My mom and stepdad (whom I'm currently living with) are in the process of trying to sell their house. I found out yesterday that today we'd have some viewers and that Saturday would be an "open house." We did a bunch of cleaning in preparation for that. I think it was either last night or this morning of some things I'd do if I had been authorized to do so in order to add more of a "homey" spin (barring unforseen circumstances):
1. Put on a pot of coffee with respect to the time the viewers are expected. There'd be some cups, powdered creamer, sugar, etc. out as well with a note inviting viewers/the agent to help themselves. (Some public places do this sort of thing once in a while.)
2. Make sure there's somewhere for people to leave their coats/jackets and/or purses.
3. Have something set up relatively close to the door so that anyone who wishes to take off their shoes for whatever reason (comfort, personal conviction regarding shoes in the home, fear of ruining the floor on a rainy/snowy day, etc.) can do so. I'd be reluctant to make it mandatory for a few reasons:
a. It's a real estate rule that those living in a home shouldn't be present during the viewing time if it can be helped. If I'm not home, how will I know whether or not someone else had shoes on in my home unless there's something obvious on the floors, such as mud prints.
b. Some people consider anything associated with buying a home (including viewing it) as a "business thing." (I read that on a forum once.) To them, being shoeless could fight with the "business" tone.
c. Depending on how the home is set up, there may be a viewing of, say the backyard involved. If one's shoes are several feet away, they'd have to go back to the front door to grab them. (But then, they could carry the shoes with them the whole time inside if need be.)
d. Some people are medically forbidden from being up and about unshod whether they like it or not.
Anyway, that's what I'd personally do to make the place a bit more "homey" for whomever might be living in my place after me. What about you?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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