6 Easy Tips To Creating A Better Home Showing Experience
Home Seller
Home Seller
Whether you are a Realtor wanting to offer the best home showings or an individual showing your own property (FSBO), this article will provide you with tips to making the home more appealing to buyers. Before we delve into these key points, it’s important that the home is decluttered and cleaned before it goes on the market.
If the home is owner-occupied, it can be difficult to maintain cleanliness, but it is imperative for home viewership. If possible, have one designated closet or garage area to store your non-essential personal belongings. If you have toiletries in the bathroom or shoes by the door, make sure you put them away before each showing.
Curb appeal is the first thing buyers notice about the property, so you need to keep the exterior well-maintained. The grass should always be cut and plants need to be tended to. Also make sure to de-clutter the entryway and windows to create a clean first impression.
Temperature is something viewers rarely think of unless they feel uncomfortable. Around 72 degrees F is typically considered a comfortable home temperature. In the winter, you will want to turn the heat on before showings, and in the summer, have the air conditioning running. If your home is an uncomfortable temperature, prospective buyers may rush through the home instead of appreciating the property, and they also may associate it with discomfort.
Buyers are more attracted to brighter homes, so keeping your home well lit allows them to see the property at its best. Before each home showing, have all the lights on premise turned on (even during the day) and open up all the curtains and blinds to let in natural light. If you are wanting to attract the attention of more passerby, then leave the lights on and curtains open in the evenings as well. This will make the home more noticeable from the street.
The home should remain decluttered while it’s on the market. During the pre-listing phase, the home needs to be deep cleaned; however, you should remember to tidy up the space frequently. Keep the shelves dusted, mirrors and windows wiped down, and countertops and floors clean. To reduce the need for clean up, provide each viewer with booties at the entrance so that they don’t track dirt through the property.
It’s important to deodorize/neutralize the smell of the property and take out all garbage. Any cleaning products used in the home should have mild scents, not strong bleachy odors. Once the smell is neutralized, you can freshen up the space with mild fragrances. You can add a fragrance using wall plug-in air fresheners or naturally scented candles. We recommend staying away from aerosol air fresheners as they can have more of a harsh scent.
The first week the property is on the market, you will likely get many home showing requests. You want to have an open schedule so that you can maximize the number of buyers you get through the door. If the home is owner-occupied, try to have the property vacated for the first week to reduce schedule limitations during this active period.
To optimize your scheduling process, you can sign up for a scheduling service like Calendly or Acuity to make it easier for buyers agents to schedule home showings. These services add the showing to both their calendar and your own, and they can also send reminder emails and requests for feedback. Scheduling services will help you better keep track of your showings, save you time, and maximize the number of appointments you can schedule in one day.
Following these steps will help you create an ideal home viewership experience for buyers. Some steps may seem expensive (i.e. turning on the A/C and heat or leaving lights on), but they significantly improve home showings.
In order to further optimize your showing, send feedback forms to the buyer’s agents who attend the tours. Because the agent will hear what their clients have to say about the property, they will be able to provide you with more specific recommendations to further improve the home viewership experience.
We hope these tips help you prepare for a successful showing!
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