You’ve done a ton of work to get your home ready to sell. The photos have been taken, the video tour is published, and you are proud of how amazing it all looks! Now that your home is officially on the market, agents want to show your beautiful home to their buyer clients. Don’t panic! We know it is hard to live in a home while it’s for sale. Keeping it pristine all the time can be overwhelming. But, what if it didn’t have to be that way?

Our printable checklist of tasks to complete before a showing will ease your stress

Go ahead. Download and print this list, stick it inside a cabinet door so it’s always handy when that agent calls to schedule a showing, and smile knowing you’ve got this.

As we’ve said before, buyers will notice and appreciate all that you’ve done to keep your home clean and tidy, and following this pre-showing checklist will make your home stand out among the competition.

You may be thinking, “This is all well and good, but I do have a life and a career and I’m not always home when that agent calls to schedule a showing.” Sometimes buyers are excited and want to see homes right away.

Tips for preparing for showings when you know you won’t be around

• If you know you’ll be away from your home for a while — say, at work for the day or running errands for a few hours — we suggest following this checklist before you leave, as much as is safe, smart, and possible.
• If you’ll be gone for a long span of time (like a vacation or weekend getaway), it probably isn’t a good idea to leave all of your lights on (that would not be a good way to save on your electric bill!). In that case, we’d suggest doing as much as possible on the checklist for tidying up, and then contacting your listing agent to have him/her handle the other last-minute tasks before your showing.

And here’s a bonus tip for when you are around

Potential buyers appreciate privacy when they are checking out homes for sale. They want to envision themselves living there, speaking freely about what they like or don’t like, and what they might change to ensure the home suits their needs and goals. So, if a showing is scheduled during a time when you are around and you don’t feel the need to go out running errands, we suggest taking a long walk or a short drive. This will give you another activity to ease stress (getting outside for a walk is always a great stress reliever!) and also give the buyers some freedom.