All I can say, is when you sell your house, listen to everything they tell you on HGTV.  Remove all personal belongings (photos etc), paint your walls beige, and keep it IMMACULATE!  We’ve been busy the past few weeks repainting some of the crazy colors I chose – sigh.  It upset me a little to see my colors go, but I’m pretty much used to the Beige now.

Every time we leave the house now, it has to be ready should Someone (ie potential buyer) call for a showing while we are out.  If you have your underwear hanging out to dry, that WILL be the day someone decides to make an appointment.  Trust me.  Yesterday we were about to start making dinner and we got a call that someone would be there in 15 MINUTES!  Geez Louise!  Good thing we hadn’t started already!

So, I’ve developed my own special house staging routine.  I fully realize that for some people, this might be a NORMAL cleaning routine, but let’s just say I’m not all that fond of cleaning.  I read Martha Stewart’s homekeeping handbook (took it out from the library) and thought — who ACTUALLY DOES THIS STUFF?  Well, now me, apparently.  Here we go:

• Divide up the responsibility with your loved ones.  Oak is in charge of the kitchen only – it requires the most day-to-day maintenance, so it’s pretty much equal if I take care of the rest of the house.
• Once a week, vaccuum and mop all floors.  Throughout the week, wipe up spills and pick up large pieces off the floor.  Also do some dusting and clean the toilets once a week.  Fun stuff.
• Develop a “before we leave the house” checklist.  Ours includes:
  • Open all blinds and curtains.
  • Make the bed.
  • Ensure that all bathroom surfaces are wiped clean.  (Clorox wipes are GREAT for this!!!  I don’t care if they cost a little extra money)
  • Hide all personal items - mail, books, magazines, random pieces of clothing, shoes, etc. in the closets or under the bed.
  • Verify that the garbage doesn’t have anything funky-smelling in it.  If it does, take out the garbage.
  • Make sure there are no dirty dishes in the sink, and that all kitchen surfaces are clean.
  • Spray a room-scenting spray throughout the house.  You never notice the smells of your own home after you’re inside for awhile, so better to be safe than sorry!

 

Needless to say, I’ll be a little relieved when we don’t have to do this stuff anymore!  It’s also inhibiting my scrappy chica creativity because I don’t want to make a mess in the craft room (mon dieu!).  Here’s hoping

Posted by Carrie on Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Categories: blog · 3 Comments »