Sellers know that, in order to sell a home, many showings are often necessary. Many accommodations must be made so that interested buyers get a chance to take a good look at the home. Here are a few tips to help you maintain your priorities, keep your cool and make sure your home is in top order.

1. Keep Your Home in Show-Ready Condition

It is pretty common to hire professionals to provide that extra-deep cleaning that you may not have the time or elbow grease to do on your own. The trick is making sure the home stays at the same standard. Set up a cleaning station, preferably on a rolling cart or easily-portable organizer that can be transported from room to room. Put in everything needed to do spot-cleaning, including sprays, sponges, wipes, garbage bags, dusters and a dustpan. Make a list that you can keep with the station that serves as a reminder of everything that needs to be inspected or attended to before leaving the house.

2. Create a Sane Showing Schedule

Home sellers know perfectly well that the goal is to allow as many buyers to see the home as possible. This ambition may incline sellers toward opening the schedule wide to showings at all times of the day. However, saying you are available for longer stretches than you can manage is not actually ideal. Try to leave showing times open during the busiest times on evenings and weekends. Set aside time for you and the household to sleep, clean and have a little relaxation time. Otherwise, you may have a harder time getting the home ready for the next showing on the schedule.

3. Set a Timer for Quick Adjustments

The last thing you want to happen is to realize there are a number of tasks that need to be completed as you see the buyers pulling up to the driveway. Take your list of last-minute cleaning and setup items, and set a timer or reminder on your phone to help you keep to the schedule. Perform the spot cleaning first, so that nothing is left looking unappealing for the buyers to see. If you want to adjust the temperature in the house or set out something nice (e.g. information about the house or a light snack), give yourself enough time to make it happen. You probably won’t be able to fix the landscaping in a few minutes, so it’s important to make note of what tasks can be reasonably done last minute.

4. Grant Yourself the Freedom to Leave

Buyer’s agents often say that one of the worst things for sellers to do during a home showing is to stay in the home. It can feel foreign to leave strangers to browse through your home and look in your closets when you are not there, particularly during the first few showings. However, if you are still there, buyers are less likely to take a thorough look at the home or ask questions about aspects of the home or concerns they may have. Recognize that it feels awkward to leave your home unattended, and allow yourself the ability to feel a little uncomfortable driving away at first. If you have taken appropriate steps to secure all valuables, there should not have anything to worry about.

It is hard to tell how long it will take to sell your home – even in popular real estate markets like Anoka. You should prepare to have the home ready for showings for at least a few weeks, if not a couple of months. With these tips, avoid making home showings awkward, and increase your chances of landing a great offer.