Selling Your Chicago House: 6 Emergency Showing Tips

Once you have determined that it’s time to begin the process of selling your Chicago house, it won’t take long to uncover the number of small details that inevitably need attention. These are the kind of minor imperfections everybody learns to live with—things like kitchen cupboard hinges that squeal; toilet handles that need to be jiggled before the water stops running; fluorescent tubes that flicker in the garage. All need attention before your Chicago home will be showing-ready—but they’re all one-time projects. Once attended to, they can be put out of mind.

Different are the final finishing touches you administer immediately before important showings—the tweaks that improve the odds of selling your house. The object is to do away as much as possible with the artifacts of everyday living. The object is the same as always: to make it easier for prospective buyers to experience the property as owners rather than as guests.

But what can you do if circumstances conspire to compel a showing when there just isn’t time to perform the finishing touches?

If I am your agent, I’ll guarantee strict adherence to your advance notice requirements—but even so, emergencies can happen! Sometimes your own schedule gets upended by one of life’s little surprises; sometimes signals get crossed, or the clock gets away from you--you know!

Realtor.com put together a how-to video that recognizes this reality. They may have exaggerated with the title ("How to Get Your Home Ready in 10 Minutes”)--after all, selling your Chicago house isn’t supposed to be like an episode of American Ninja Warrior. But the video contained some useful ideas for less dire emergencies:

1. Don’t freak out.
2. Open all the window shades, draperies, curtains, etc.—and switch on the lights. This should lead off so that not only is the place light and bright, but you will see clearly what requires the most attention.
3. Grab a couple of heavy-duty garbage bags and tornado your way through the house, collecting offending debris and bric-a-brac. There will be plenty of time to sort it all out after the showing.
4. Make the beds (this is when you’ll bless the day you kept comforters at the ready).
5. In the kitchen, take advantage of the dishwasher’s alter ego as a dirty dish storage unit.
6. Leave!

Realtor’s last point is as important as any of the others. No matter how much you’d like to be there in person to explain any shortcomings, let me handle it. It’s important to allow prospective buyers to imagine themselves as your property’s future residents—and the easiest way to accomplish that is by making the current owners less of a factor. Don’t worry; I’ll see that the focus is on your home’s valuable features instead of any inconsequential housekeeping slipups.
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Call me when it’s time to get started!