Sellers Sure Fire 20 Minute House Show Prep List

Sellers hate getting ready for showings.   Living in your house while it's for sale is completely different from normal living.  All your stuff is put away.  Your closets are half-packed into storage.  You feel like you're living in a staged home all the time.

Well - here's your salvation!  This list of handy items will make your prep for showings and open houses a cinch, and a twenty-minute step-by-step routine to get the house ready for those pesky buyers.

shopping list

• Have kids & toys? Wicker baskets, decorative boxes or barrels with lids
• Feather duster or Swiffer duster
• Clorox or other handy countertop wipes
• Extra laundry baskets or decorative clothes hampers
• Vacuum cleaner

to do list

• Work from top to bottom
• Master bedroom - Clothes in hampers or baskets. Shove in closet
• Master bedroom - run duster over dressers & night stands
• Master bath - shove everything under counter
• Master bath - wipe counters with Clorox or handy wipes
• Master bed & bath - 4 minutes
• Kids room - clothes into the hampers or the baskets; shove into closets
• Kids room - run duster over dressers, stands and furniture
• Kids room - empty any smelly trash or diaper genie
• Kids room - 4 minutes
• Vacuum this whole floor - 4 more minutes
• Living room - magazines & mail - toss into wicker basket
• Living room - kids toys - toss into decorative boxes/barrels/containers with lids
• Living room & dining room - run duster over the furniture
• Living Room - fluff the sofa cushions
• Living room & dining room - Swiffer the wood floors or run the vacuum
• Living room & dining room - 6 minutes
• Kitchen - shove everything into pantry or cabinets
• Kitchen - wipe down counters with countertop wipes
• Kitchen - wipe down appliances with stainless appliance wipes
• Kitchen - Swiffer the floor
• Kitchen - 5 minutes
• Den or basement - repeat the living room process - 5 minutes
• TOTAL TIME: 24 minutes

If you only have 20 minutes, then skip the den or the basement.

Alternate - skip the vacuum and the Swiffer, and concentrate on tossing items into handy storage containers.  You should be able to accommodate a showing with nearly zero notice, or have a stress free lead up to your showing.