In May, I wrote a post about going back to work. I (sadly) admitted that my husband and I had made the decision to close the home business I had owned and operated for four years. Let me tell you, when a small business decides to close…it’s HARD! It was a huge decision that changed our lives in a very big way. There’s much more to closing a small business than just selling your inventory and moving on. There’s business licenses to cancel. Loans and business debt that needs to be paid off and/or transferred. Tears to be wiped off and egos to pick up off the floor.
All that being said, we walked away knowing that we made the right choice, but that there was more we needed to do to recover from closing the business. The decision to sell our home came after long discussions and many calculations and recalculations. 
We bought cheap and ugly in an affluent area then poured a lot of money, time, and sweat equity into it. It seemed the most natural and responsible step. So, here we are…selling. We’re selling our home in the midst of me going to work full time, our teenage daughter trying to gain independence by having an active social life that requires parental transportation, and my husband and I desperately trying to rid ourselves of our “not-so-healthy” bodies.
How does one manage to keep their house clean and show-quality ready when life just doesn’t seem to afford the time? Beats the heck out of me, but somehow we’re making it happen. Here are some of my best tips to get your home ready for listing photos and keeping it that way!
START YOUR PACKING NOW!
No, seriously. Grab a few boxes and start clearing off the bookshelves, mantel, china cabinet, and coffee table. 
Buyers need to be able to picture themselves living in your home. That’s kind of hard to do when they’re distracted by all of your knick-knacks, family vacation photos, and seeing what books you’ve been reading lately. This doesn’t mean empty them completely. Just simplify. Instead of 50 books on your shelf, narrow it down to ten and add a small plant. Pack away half to three-quarters of your personal photos and spread out the ones that are left. Less is more when you’re selling, but you don’t need to make it look like a vacant home either.
CLEAR OFF THOSE COUNTER TOPS
Seriously. Say goodbye to your coffee pod carousel, sugar bowl, change jar, plethora of charger cords, and that huge stack of mail you haven’t sorted yet. Then head to the bathroom and do the same with all the ponytail holders, razors, make up, and whatever other non-sense has made its way on the counter. Hide it. What’s on my bathroom counter right now? A bottle of soap. The end…yes, I’m for real. We are living life out of cabinets and drawers. Every morning we pluck a coffee pod out from under the kitchen sink, find the sugar bowl in whatever cabinet it got shoved in the day before, and hunt down our toothbrushes.
STOCK UP ON CLOROX WIPES
After everything is stuffed away each morning, I give the counters a quick wipe down. Kitchen appliances, too. The last thing I want is to get a notification of a showing while I’m at work and know that I left breakfast mess all over the counter and make-up residue in the bathroom sink. It’s just not a pretty thing to look at when you’re considering the purchase of a home. It just makes people think “icky”.
BOARD THE DOGS (PETS)
I have a hard time with this one. Our dogs are our babies. I need to take my own advice on this one because it’s getting super stressful. I have to run the vacuum every.stinking.morning. I have to mop or clean up drool on the regular. If we get a showing during the day, someone has to run home to get the dogs and take them to work or someone’s house. It just makes things that much more stressful. Crating them is an option for some, too, but shipping them off to someone’s home or doggy daycare is likely the easiest solution if your wallet allows. 
SPEND FIVE MINUTES BEFORE BED CLEANING UP
This has been a lifesaver for us. Making sure the dishes are put away and the toys (both dog and human) are off the floor makes a world of difference when you’re rushing to get out of the house in the morning. If you can give yourself five minutes before you crawl into bed to do a little damage control, you’ll thank yourself every day.
No matter what your reason for selling is, being on the market is stressful. It’s super weird knowing that strangers are walking through your home while you’re not there…looking…touching…judging. I like to think that the more effort we put into keeping our home “show-quality ready” the less time we will have to be on the market. That’s what I’m going to keep telling myself anyway. ??♀️
*Full disclosure: As of this posting, our house is off the market. There aren’t any tips good enough to prepare you for your husband breaking four bones in his foot and then you take your own ambulance ride the next day. ?
