Home Showing Mistakes: Item Three, Bad Smells

I read an article in REALTOR Mag last month about the top 10 "worst home-showing offenses" - in other words, major mistakes people make when showing their homes. I'd like to share them with you, along with tips for avoiding them.

The third mistake is bad smells in the home. They could be from pets, or from something you use often when cooking, like garlic, or cigarette smoke. You may not notice the smell since you're around it all the time. Consider asking a friend or relative to come have a sniff and alert you to any strong odors.

Simmer pot picture from Yahoo! Shine

What can you do about them? REALTOR magazine suggests painting walls and cleaning your carpet to deal with long-term, established smells. You may even need to replace the carpet to deal with pet odors or cigarette smoke. Furniture can also harbor odors, so consider moving upholstered furniture that's particularly smelly out of the way, even to a storage unit. And don't forget the power of opening windows and getting some air circulation working for you, weather permitting.

Using scents and air fresheners to cover up bad smells rarely works, but once you've dealt with the source of the smell by cleaning carpets, moving furniture, and circulating air, you can add pleasant odors to the air. You can do this by baking bread or making applesauce, or you can use a simmer pot intended just to create a nice scent. Here are five suggestions for simmer pot combinations from Yahoo! Shine: http://shine.yahoo.com/haven/5-awesomely-autumnal-simmer-pot-recipes-to-get-you-in-the-mood-for-fall-2402046.html

Home Showing Mistakes: Item Two, Pets!

I read an article in REALTOR Mag last month about the top 10 "worst home-showing offenses" - in other words, major mistakes people make when showing their homes. I'd like to share them with you, along with tips for avoiding them.

The second mistake dealt with pets in the home during showings. Many agents pointed out that unfriendly cats and dogs in a home make showings difficult, if not impossible. Even when pets are crated, they may be protesting noisily during the showing and prevent a potential buyer from entering a room.

Moving is a stressful time for pets, and having strange people viewing the home only adds to that. If possible, take your pet with you when you're out during showings. If that's not possible, whether because you're at work or because your cat doesn't walk on a leash, investigate other places for your pet to be. Maybe your cat can spend the day at your friend's house. Maybe your dog can go to "doggie daycare." Help your showings go more smoothly and make your pet's day a little easier, too.

Home Showing Mistakes: Item One, "Leftover Home Owners"

I read an article in REALTOR Mag last month about the top 10 "worst home-showing offenses" - in other words, major mistakes people make when showing their homes. I'd like to share them with you, along with tips for avoiding them.

The first mistake is being around during a showing. The REALTOR Mag article mentions owners being asleep in bed, in the shower, and even following potential buyers through the home! To avoid being caught sleeping, showering, or doing other things when your home is being shown, make sure your realtor has good contact information for you: your cell phone number, the email address you check most frequently. And when you know there's going to be a showing, put it in your calendar and maybe even set an alarm for yourself.

As far as following prospective buyers through the home: don't. Even if you are curious about their reactions, remember that your goal in listing your home is to sell it. Part of selling your home is letting buyers explore it in private and imagine it as their own.

More next time!