A lot of behind the scenes preparation and work goes into selling your house in Locust Grove in order to transform the property into its best form.  From deep cleaning to staging rooms and getting awesome photography, it is important that a home looks its best in order to appeal to the largest group of buyers as possible.  When it comes time to open up your home for in person visits, there are a few things sellers can do to make the showing a positive experience; these are things that don’t show up in pictures online.

Quick and Timely Exit

Leave the home fifteen minutes prior to showing time.  It can be awkward for buyers to arrive at a home when the sellers are still present.  Buyers need to feel like they can have time to look at each room in the home.  In order to avoid such run-ins, sellers should have a plan in place and leave the home prior to the showing.  Your real estate agent in Locust Grove can keep in touch with the buyer’s agent and let you know if the buyers are running early, late, or when they left the house.

Have a Plan for Pets

Just because the sellers love dogs doesn’t mean that the buyers do.  Part of having a successful showing is putting a plan in place to deal with family pets.  Dogs should leave the home with the owners.  If a showing happens during a time that the seller isn’t home, like in the middle of a work day or during a weekend trip, then sellers should see if a friend can handle the pets for a bit.  Having a dog bark the entire time a buyer is touring a home isn’t a great experience.  If sellers have cats or dogs that can’t leave, then try to place the animals in a specific room and keep the door closed.  Share this information with your real estate agent so it can be passed on to the buyers.  Sellers can even put a sign up on the door reminding the buyers not to open the door.

No Shoes Request

Let’s be honest; not everyone has the same rules when it comes to wearing shoes in the house.  If, as a seller, you’ve spent money professionally cleaning carpets or just don’t want to deal with running a vacuum after a late evening showing, then it’s okay to request that shoes are removed when touring the home.  As a real estate agent in Locust Grove, I have provided some seller clients who don’t want shoes in their homes with these shoe coverings for buyers to put on while touring the home.  Your agent can put this request in your listing.  Place the shoe covers by the front door and have a small trash available for buyers to dispose of their covers.

Odors Be Gone

Everyone’s homes have a smell to them.  Whether it is from last night’s dinner, a favorite candle, or a full trash can, when it comes time for a showing, a neutral smelling home is always best.  Not all buyers appreciate heavily scented rooms and this can distract them from focusing on the actual home.  Make sure to clean out litter boxes, clear out trash cans, and freshen up bathrooms prior to the showing.  If you have the opportunity, opening up some windows and letting fresh air flow through the house can really help to air out the home (granted it’s not spring time and you live next to a farm.)

Water is Off Notification

Sellers that have vacated the house will often turn off the water as a precautionary step to guard against any surprise leaks.  If you are a seller that has done so, then please make this known to your real estate agent.  Your agent can share this information with the buyer’s agent.  Also, it’s okay to place a sign in bathrooms alerting buyers to the fact that water is no longer flowing in the home.  This will, hopefully, prevent sellers from finding any surprises in bathrooms at a later date.

Lights On

As a real estate agent in Locust Grove, I try to arrive a few minutes early to vacant houses in order to turn on lights and get the door open for my buyers.  If a home is occupied, I can’t do this.  For evening showings, it is helpful for sellers to turn on the lights in every room and the outdoor lights as well.  This makes it easier to navigate an unfamiliar space and is welcoming when it is dark outside.

Weather Appropriate Temperature

I’ll be the first to admit that my family keeps our home cooler in the winter than in the summer. Why?  Electricity and gas are expensive.  While we have adjusted our habits to keep our home comfortable but cost effective for us, other people may not appreciate it.  As a seller, you don’t want the temperature of your home to be the focus of the showing.  Whether it’s too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter, this will distract buyers from focusing on the features of a house.  So before heading out, sellers should adjust their thermostats to a comfortable temperature for buyers.

Whether you are buying or selling this real estate agent in Locust Grove is ready to help! I serve Orange County and the surrounding area and am always ready to answer some questions, explain more about the real estate process or help get you started on your real estate journey. Contact me when you are ready to begin!