1) Keep Things Easy To Pick Up Quick
I live for baskets to throw things in. You can’t exactly stuff your closet full like you used to when you Mom asked you to clean your room because, uh, people who want to buy your house will actually look in there. But, you can invest in some awesome storage solutions that make cleaning up when you get a quick, “Can we show your home in 15 minutes?” call.
We have a coffee table that has a lid and storage for toys that accumulate in the living room and a big storage cube with baskets that more Abigail things can be tossed into at the last minute.
And of course, if you’re really in a hurry, throw things into your oven or dishwasher. It’s all good. I think.
2) Leave Extra Money In The Budget For Eating Out
You know what will probably happen? Your showtimes will come when people aren’t at work. Read: lunch or dinner time. If it was just the two of us we could probably wait to eat until we came back, but with the 3 year old, no such luck. We’ve spent many a Sonic date waiting for people to leave our house while we sip on slushies and eat hot dogs.
I’m also really particular about smells. So if we know that someone is coming to look at the house that day, there shall be no brewing of the coffee, or boiling of the eggs, or cooking of the fish sticks. But, Mama needs her coffee and eggs, so Cracker Barrel it is. See what I’m saying?
3) Don’t Take Feedback Personally
People feel like they need to give you a reason why they won’t buy your house. You will get the most ludicrous “complaints” or explanations for why they didn’t choose your home. It’s really hard to do, because you love your home and things, but you can’t let it upset you. Most of the time, they just made something up to tell the realtor. And sometimes, it doesn’t really matter anyway. Like, really? You didn’t buy my house because of one rooms paint color? Ooookay.
4) Let Go Of Perfection
This is obviously easier said than done, and a hard one for me because I want the house “show ready” at all times. But, with a three year old, that is just never going to happen. It can’t be show ready all the time and it can’t be 100% clean all of the time. We do the best with what we have and the time we’re given and we’re just sitting here hoping and praying like crazy that any day the perfect buyers will walk in and be wow-ed by our home. Not only because it doesn’t smell like eggs and coffee, but because they can see it being their home. Whoever that person is, they don’t need it to look like a model home to see that.
If you’ve ever sold a home before, what are some things you did to keep yourself from going crazy?
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11 Responses
Totally sending this on to my friends who are trying to sell their house right now! They have a 4 year old and a 3 month old so it is a BIG challenge! Thanks for sharing. And good luck with the move Jess!!!!
Thank you, Kristin! I hope it helps your friend and I hope that they sell their house lightning fast! This being on the market for months and months is NO JOKE.
So need to read this! Thanks! We hope to list our house in the spring!
You’re welcome, Becky!! One word of advice, list as early in the spring as you possibly can! We listed mid-may and I think we REALLY missed out on the spring rush. March/April would have been a much better time to list.
Love this! We are selling in the spring so this is great! Although, I’ve been adding pumpkin pie spice to my coffee in the morning before it brews and hello amazing!! Smells like fall in here!
Oh man, I made some pumpkin spice syrup this morning and yes, it smelled like freakin Thanksgiving meal in our house. It was awesome.
Good luck selling your home! I hope it sells super quickly!
Great post Courtney! I totally agree about the baskets – they are a must for hiding last minute toys! And good call about extra food money!
Thank you, Jenny! xo!
I think leaving room in the beget for eating out is key! During a move, selling your home or not, you inevitably eat out more. But when your selling your house, eating out means less mess and less stress! Great list!
Great tips! I’m all about the baskets, too! Our house has been on the market a week and we actually decided to move in with my parents while it was listed. Trying to pack up the pets and a one year old for showings just wasn’t going to happen – I think that part stressed me out more than getting the house ready for showings. And if we were there, the eating out tip would be perfect since our showings have been right in the middle of dinner time! Good luck with the house selling! Fingers crossed for you!
Great tips, Courtney! I’m definitely saving this for our next move. Some of these suggestions were new to me. Great post!