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Every cotton picking light on, even lamps and the lights on in all the closets and over that clean stove and sink ( but not the fart fan/lights ,,,So many I imagine all the breakers tripping!!
blinds all open ( but leave the west facing window ones partially closed in late afternoon
Soft classical music upstairs radio, downstairs stereo
Jack that air up and make it really comfortable, then down at last possible sec so it isn't running
toilets lids closed
dog dishes stashed
etc. etc. etc.
thankfully I am home to do it .... I am obsessive, or I would be a total wreck if I couldn't!!
this is house #9 since 1994..I could do it in my sleep.and probably do
Every cotton picking light on, even lamps and the lights on in all the closets and over that clean stove and sink ( but not the fart fan/lights ,,,So many I imagine all the breakers tripping!!
blinds all open ( but leave the west facing window ones partially closed in late afternoon
Soft classical music upstairs radio, downstairs stereo
Jack that air up and make it really comfortable, then down at last possible sec so it isn't running
toilets lids closed
dog dishes stashed
etc. etc. etc.
thankfully I am home to do it .... I am obsessive, or I would be a total wreck if I couldn't!!
this is house #9 since 1994..I could do it in my sleep.and probably do
Dang, you really do have it down! But I might test the fart fan if I visted your house cuz we need a working one.
I imagine it must be crazy-making to do all those things, and expensive too, but I have to agree as a buyer it makes such a difference to walk in a house that's already bright and cheerful. I know we're supposed to be able to see past bad paint, old carpet, etc, but fixing that stuff works on gullible folks like me because it's a first impression, a feeling you get when you walk in the door that really lasts. I don't mind if the bathroom or closet lights aren't on, but the big rooms -- living, kitchen, bedrooms etc -- you really feel a difference if it's not bright and sunny.
As for a/c, we're going through a heatwave right now and we want to know your a/c is working. I think it's clever to have it on full blast but then turn it off just before you leave. We've been to a few houses where it was so cool/comfortable, and we thought wow, it's this comfortable and the a/c isn't even on yet! Must be the good insulation, nice shade trees, etc. But now I'm thinking someone was running the a/c before we left? Genius!
Yes I just sold my home within the last 12 months...in less than 2 weeks...in the Boston area.
What I don't get is all these folks who come to this board and insist that convential wisdom is silly and that common sense, simple things aren't really necessary.
There was the discussion about whether you should sit around in your bathrobe while a buyer comes through your home rather than take a drive to the mall...because "you shouldn't have to". Now we're talking about whether it's really necessary to leave your lights on, when almost every realtor I have ever met, every show I have ever seen, and every book I have ever read says it's a good idea. What's the big deal? It's not expensive to do, and it's not hard to do, despite how you describe it. Even if it makes just a small difference, why not do it? It won't hurt. It's just one of many things you can do to improve your home's appeal.
Remember, you're trying to sell your home in a tough market. If the buyer can't see that clean and decluttered house because it's dark, then all that work is diminshed. Rather than thinking of how not to do things, you should be thinking of all the things you can do easily, like brightening up the place by turing on the lights.
You missed my point. Sellers are making themselves crazy these days trying to do EVERYTHING .
You don't need to remind this seller they are trying to sell their home in a tough market - I get that. Sorry to the OP for my side discussion about the lighting. I just think we need to lighten up all the the "should dos" (no pun indended) which was the point in what I originally posted.
The agent *should* turn off the lights as they leave.
Not true, we should leave the house as we find it unless asked to turn off the lights. That house might have 3 showings lined up that morning and not want the lights turned off.
This is a very old thread, but my exact scenario. Came home last night to find about 2/3 of the lights I had left on turned off, and I have no idea which of the showing agents did it. I guess all I can do is hope it was the last one!
If lights are on when I get there, I leave them on. I don't know if there is another showing scheduled behind me. If lights are off, I turn them on as I go through and turn them off when I leave. I'm sure I occasionally miss one or two, but I always try to leave the house just as I found it.
Leave a note on the kitchen counter telling agents what you want done with the lights! If there's that one light you absolutely want left on because you come home when it's dark, tape the switch.
My realtor would call me before showings and tell me to make sure to turn all lights on, even bathroom. It felt phony, but whatever I did turn most on, not all. And, all the blinds I opened, too.
My realtor would call me before showings and tell me to make sure to turn all lights on, even bathroom. It felt phony, but whatever I did turn most on, not all. And, all the blinds I opened, too.
If you want to sell the home, this is the way to do it!
Leave a note on the kitchen counter telling agents what you want done with the lights! If there's that one light you absolutely want left on because you come home when it's dark, tape the switch.
I have a couple of switches taped because of the electronics that are connected to them. But I leave every light on now for showings, and did not appreciate that someone coming for a showing may have walked into a dark home because a realtor took it upon themselves to shut things off. They have no idea if they are the only showing of the day, and since I am averaging almost 2 per day, most of the time there is at least one more showing.
I guess I could leave a note on the counter but after working so hard to make sure every single surface in the house is cleared off except for a few tasteful decorative pieces, I hate to make it look sloppy with a piece of paper on the counter! I think I'll stop at the dollar store and buy a small picture frame to put a note in, that will make me feel less bothered than a piece of paper sitting there.
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,,,So many I imagine all the breakers tripping!!
the lights are on but nobody's home
