Preparing to Show Your Home

First impressions are important. You will want to make sure that buyers looking at your home are left with the best possible impression. The following checklist will help you achieve that goal:

Exterior

House exterior in good repair
House number easy to read
Eavestroughs, downspouts and soffits in good repair
Garage/carport clean and tidy
Litter picked up
Cracked or broken window panes replaced
Lawns and hedges cut and trimmed, garden weeded and edged
Walks shoveled and salted
Boot tray inside front door
Doorbell and door hardware in good repair
Porch and foyer clean and tidy

Interior

Chipped plaster and paint touched-up
Doors and cupboards properly closed
Leaky taps and toilets repaired
Burned out light bulbs replaced
Squeaky doors oiled
Mirrors, fixtures, and taps cleaned and polished
Seals around tubs and basins in good repair
Floors cleaned, garbage containers emptied
Insides of closets and cupboards neat and tidy
Appliances cleaned
Countertops neat and polished
All lights turned on
Air conditioner turned on in warm weather
Halls and stairs cleaned
Drapes opened during daylight
Carpets freshly vacuumed
Fresh flowers in various rooms
Jewelry and valuables locked safely away or taken with you
Valuable property, such as art objects, vases and figurines out of reach, out of sight, or locked away
Pets absent, where possible, or contained during the showing, and litter boxes clean