Preparing your Home for Showing

Remember that when you are preparing your home for showing to prospective buyers, you are painting a picture, no a work of art. When selling a home you are working on a person's emotions, so be sure to keep that in mind. This will be the place the buyer creates new memories.

Organizing your home
The first place to start is cleaning and organizing. The easiest way to tackle this is to have a plan. Organizing and removing clutter should be the first task. Remove as much clutter as possible. You want to create the illusion of space without looking too sparse. If you have a buffet table with a lot of chatchkies on it, be sure to remove some of them to open up the area. If your living room is cluttered with a lot of furniture remove a few pieces. This will again give the illusion of a bigger room.

Cleaning your home
Now that you have organized it is time to CLEAN. Where I like to start is with the bathrooms. Be sure to clean the toilet bowls. This is a good indication of how the rest of the house was maintained.

Clean the baths and showers, removing all water stain from the tile, and glass doors in showers. A great way to remove hard water stains on glass and tile is by using toilet bowl cleaner. The hydrogen chloride dissolves the minerals that create the spots (learned this from doing acid washes on pools, and having to clean the tile with toilet bowl cleaner). Some cautions about doing this, be sure to use protective rubber gloves on your hands, and do not let the solution stay on any chrome or brass metal like the fixtures. Extended exposure can remove the finish from the fixture. Simply wipe once with the bowl cleaner on a sponge to remove the water spots, then quickly rinse with water for any metallic fixtures. For the tub, shower, and tile around them, I get a bucket of hot water, and squirt some of the bowl cleaner into it. Next I use a nylon bristle brush to scrub the tile. If you encounter a spot that is stubborn go ahead and squirt some of the bowl cleaner directly on the spot, and scrub with your brush. Once you have scrubbed the entire area rinse with warm water. I just use the removable showerhead to rinse. Next you will want to dry the entire tub and tile with a towel. After everything has had time to dry fully, I use carnauba wax for cars on all the metallic fixtures. After you apply it, let it haze, then buff with a terry cloth towel. This makes your chrome or brass really shine. The same steps can be used on your sink and faucet.

Now it is time to clean the mirror(s). I use a dilution of Ammonia in water. Ammonia is what glass cleaners contain to remove streaks. Since you only need a little bit of ammonia it is a lot less expensive than name brand glass cleaners. After the mirror is dry you can use the carnauba wax on it as well.

Be sure the floor is clean. If it needs cleaning, I use another dilution of ammonia in hot water. The ammonia removes the oils from your feet and other bathroom grime.

Now that your bathrooms are spotless it is time for dusting, and I'm not talking with a rag.

Dusting
Now when I clean I don't conform to the conventional. I dust the house with the vacuum. Yes I said the vacuum. Dusting with a rag only moves the dust. Vacuuming it gets it out of the house. Most homeowners have a vacuum that has attachments like a brush, and an edging tool.

Some of the most important areas to remember to vacuum are the corners of walls (great hiding place for cobwebs), the tops of your baseboards, picture frames, and window tracks.

I also use the brush attachment to clean my electronics, like the TV, stereo, and computers. Use the brush attachment to dust all your furniture.

Clean the Windows
Now it is time to clean your windows. Clean windows (inside and out) again shows that you have maintained the house well since you lived there. Inside the house you can use the diluted ammonia, and clean like you would normally. For the outside it is a good idea to first use the garden hose to clean the outside of the window and the screen. Dirty screens are a no no. Next remove your screens so they can dry. To clean the outside windows I use a squeegee. If you do not have one you will need to do one extra step. Using a squeegee, I get a bucket of warm water with dish soap in it. Use a rag like you would to wash your car, and wash the window. After you scrub it use the squeegee, and be sure to wipe the blade dry after every swipe. Be sure to wipe the edges of the window with a different dry cloth than the one you use to dry the squeegee. This will ensure a perfectly clean window.

If you do not have a squeegee, then still wash the window with warm soapy water. Dry off with a separate rag, and then use your diluted ammonia to clean the window like you did inside the house.

Now that your windows are clean remember to replace the screens once they are dry.

Vacuuming your home
Now that the windows are clean, it is time to vacuum the floor. Everyone loves to see vacuum marks on the carpet. The best way to keep them in tact is to start vacuuming in the opposite corner of the door, so you can exit the room without stepping on the rest of the carpet. This is hard to accomplish in a room like your living room, but do the best you can.

Your house is now clean and organized, and almost ready to show.

Completing your work of art
There are just a few more things to do before you show your house. First thing you will want to do is open your drapes and blinds, so there is a lot of light in the house. Also turn on the lights in every room, even if there is a window in that room. If you have ever been in a model home you will notice that they do this as well. Lots of light makes the home more inviting and cheery. The final thing you will need to do the morning you are showing your home is bake chocolate chip cookies. Remember you are painting a picture here, and the sense of smell is closely tied to memory. "Oh ya the house with the cookies," it what the buyers will remember.

You have now been armed with all the tools and tips you need to make your home the easiest to sell.