Showing Checklist
- Check all rooms for tidyness.
- Dishes done, kitchen and bathroom counters clean
- Turn on all lights, whether daytime or at night.
- Open curtains in daytime, close them at night.
- Children and pets can be distracting. Keep them secluded or out of the house, if possible.
- If weather permits, open a few windows.
- When the buyer's agent arrives, obtain their business card and save it for your agents.
- Give them space. Go downstairs, in the yard or for a short walk.
- Let the agent conduct the showing, even if he/she hasn't seen your home before. They have a working relationship with their buyers and know how to best handle them. Rely on their experience and expertise.
- Refer any discussion about price, terms, possession, inclusions, etc. to your agents. You may inadvertently compromise your negotiating position.
A detailed list of exterior and interior items:
Exterior
- House in good repair
- House number easy to read
- Eaves troughs, down spouts and soffits in good repair
- Garage/car port clean and tidy
- Litter picked up
- Cracked or broken window panes replaced
- Lawns and hedges cut and trimmed, garden weeded and edged
- Walks shovelled and salted
- Boot tray inside front door
- Doorbell and door hardware in good repair
- Porch and foyer clean and tidy
Interior
- Chipped plaster and paint touched-up and replaced
- Doors and cupboards properly closed
- Leaky taps and toilets repaired
- Burned out light bulbs replaced
- Squeaky doors oiled
- Mirrors, fixtures, and taps cleaned and polished
- Seals around tubs and basins in good repair
- Floors cleaned, garbage containers empty
- Inside of closets and cupboards neat and tidy
- Appliances cleaned
- Countertops neat and polished
- All lights turned on
- Air conditioner turned on in warm weather
- Fresh air in house
- Fireplace lit in cooler weather
- Halls and stairs cleaned
- Drapes opened during daylight
- Carpets freshly vacuumed
- Fresh flowers in various rooms
- Jewelry and valuables locked safely away or taken with you
- Valuable property, such as objects of art, vases and figurines out of reach, out of sight, or locked away
- Pets absent, where possible, or contained during the showing, and litter boxes clean