A New York Licensed Real Estate Agent or Broker will be presenting your property to buyers they will not be unattended in your home. As a buyer's agent we are not always familiar with new clients – in some cases we may have just met them outside for the first time to show your property. Take every precaution to secure your valuables by locking them up or removing them from the house.

Accidents and crime rarely happen, but better that your valuables be safe.

Most homes on the market still have people living in them – if you have been looking at properties than you know that in a vacant house there is nothing to distract a buyer and they can fill the space in their imagination.

Some of us are much better at house keeping than others, and some of us are much better at decorating. Having an empty house is ideal – however it is just not always possible. Here is some guidance on preparing your home for buyers – probably not in the way that you would think.

Prior to real estate my career experience was in running a market research testing facility for consumers, studying how people look at things and what it makes them feel and think. It has given me a lot of perspective on gauging peoples reactions and predicting what will trigger a response.

Let's get started with your stuff – we are selling your property and it's fixtures. We want to market every aspect in the absolute best light possible.  That being said I want you to double check the lighting in your home. Replace bulbs with adequate fresh replacements and make sure outdoor lights are on for evening showings. Timers are great!

Our ultimate goal is to provide buyers with a calm ambient experience that inspires them to feel at home, that they do not want to leave. - Do NOT get upset if people spend more than 30-60 minutes in your home – this is a lifetime commitment! They may have just looked at 10 other homes or drove 3hrs just to see yours because they fell in love online. Buyer's have a lot to take in, they already brought several distractions with them – keys, phones, kids, coats, other adults including their agent

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We cannot help if buyers feel rushed or anxious before they get inside, let's welcome them into our space and encourage them to stay. Understand that showings can happen early or late or run 20 minutes over-time, people (other agents) are often fail to recognize they are now interfering with someone's day.

If you come home and see people out front or a car in your driveway, please just keep going and call Showingtime (put #800-746-9464 in your phone) to see what is going on. As agents sometimes clients want us to write an offer on the spot – these things take time. Being irate will turn people off very quickly.

Your house is full of your stuff – your stuff is leaving with you. You can indicate items are for sale by placing a note with a price on them or make a list of items.  . Your furnishings should not distract buyers from the house. I encourage you to start packing up your decorations and displays, they are not going to help sell the house - and it is less you need to do later. Do not worry about having boxes all around – Buyers LOVE boxes... packing boxes shows them that you are motivated and ready to vacate. Boxes are not nearly as distracting as your furnishings. That being said Aunt Gertrude's antique heirloom vase would be much safer packed up in a box safely awaiting your move than on display. If it is not for sale – people do not need to see it, or touch it.

Before photographing and listing your home, it is essential that you remove anything that ordinarily transfers with a house such as “fixtures” (such as Aunt Trudy's crystal chandelier) that you intend to take with you. Remember that people will always want what they cannot have – especially if someone else wants it. It is easier for you to replace it with a different light fixture (even used) than to have a buyer associate your house with any negative imprint that will stick in their head, regardless if they loved the house.

If you have pets in the home please understand that even pet-lovers notice pet odor. Odor penetrates into carpets, upholstery, and fabric. Washing, carpets, furniture, pillows and drapes as well as using a fabric refresher spray can help eliminate some of this. A black-light flashlight is only $5 and can help find sources of stink. If you also would remove or contain your cat's litter box (change it often) buyers are aware the cats do not stay, but that smell just might! 

It is best to find the source of the odor and just eliminate it altogether.

For extreme cases hiring a professional cleaning company to come and steam clean floors and carpets and even air ducts may prove to be a worthy investment. Please be mindful that people are walking around your yard and coming back inside – clean yards make for clean shoes!!

Avoid using heavily scented candles, incense, oil warmers or anything that again provides a distraction. Smells can offend people or even trigger memories – we don't know what kind. Whenever I walk into a house and immediately smell apple spice or vanilla rain it makes me wonder what bad odors are being covered up. It is especially odd when I am in homes without any pets or smokers – 

I realize that many people are just doing it innocently to be “inviting” or put a nice fragrance in the air. However it can backfire as strong smells can be very irritating to people – especially if they are allergic or dislike a particular scent. I have had buyers walk out of a property because they were overwhelmed by smell when it can be easily avoided. Even fresh paint fumes and new carpeting can make people feel ill – be sure to allow adequate ventilation inside.

I love a good smell – trust me.. I suggest that you stick with mild clean neutral scents. A freshly opened bar of dove or whatever soap in the bathroom, (bars of soap can hide anywhere) dryer sheets hidden around the house. I have recently seen Gain scented oil warmers ( I think they read my mind!) We see a lot of cinnamon brooms and scented pine cones and eucalyptus wreaths in the fall which are all nice without being overwhelming or obvious. Blocks of cedar, damp-rid and baking soda can help too. Yummy baking and cooking smells are not usually offensive to buyers - so keep the crock pot going.

A fresh coat of paint is nice – but nobody buys a house because of fresh paint. No matter what color you decide they will probably change it so use a neutral shade or antique white. If you can paint proficiently then good for you – if not then hire a professional. Nobody appreciates a crappy paint job or paint all over woodwork windows sills, outlet covers or floor boards this is actually considered damage. 

Instead of painting I will encourage you to clean everything – every nook and cranny. The things I usually notice are dirty cabinets, doors, light-switches, baseboards, radiators, appliances, (people will look in your cabinets, fridge, oven, dishwasher, pantry, and under your kitchen sink) be sure to wipe down your furnace, electrical panel, and hot water tank and remove any cobwebs from the basement, attic and garage. 

Because these locations are also dark be sure to replace old lightbulbs or add additional light sources to improve visibility. Switches and pulls can be hard for us to locate - nightlights or glow in the dark markings can help. Emergency shut-offs for your furnace can be located just inside basement stairways. They are often mistaken for the light-switch so if you have one, you may want to install a clear lockbox (like for the thermostat) to prevent it from being touched.

Provide additional lighting around the exterior of your property during showings. It looks great and it may prevent injury due to lack of visibility. 

If you love your house than other people will too – they want to make it their own after you leave. If you are looking to make some improvements I suggest doing the “non-fun” stuff... Hiring a home inspector to do a pre-sale inspection is sometimes a better investment than buying a new vanity for the bathroom. You do not want to find out from your buyer what issues your house has - because they will find them and then expect you to pay for repairs. Having that inspection report out and visible for showings tells your buyers that you have already taken the necessary steps to ensure there are no issues for them to deal with down the road. In fact – having the report available may save them money and keep them from performing their own inspection at all. That is much less for you to worry about – not all inspectors are created equal, and some are downright ridiculous... Stories for another day!

Suggested improvements would be – cleaning and repairing roof, replacing siding, gutters, furnaces, dryer vents, sealing your driveway, replacing a drafty window, or any non working outlets, appliances, etc.