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Preparing for a house showing? From securing valuables to not being home when the buyer arrives, this list of dos and don’ts will help you navigate the process – and help you plan where to go before your prospective buyers arrive.

Before we get started, let’s quickly clarify what a house showing is.

What Is A House Showing?

A house showing is when a buyer visits a home for sale. The buyer’s agent requests a showing by contacting the seller’s agent. The seller’s agent gets approval from the seller and then confirms the appointment time. During the showing, the buyer can look in the rooms and ask questions.

Unless there is a special circumstance, sellers should always be out of their home during the showing so that buyers can feel comfortable looking around and imagining themselves living there.

There are three main types of house showings:

Open House: This means anyone can visit a home without an appointment during a certain timeframe. Typically, open houses are held on weekends between 1-4 PM and last for 2-3 hours. The seller’s agent stays at the house to greet visitors and answer questions. Multiple people can tour the home at the same time.

Private House Showing: This is a scheduled tour where the listing agent accompanies the showing. While this allows for immediate answers about the property and a more personalized experience, it can significantly limit showing opportunities due to scheduling constraints. Some listing agents insist on this method, particularly for luxury properties or homes with unique features.

Lockbox Showing: This method allows any qualified agent to access the property through a secure key box at scheduled times. While the listing agent isn’t present to answer specific questions, this approach offers much more flexibility for buyers and their agents, especially for repeat viewings. Many modern listings use this method as it maximizes showing opportunities and makes the home more accessible to potential buyers.

» MORE: Best Time To Sell A House – What Month?

House Showing: Dos

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s look at the dos of showing a house as a seller.

This assumes you’ve hired a real estate agent.

Do Take Your Valuables Out of The House

When preparing for a house showing, it’s a good idea to remove valuables from your home. This includes obvious items like jewelry, cash, and collectibles but also personal documents, family heirlooms, and any items that could be easily pocketed. While your real estate agent will supervise showings, they can’t watch every visitor at all times.

Your medications also need to be secured. Prescription drugs can be targeted during home showings, so pack them up and take them with you. This protects your property and medical privacy since medication labels can reveal personal health information.

Do Clean and Stage Your House Before Showing

A clean, well-staged home is much more likely to appeal to buyers than one that’s cluttered, dirty, or otherwise poorly maintained.

Ideally, each room should be clean and thoughtfully arranged with furniture and some tasteful decorative touches.

You might be wondering how much you should clean. Here are some things you can do:

  • Clean floors thoroughly, whether carpet, wood, or tile
  • Wipe down kitchen counters, sinks, and appliances
  • Clean bathroom fixtures and mirrors
  • Remove stains or scuff marks from walls and baseboards
  • Clean windows and windowsills
  • Take out all trash and empty bins
  • Make all beds with fresh linens
  • Clean up pet areas and ensure there are no pet odors

Do Depersonalize Your Home

Something to remember when selling your home is that buyers need to picture themselves living there. When buyers walk through a space filled with your personal touches, they may feel like they’re intruding rather than exploring their potential future home.

Moreover, you don’t want to overlay your style on the space too heavily. For example, if you love bold colors and have a bunch of bright paintings on the walls, this may put off buyers who prefer more subtle tones.

While you don’t want your home’s interior to feel stale, it’s worth sticking to simple decor and arranging furniture in an unobtrusive way.

Do Leave The Lights On, and Let Natural Light In

Lighting makes a difference when selling your home. For instance, natural daylight streaming through the windows is a lot more welcoming than dark, shadowy rooms. For an evening showing, good outdoor lighting will help buyers feel welcome before they even step inside.

Lighting up your space is a small step that can make a big difference. Opening your blinds and curtains, turning on your lights, and checking your bulbs should only take a few minutes.

Now, while it might seem wasteful to leave lights on, those few extra dollars on your electric bill can pay off.

Do Set A Comfortable Temperature For The Showing

Setting a comfortable temperature in your home is important for house showings. After all, you want potential buyers to feel relaxed as they tour your property, not distracted by being too hot or too cold.

Like with any indoor space, you’ll want to adjust your heating or cooling based on the season and time of day.

Do Set The Mood

The right mood can influence how buyers experience your home during a showing. Creating a welcoming atmosphere by burning a candle before the showing can make your home feel cozy and inviting. But when it comes to scents, less is definitely more.

Fair Warning About Scents:

Using too many scented candles or air fresheners can backfire. A subtle approach works better – think one vanilla candle rather than multiple competing fragrances.

Do Maintain Your Home’s Curb Appeal

When it comes to selling your home, never underestimate the power of a good first impression. While most home sellers focus on the inside of their home, the view from the street is where the showing begins.

For this reason, simple outdoor cosmetics can make your home more appealing and show it is well cared for. Even if you’re not into landscaping or don’t need it (many Las Vegas homes don’t have lawns), basic landscaping can go a long way in making your property more inviting.

Many buyers do a “drive-by” before their scheduled showing to size up the property. Upping your curb appeal can determine whether they get out of their car.

Do Leave A Notice of Surveillance

If you have cameras in your home, whether it’s a full security system or just a doorbell camera, it’s good practice to let potential buyers know. A simple notice near the entrance serves two purposes: it helps protect your property and lets visitors know they’re being recorded, which is just a basic courtesy.

The notice doesn’t need to be anything fancy. A polite sign mentioning video monitoring is usually enough. Most buyers actually appreciate this transparency. Just make sure your surveillance setup follows local law.

House Showing: Don’ts

Now that we’ve covered the dos, let’s pivot to the don’ts of showing a house.

Don’t Leave A Personal Endorsement or Letter

Writing a letter to potential buyers might seem like a nice gesture, but it’s best to keep personal sentiments out of showings. There are good reasons for this; it’s possible to make buyers feel uncomfortable or inadvertently discourage them.

Ultimately, the goal is for buyers to walk through with fresh eyes and decide if this could be their future home based on their experience, not someone else’s.

Don’t Leave A Note Asking Buyers To Take Off Their Shoes

Asking buyers to remove their shoes can make people feel uncomfortable or unwelcome during a showing, and some might have physical reasons why they need to keep their shoes on.

Rather than posting a note not to wear shoes, it’s usually better to clean your floors if necessary and get good doormats!

Don’t Cook Overly Strong Smelling Food Before the Showing

Strong smells can linger in your home long after the meal is over, and certain foods can be particularly off-putting. Here are some foods that tend to leave lingering odors:

  • Fish and seafood
  • Heavily spiced dishes like curry or foods with lots of garlic
  • Fried foods, which can leave greasy odors in the air
  • Pungent cheeses or fermented foods
  • Burned or overcooked anything

On the day of a showing, consider eating out or keeping meals simple. Sandwiches, salads, or basic microwave options won’t leave lingering cooking odors in your home.

Don’t Overdecorate

Decorating for a showing is always a balancing act. While your home should feel welcoming and lived-in, too many decorative elements can overwhelm buyers and distract from the home’s best features. Heavy drapery, excessive wall art, messy knick-knacks, etc., are best avoided.

A simpler approach tends to work better. For instance, a few well-chosen decorative touches can make rooms feel inviting while still allowing buyers to breathe and focus on the important features.

Don’t Remove Too Much from the Home

While keeping your home clean and removing valuables is necessary before a showing, it is possible to empty out your home so much that it feels like an empty, lifeless shell!

Basic items like towel racks, shower curtains, and bath mats should stay in place. These everyday items help rooms feel functional and lived-in rather than stripped bare. The same goes for kitchen essentials. A coffee maker on the counter, for instance (as long as it’s nice, clean, and turned off), is perfectly fine to leave in place.

Don’t Leave Pets At The House

As much as we love our fur babies, pets need to be out of the house during showings. Even the friendliest dogs and cats can make some buyers uncomfortable, trigger allergies, or simply distract from your home.

Finding a place for your pets during showings, whether that’s with you, friends, or a pet sitter, is a must. Moreover, your pets’ beds, toys, and food bowls should be tidied away.

Don’t Be At Home When The Buyer Shows Up

This is a big one. Don’t be at home during a showing! This can make buyers feel awkward and uncomfortable, and they’ll likely end up rushing through the house, not asking questions, or taking a good look around.

Even sitting in your car outside or coming back early sends the wrong message. Buyers need space and time to experience your home on their own terms and discuss their thoughts openly with their agent. This is hard to do when they feel like they’re being watched.

So, Where To Go When You Have A House Showing

When your home is being shown to buyers, you’ll need somewhere to go for an hour or so.

Here’s a list of ideas:

  • Shopping and errands
  • A friend or a family member’s house
  • Coffee shop or café
  • Nearby park (a pet-friendly location if you have dogs)
  • Gym

How Long Do You Need To Leave When Showing Your House?

Most showings take between 15-45 minutes, but it’s worth planning for a bit longer just in case. If you return and still see cars in the driveway, that could be a good sign.

Serious buyers often spend more time looking at a home. Just drive around the block or extend your activity until they’re finished.

Sell Your Home Fast with The Real Estate Guy

House showings can make or break your home sale. By following these dos and don’ts, you’ll be better prepared to present your home in its best light and give potential buyers the space they need to envision themselves living there.

Ready to sell your home in Las Vegas? Contact The Real Estate Guy to learn how we can help you sell your home fast.


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