Selling your house, while entertaining a 3 year old is comical. Honestly, it's like a miniature tornado just follows you around while you are trying to make it appear that no one lives in the perfect house you call home. Throughout the time my house was on the market, I found a few tricks to keeping it "show" ready at all times and keeping my sanity intact.
1. Declutter - There is no way around this. The less you have in the house, the easier it is to clean it up! We got rid of the toy room and kept a small bin of toys. We made the packed toys easily accessible and if needed, we would rotate the toys that we kept in the bin. We also seriously decluttered our closet, kitchen and guest bedrooms. No matter how attached you are to the 5 colanders you have, you can live with 1. I promise!
1. Declutter - There is no way around this. The less you have in the house, the easier it is to clean it up! We got rid of the toy room and kept a small bin of toys. We made the packed toys easily accessible and if needed, we would rotate the toys that we kept in the bin. We also seriously decluttered our closet, kitchen and guest bedrooms. No matter how attached you are to the 5 colanders you have, you can live with 1. I promise!
2. Keep counters clean - This is hard when you have a family. I get it! But, the idea is once again that the less you have out the easier it is to pick up. We had a large wine rack on our counter that was super useful, for obvious reasons, but it was one of the first things to go. It collects dust and makes the counter look smaller than what it is. Since we had decluttered the cabinets in the kitchen, we made pre designated areas for storing the convection oven and coffee maker while not in use. This helped to free up the counter space. This goes for your bathrooms too!
3. Keep your toiletries in a carry tote - I hated shower carriers when I was in the college dorms and I still hate them in my 30's. But, they were a necessary evil for me. You do not want a bunch of stuff in the shower while your house is showing, so keeping it all in a cheap carrier from Wal-Mart makes it easy to clean and easy to organize. We cleared out space under a sink in our bathroom and stored it there.
4. Invest in cheap laundry baskets - My older sister had this idea and I must pass it along. No matter how prepared you are for that unexpected call, there will be a few times when there is stuff everywhere and you have 10 minutes to get ready. So, for those times keep a few cheap laundry baskets around and throw all debris into them and pack them up in your car during the showing. Have dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, but your dishwasher is filled with clean dishes? Throw the whole dirty lot in the basket. Your toddler decided that it was a good time to organize his Legos? Throw them in the basket? Your dog wanted to play with every toy in her toy basket at once? Throw them in the basket. You get the idea. Just make sure to remember to unload and organize once the showing is over, it will make future life easier!
5. Go to bed with a clean house - This is harder than it seems. At the end of the day you do not want to pick up clothes and toys and sweep your bedroom. But, it makes the next day so much easier. An added bonus is that your significant other is there to help with the process! I was also very meticulous about making sure the kitchen was picked up every time we left the house. It was a pain and it added time into our routine, but that was the one room that I knew was ready at all times.
6. Be flexible - Your house won't sell if you don't show it. Our first showing was at 7:45 PM on a Tuesday night, which is exactly when Luke gets in the bath and exactly the time that I become attached to the couch and my remote. But, guess what? We made a fun night out of our freedom, got ice cream and took him to the park for some late night play. You must be flexible if you are wanting to attract the right buyers.
Our market out in Tucson is a bit slower than the rest, but luckily we were able to sell our house in about a month and a half. I have found that selling a house is WAY more stressful than buying a house, and we weren't even house hunting throughout the process. It takes patience and a bit of a thick skin, there were a lot of conversations with my husband that started, "But, we LOVE our house why don't they?"
Don't things personal and don't get frustrated with the process. The right person will come along and love your house just as much you do!
Happy selling,
Our market out in Tucson is a bit slower than the rest, but luckily we were able to sell our house in about a month and a half. I have found that selling a house is WAY more stressful than buying a house, and we weren't even house hunting throughout the process. It takes patience and a bit of a thick skin, there were a lot of conversations with my husband that started, "But, we LOVE our house why don't they?"
Don't things personal and don't get frustrated with the process. The right person will come along and love your house just as much you do!
Happy selling,
No comments