
- Make sure you periodically have a caretaker check on your property. Consider technology that monitors temperature, water leaks, smoke/CO, etc.
- Have interior cleaned periodically to keep it looking fresh. (During some seasons, dead bugs and critters need to be removed.)
- Make sure yard is mowed, and grounds are maintained regularly.
- WINTER: Make sure driveway is plowed and walks are shoveled and salted—ideally including a path to the front door. If you can, have somebody keep decks and patios swept and/or shoveled, so buyers can see these features.
- WINTER: Keep heat at a minimum of 55 degrees. (If you have the ability to remotely control thermostat, raise temperature for showings.)
Guides written by Barney Stein,
LVRE agent since 2007
5. SHOWING THE PROPERTY
Keep in mind: Once the property is listed, ongoing maintenance will help you capitalize on all your efforts to prepare it. To get the most out of each showing, use the Best Practices guides below. (There’s one for full-time sellers, and one for part-time sellers/vacant homes.)
BEST PRACTICES FOR FULL-TIME SELLERS:
- Vacuum and tidy up.
- Clean bathroom, particularly the toilets, and lower toilet lids.
- Clear counters of personal items. Ideally, this applies to all horizontal surfaces like tables, bureaus, etc.
- Open all curtains, and raise blinds.
- Turn on lights to illuminate darker spaces. (Sometimes, the showing agent can not arrive early to turn them on.)
- Don’t cook foods that could put an undesirable odor in the air—think fish, brussels sprouts, etc…
- Make sure yard is mowed, grounds are looking beautiful, and decks, porches and patios are swept.
- WINTER: Make sure driveway is plowed and walks are shoveled and salted—including a path to the front door if possible. Ideally, decks and patios should be shoveled, too, so buyer can see these features.
- PETS: Make provision for your pets during showings. Do your dog a favor: take him/her for a walk or a ride. They may be as uncomfortable with buyers touring your home as the buyers are with a friendly dog jumping all over them, or barking in a crate. Clean cat box well in advance of showing, so no odors remain. Make sure we know of any special instructions regarding your pets.
BEST PRACTICES FOR PART-TIME SELLERS VACANT HOMES:
- Make sure you periodically have a caretaker check on your property. Consider technology that monitors temperature, water leaks, smoke/CO, etc.
- Have interior cleaned periodically to keep it looking fresh. (During some seasons, dead bugs and critters need to be removed.)
- Make sure yard is mowed, and grounds are maintained regularly.
- WINTER: Make sure driveway is plowed and walks are shoveled and salted—ideally including a path to the front door. If you can, have somebody keep decks and patios swept and/or shoveled, so buyers can see these features.
- WINTER: Keep heat at a minimum of 55 degrees. (If you have the ability to remotely control thermostat, raise temperature for showings.)