Home Showing Tips
This is it.
The moment you’ve been waiting and preparing for since you decided to sell your home.
You’ve carefully inspected, checked and cleaned your house thoroughly to show it in all its shine, you made sure everything’s in place, or at least in the most ideal place to be shown. Showings are, after all, the chance to impress the home buyers by flaunting everything your house has.
The price is right, the marketing is going well, and you watch with enthusiasm as the response starts coming:
The home buyers are arriving at your home showing!
Now, it’s time to show all those marketing skills you’ve been practicing and thinking about for the past few days.
There is no need to stress out about forgetting something though. We’ve got you covered. To make sure you’ve set the stage for success, here are our top tips for Home Showings:
1. Create A Great Smell
Making your home feel welcoming and warm is a huge plus for any house showing. And nothing says ‘home’ to people like the smell of fresh baking.
TIP: Serve some freshly baked cookies or muffins sprinkled with cinnamon or other spices.
Not only will this will mask your personal smells or any odors in your house, but will also be a nice touch potential buyers will appreciate.
If cooking is not your strongest suit though,
- You can always light a few scented candles
- Use a deodorizer
- You can also use an air freshener to give your home a pleasant smell. However, make sure not to go overboard by using heavy scents, or mix them, as many buyers may find this unpleasant
2. Get Personal
As you move throughout the house and explain the layout and rooms, pay special attention to objects that created some memories during your stay.
Things like “My father did this beautiful carving when he was 18” will add some personal notes to your home and create an instant connection for buyers with the house.
You should also sell the fact that this home was loved because people equate ‘loved‘ with ‘well maintained‘.
On the same note, make sure to talk about some memories you made when you were repairing or fixing something in the house. It will let buyers know that you took care of the maintenance of the house without having to mention it.
3. Create The Right Environment
You want some elements on your house to be insignificant enough to provide a comfortable environment for the buyers. Make sure the house is well aired and lighted by opening windows when the weather and outside atmosphere allow this. In addition, position all the coverings to show maximum sunlight and place the mirrors across sources of natural light to maximize the natural light effects.
A dark house, especially when it’s a big house, will create the effect of gloom and depression; not exactly the kind of house you’d buy, which is why it’s so important to make the environment welcoming and pleasant.
During those times when you’re forced to keep all your windows shut, make sure the air inside your house fresh and as we mentioned in the previous point, with a pleasant smell.
4. Ditch The Pets/Kids!
Having a pet around is highly discouraged.
It may distract potential buyers (and with it, you) while you’re trying to explain and show them the house, so it’s best not to have them around during house showings.
With that said, make sure the kids are gone too!
No matter how well behaved they (both pets and kids!) are, or how much the home buyers may love them, it’s not a good idea to bring out your animal. They may start behaving in a weird way in front of your guests and create a mess from what you’ve been arranging and organizing for hours the days before.
Besides, some people may be allergic to pets or scared of them, reasons good enough to make them walk away from your house without even seeing it.
5. Go For A Walk
If you are using an agent to show your house, you should absolutely not be there during the showing.
In fact, using an agent is advantageous, because when home owners are present, home buyers tend to feel like intruders. With only an agent present, buyers are a lot more at ease and can ask questions without fear of offending.
In the end, if you’ve prepared well prior to it and followed our maintenance tips, home showings should be an easy task. Everything should be taken care of by now, so you don’t need to stress much about the home showing when the time comes.
6. Be Prepared
Once you’ve listed your house, be prepared to welcome prospecting buyers at any time of the day.
That means:
- Having your house clean at all times,
- Lights turned on 24/7 (both interior and exterior ones),
- Your closet organized,
- All the decor in its place and of course, smiles on your faces.
- The house doesn’t have to smell like cookies all the time, but make sure it’s presentable for buyers who may want to take a look outside of the regular showing hours.
Being prepared also means having answers to your viewer’s questions. They might want to talk to you directly and ask questions, so you need to be ready to give them the answers they’re after.
TIP: Being uninformed or trying to lie will hardly pass, so ask your Realtor what some potential questions prospects may have for you as the homeowner.
At GTA Real Estate Pros, we know home showings are the easiest part of the deal as we’ve got the home staged, the home inspection sorted, the home has been well marketed and people are already aware of what they’re getting before stepping in the door.
Managing buyer expectations – both before and during the home showing – is crucial in home sales.
Good luck on the day!
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At GTA Real Estate Pros, we make sure that you get the right Realtor to make your life easier, including helping to stage your home or find the right professional to help you with this.
Get started today for free, no obligations, by applying through our 40 second application: https://www.gtarealestatepros.ca/Apply-Now. Based on your location and needs, we’ll find a great, proven, and effective Realtor to talk to you.
