What should I do to prepare my house for showings?

The most important things you can do before a showing are to declutter and secure personal valuables. Remember that strangers will be walking through your home — put away jewelry, passports, wallets, sentimental items, and anything of value. Turn on all the lights to brighten the space, open window shades and curtains to let in natural sunlight, and open a few windows for good airflow. A clean, bright, open home makes a strong first impression regardless of the neighborhood.At 25 Pine Acre Drive, the sellers were working and caring for a baby in a 1,028-square-foot house, so scattered appointments became stressful. We concentrated most of the early activity into the weekend open houses and accommodated only a few private appointments. That reduced the interruptions without keeping serious buyers from seeing the property.See how the showing plan worked in the complete case study →