Even Busy Parents Can Reduce Clutter and Be Prepared for Spotless Home Showings

Listing a home is stressful for everyone, but if you have young children it can be difficult to prep your home for sale. Keeping your home spotlessly clean for showings can seem impossible with all the rigors of family life. If you’re listing your home, here are a few tips on how to prep your home for clutter-free showings, and thereby create a great impression on potential buyers.

Cut Down on Clutter

When your home is on the market, you’ll need to reduce the clutter in your home and be ready for that surprise phone call from your realtor asking for a last-minute showing. Take some time to go through your house, and do some early packing to reduce the clutter.

Pack up your shelf of nicknacks, and box up some of your children’s toys. Not only will reducing the clutter makes it easier to do last-minute cleaning, but it will also make your home more appealing since buyers won’t need to look past your things to see the house.

When house hunters visit, you want it to seem homey, but HowStuffWorks explains you don’t want it to be so full of personality that potential buyers have a hard time imagining themselves in the space. Reduce the clutter in your home, and prepare for a quick sale.

Get Rid of Items You Won’t Be Taking With You

If you have a lot of items or furniture you don’t plan to take to your new home, get rid of them before you show your home. Having fewer things in the house will make it easy to have a spotless house, and you’ll have less stress when it comes to moving day. Depart with old toys, empty out the back of your closet, and finally donate the old couch in the basement you don’t want in your new home.

Last-Minute Cleaning Sessions

Do you have a showing on a weeknight, and only have half an hour to clean the house? The Flooring Girl points out potential buyers will notice the floors, so a speedy tidy up will create a great first impression. Consider investing in a stick vacuum if you don’t already have one. It’s a compact and convenient solution you can stash out of sight when you’re done.

Then follow a 5-minute rule, giving yourself just 5 minutes to spruce up every room. Focus on the biggest messes in each area, and after 5 minutes move on to the next room. The overall impression will be of a clean and tidy home, and homebuyers will be excited by your home. You might also want to pick up some attractive storage that works well for each room, so you can toss surplus things in and move on.

Keep an Eye on the Competition

When listing a home, NerdWallet recommends checking other home listings in your neighborhood and in your city, so you can see what the competition is up to. This way you can get a sense of what home buyers are seeing in your neighborhood, and you’ll also see trends in what’s selling and what isn’t. You’ll know what they expect when house hunters tour your home, and you’ll be able to stage your house to rise above the competition.

With a little planning and some clever strategies, you’ll be ready, willing and able to accept last- minute showings. Do some decluttering, pack up some things, and part ways with the surplus. Pick up some goodies to help you tidy your home fast, and get familiar with the competition. Soon you’ll have your house sold, and you and yours will be moving in a new direction!

- Kris Louis -- Parentingwithkris.com