30 minutes or less

April 15, 2012 7:22 AM

We're putting our house on the market. Help us create a quick-evacuation checklist for showings on short notice.

We have a small 2-bedroom, 1-bath house. We also have two large dogs with a projectile shedding problem.

So far we have the following plans for clearing out quickly for a showing (aside from daily dog brushing and keeping the house in a generally abnormal state of tidiness). What haven't we thought of? What do we maybe not need to worry about?

30-minute evacuation plan:

- Swiffer all floors
- All dirty dishes in dishwasher
- Wipe down sink
- All laundry/towels out of hamper and into washing machine
- Put away/hide dog beds, crates, and toys
- Put away/hide bathroom counter stuff: toothbrushes, water pik, face wash, etc.
- Throw jewelry box, sex toys, laptops, personal electronics, important papers, anything we can't put away quickly, etc. into a laundry basket to carry out with us.
- Arrange throw pillows
- Open blinds
- Put toilet lid down
- Remove grill cover
- Clear outdoor ashtray

posted by elizeh to Home & Garden (20 answers total)

Best answer: Turn on all of the lights in addition to opening all of the blinds. You want your potential buyers to walk into a brightly-lit, welcoming place.

Wipe dog nose prints off front windows/doors.

Empty any wastebaskets/trash cans inside the house.
posted by Ostara at 7:36 AM on April 15, 2012 [4 favorites]

If you have takeaway sheets, make sure they're out someplace - kitchen counter, or on a table in the entryway. Ditto for your agent's business cards.
posted by jquinby at 7:50 AM on April 15, 2012

Excellent checklists above about tidiness and light,

I want to add open all windows and dressing it with simple things to make your home look fresh:

Fresh fruit in a bowl in the kitchen

Fresh flowers in a vase in kitchen or bathroom

A plant in a tidy pot in the livingroom

A candle (don't turn it on) but just having one gives the sense that you care about your environment
posted by i_wear_boots at 7:55 AM on April 15, 2012

And one more thing: wipe appliances down so they look clean and shiny (stove, refrigerator, dishwasher)
posted by i_wear_boots at 7:56 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Stove = temporary storage
posted by backwards guitar at 7:59 AM on April 15, 2012 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Personal items (such as family photos) which makes it your home instead of visitors home at the emotional level. The visitors must to be able to imagine that they live in the house and your family photos makes that more difficult for them.
posted by flif at 8:31 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Get a really nice candle or find an air freshener that doesn't smell badly and scent your house just before you leave. Smell is very evocative. When I sold my house my Real Estate agent told me to always have a coffee maker running, so you could always make a pot just before you leave. You want homey food related smells like cookies or coffee.
posted by wwax at 8:32 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oven is a good place for temporary storage, as suggested above, but you can always hide things in the fridge and the washing machine, too. People will sometimes open cabinets to view storage capabilities, but are not likely to open your appliances.

If you have a hamper with a lid, gathering all bathroom stuff into one basket or bag and popping it in the hamper and closing the lid is a good hide-it-all solution there.

Don't forget to put away/hide the dog's food and water bowls and food in addition to the crates, beds, and toys. Those can go in the fridge to hide.

If your bed is one that will accommodate a bedskirt, attach one. You can then kick anything in the bedroom under the bed temporarily

Hand towels in the bathroom should be nicely folded (not bunched) and body towels should be either hung nicely on a bar or removed entirely, not on a hook.
posted by juniperesque at 8:42 AM on April 15, 2012

Coffee or baking with cinnamon are okay, but no candles or artificial scents. Many people find such scents objectionable.
posted by sevenstars at 8:51 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Windex the bathroom mirror.
posted by salvia at 9:30 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

This might be a bit much for a 30 minute routine, but use Pledge on the sinks after cleaning and drying them out. Makes them look factory fresh.
posted by gjc at 9:57 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Giving things a fast wipedown with rubbing alcohol is a cheap quick way to get a streak free shine. Also, pour a cup of lemon scented pine sol in the toilets before you close the lids. Gives house a clean smell without the obvious candles or air fresheners sitting around.
posted by pearlybob at 9:58 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

re: the smells, I was once advised to keep a blueberry muffin mix on hand and ready to go in the oven on automatic bake. Unmistakable yummy-ness. also, to leave a note offering them to the "guests"
posted by bebrave! at 10:01 AM on April 15, 2012

Heat some water with vanilla in it to make your house smell like cookies.
posted by kamikazegopher at 11:28 AM on April 15, 2012

Do you want to talk 90 seconds to sweep leaves off of the front porch or walkway?
posted by salvia at 1:52 PM on April 15, 2012

*take not talk
posted by salvia at 1:52 PM on April 15, 2012

This is all good advice, but having done this a few months ago I think you need to keep a couple of things in mind. Most importantly, you probably can't count on a 30 minute notice, especially when you first list. We got a number of viewings coming with less notice than that. You also will potentially have viewings during the day when you aren't home. It is much easier to alter your living style to have all clutter hidden all the time and get your cleanup list down to 5-10 minutes of last minute wiping and straightening. Toothbrushes under the sink and dirty dishes in the dishwasher as their normal spot, not somewhere you hide them at the last minute.
posted by ydant at 3:16 AM on April 16, 2012 [2 favorites]

Wipe down anything shiny to remove water spots and buildup: faucets, handles, the drain collar. Also, if you haven't already, replace all your well-loved light switch covers. Especially, of course, any that are cracked or have stains. And dust the ceiling corners where cobwebs tend to gather. With your lights on and blinds open, suddenly cobwebs seem to appear.
posted by amanda at 8:44 AM on April 16, 2012

I'll echo that you probably can't expect to be able to accomplish this list when you get a showing announcement. I just went through this - you need to alter your living style such that you're prepared to walk out at any time. We accomplished that through ritualistic cleaning.

Previously, we rarely made our bed. Now, new rule - as soon as you're awake, bed gets made. Our old rule was every dirty dish had to be in the sink. New rule - all dishes get instantly put in the dishwasher.

Or modify your routines to remove some of the issues. If dishes are a particular issue for you, switch to paper plates for the month.

Good luck!
posted by jmevius at 12:11 PM on April 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

In addition to what has been said above, I use granite cleaner on my counters, wipe down shower doors (because they are glass), empty out cat boxes, make sure desktop computer is locked down, grab my husband's knives.

(shocked at the lack of notice time in some of these comments - is that common? We are in Texas and get a 2 hour lead time)
posted by getawaysticks at 6:26 AM on April 18, 2012