So you have a house showing today and you need to straighten up the house, but you don’t know exactly what to do? How much time you have before the house showing will determine how many cleaning tasks you can reasonably expect to accomplish before the showing.

A house showing is a very important part of selling a house. Many realtors have told me that open houses do not sell houses- house showings are what do it. It’s when a potential buyer sees the house in a scheduled, private house showing that the house is sold. So clearly, it is important to make the house look its best during all showings. After all, who knows which showing will sell your house!

You may have 15 minutes before the house showing, or you may have a few hours. Here are the checklists for both timeframes. If you have more than a few hours before the showing, then you probably should fully and thoroughly clean the entire house.

It may be tiring and time-consuming to sell a house and prepare for all these house showings, but just remember the better your house shows, the more quickly it will sell. And the more quickly it sells, the sooner you can move your family into your new house and settle in to your new life! It’s pretty exciting stuff, if you ask me.

I have two young (very messy) kids at home, so keeping this house perfectly clean is an overwhelming, almost-impossible thought. I have settled with just trying to keep clutter down to a minimum and hoping I have enough time to straighten up before the showings. Hopefully, I have enough time to pick up the toys and wipe down the counters. Okay, let’s get to the checklists now, shall we?

What to do before house showings {printable checklists}

If you have 15 minutes:

• Make the beds.
• Empty all the garbages.
• Close all toilet seats.
• Replace all towels with the “just-for-show” towels.
• Wipe down countertops in kitchens and baths.
• Turn on all lights in the house. Open all blinds, curtains, drapes, etc.

If you have a few hours:

• Do everything on the 15 minute list.
• Vacuum all rugs & carpets.
• Sweep all hard floors- hardwoods, tiles, etc.
• Clean all glass & mirror surfaces.
• Scrub toilets and tubs to remove any debris or stains.
• Remove clutter from living areas, counter tops and hallways.

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