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You cleaned for 9 hours so it should be easy to pick up stuff as you go now. You need to stay on top of it while showings can be going on. Adulting can be hard
This. And when you get notice of a showing, you learn how to tidy up and do some cleaning within an hour. You can require them to give you an hour's notice.
If you are working every day, then you will have to leave your home clean and tidy every morning for awhile. You might want to get up a half hour early.
When we were showing our house we had a routine. We basically started at one end of the house and worked our way to the door we would leave through. With both of us going at it, we could get the house in order in 30 minutes.
It also helps if you have your house professionally cleaned every other week or so.
Be sure to store safely any guns or fine jewelry, so they will not be a temptation.
And you will need to secure your pets before a showing as well.
Follow all the declutter and store all extra stuff off-site advice.
AND do yourself a favor and hire a weekly cleaner to come every Friday. This will help you keep a handle on things & the money it costs will come back to you in form of a sold house.
What do you do with your pets when you're not home and someone is scheduled to come and tour the home?
While my cats are pretty chill and friendly, at the end of the day, they're animals. And people will be silly enough to try to pet them b/c most people who come to my home typically do.. God forbid some annoying person gets scratched or bitten. This is one thing that worries me. ..
I asked my realtor to ask that any visitors not touch the cats. She said she can make the request but there is no guarantee people won't try to do it.
If you've cleaned the house exhaustively from top to bottom keeping it spot cleaned, especially when you are home so little, is not going to be a problem. Ditto for clutter, if you're gone 10 hours a day minimum then there should not be an issue.
If there are other people at home creating mess, they need to keep it cleaned up till the house is sold.
Sorry if I'm repetitive, I haven't read the whole thread.
If you've cleaned the house exhaustively from top to bottom keeping it spot cleaned, especially when you are home so little, is not going to be a problem. Ditto for clutter, if you're gone 10 hours a day minimum then there should not be an issue.
If there are other people at home creating mess, they need to keep it cleaned up till the house is sold.
Sorry if I'm repetitive, I haven't read the whole thread.
No worries at all
It's just me myself and I (and of course the 2 cats).
I don't accumulate much in terms of items. However, when I did clear everything to preparing the home today for professional photos, I realized my closets bear the brunt of all of the stuff I've cleared from my more formal areas. Since the closets will be looked in, I guess I'll have to organize the items from these areas more appropriately (many honestly were just tossed and placed haphazardly).
You cleaned for 9 hours so it should be easy to pick up stuff as you go now. You need to stay on top of it while showings can be going on. Adulting can be hard
This acerbic commentary is unnecessary.
This has little to do with "adulting," and more so my request on how to stay organized and keep my home very clean throughout this process. This is a learned skill. "Adulting" is irrelevant and misplaced in the setting of what I am asking.
When I met with the realtor to list my house, I discussed with her that my two 13 year old kids were homeschooled and at home all day.
I worked at some office, either 34 miles from my home or 250 miles from my home one day a week, but the day was not the same day each week--a Monday or Tuesday, depending on what my Supervisor wanted. And I worked at home on the other days. When working at home, about half the time I am on the phone and needed total quiet in the background.
I had 5 cats and one dog too. They could not be let out as the wildlife in the rural area would eat them.
My house was 3300 square feet and I was packing the rooms one at a time each evening and weekend when we had time.
My realtor and I decided together it would be much better for everyone if we did not make the listing active until after I moved out. So that is pretty much what I did. I do still have 3 closets to finish emptying when I return to that state, but for now its professionally cleaned, including the carpet, and being shown, and I am living in the new retirement house.
IF you can get a bridge loan, or can swing the financing to move, then show the house, I'd recommend it.
These posts are hilarious and bring back such memories...ugh, I've sold a lot of places, what a pain. Anyway, very good tips! The one I totally agree with is, NOTHING in the shower or bath to remind the buyer that you still live there. I do not want to see people's scrubbies or shampoo, so I figure they don't want to see mine either. I didn't want any used towels hanging on the bathroom or bedroom door, so I stuck them in the dryer. I mean, it's really so much more stressful than having "company" over, because you can't just throw stuff in closets or drawers -- they'll look in them! I moved most of my clothes down to a rack in the basement (that I covered) because I didn't want my closet to look packed.
I remember one place I sold, I removed all traces of the dog. When I went to closing, the buyers asked if I had a dog. They had seen the dog's bowl at the bottom of the lazy susan. Darn, didn't hide it well enough!
THis is something I am concerned about.
My realtor says that cats are not a worry but I am concerned about their presence. You won't smell them ever (thank God!), but they have a tall cat tree in the upstairs guest bedroom that's very hard to hide. There litter boxes will always be clean but I can't hide them b/c the cats will need them when I'm out of my home.
One thing I did when our house was for sale was at night before I went to bed, I walked through the house and picked up any clutter and noticed if any furniture needed dusting.
We also took truck loads of stuff to Goodwill and organized the closets as neatly as possible. In my closet, I organized the clothes by type (blouses together, pants together, etc.) and within these categories, put all of the same color together (all black tops together, all khaki pants together, etc.). It looked very nice and made the closet look bigger and gave the impression of a professionally organized closet.
Hope you have the same good fortune as we did. Sold our house Quickly. Good luck with everything. All your work will be worth it.
I have a cat. Because every single showing occurred while I was at work, removing her and her stuff wasn't an option. I scooped her box before I left each morning and that is all I could do. It wasn't an issue.
My cat hides from people, so her biting or scratching someone never crossed my mind. She often sleeps under the cover, and a few people mentioned the "kitty lump" in their comments. Never negatively- usually just mentioned they got a laugh over it.
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