Can't find anything in search but surely someone else has asked?? We will be listing our house in about 2 weeks and are hustling to de-clutter, touch up, etc.
This is our first house but I'm vaguely familiar with the process from growing up. I'd love to hear your tips on how to show a house with a toddler running around! Did you refuse to show it during nap time? (he will not nap in a stroller/carrier/car seat)
grapefruit / 4085 posts
If our agent's office called to set up an appointment and it was going to be inconvenient for M, I just had them re-schedule. There were exceptions I made when the other agent said it would be fine if M and I were home when they showed. We also had a note on our file saying agents had to give at least 24 hours notice to us and that there would be no showings after 6PM when we start her bedtime routine. Good luck!
honeydew / 7687 posts
@fancyfunction: nice to hear that stipulations like that aren't out of the question!! now... HOW did you keep it "show ready"?! live outside unless eating or sleeping? 
grapefruit / 4085 posts
Haha! I do a general clean-up of "stuff" every night and if I knew there was a showing, was just extra diligent about it. I kept her PnP up though and just pushed the high chair under the dining table with the other chairs. No need to completely hide that fact that there's a toddler in the house - and you'd be amazed at some of the places we've seen as buyers! 
honeydew / 7687 posts
@fancyfunction: I spent ALL DAY organizing a few of the closets and "styling" the built-ins. Ugh. I keep telling DH the same thing- some of the listing photos we've seen have been ridiculoussssly bad so I think I'm overthinking it.
grapefruit / 4085 posts
@scg00387: Yes, as long as it's clean and in some sort of order, I'm sure you'll be fine! We visited a house that had a bunny rescue set up in the basement - nuff said!
honeydew / 7444 posts
We brought all of LO's toys to the basement/rec area so most of her play was in that one area. On weekends we asked that there be no showings from 1:00-3:30 and that any showings end at 8pm. Once everything was staged, cleaned and ready to go it wasn't too bad. I totally know what you mean about overthinking it because DH didn't understand why I had to vacuum every day! But I would rather overdo it than risk losing that one potential buyer. Luckily we got an offer after 3 days but we still had to keep everything tidy since the offer closed 1 week later. I also didn't fry any meats to keep our house smelling fresh. Good luck!
honeydew / 7687 posts
@Freckles: That is a good point about cooking/not cooking certain things! We cloth diaper so I was already thinking about that.. thinking I'll keep the bin in the garagae! @fancyfunction: OMG. You're kidding? Wow!
kiwi / 662 posts
When I'm working with young families I have a note in the agent detail section of the listing noting hours that the home is available for showing. For example: unavailable from 1-3 and the last showing to be out by 7. Most times people are very understanding!
Most realtors where from I'm give at least a few hours notice of showing requests (when the property is occupied) but you could also ask for a minimum amount of notice in order to get things straightened up.
From a realtors perspective, it is always best to have people out of the house for showings 
It's not detrimental, just easier for purchasers to take a look around. They just feel more comfortable alone with their agent. Hopefully the weather will be cooperative for you and you'll be able to have lots of outside time during showings. Good luck, I hope it sells quickly for you!
honeydew / 7444 posts
@scg00387: I threw any cloth diapers in a wet bag and into the washer and prayed they didn't open the washing machine!
pomegranate / 3350 posts
Our realtor made a note that showings should not be during nap times or after bed time unless they couldn't possibly be another time.
Before our condo was actually listed we did a deep clean and packed up most toys and clutter to limit what we'd have to do for showings. We actually received comments that it didn't seem possible that we had a LO because all his stuff was neatly in his room and there was nothing in any other part of the house. Luckily it sold at the first open house so we only had to deal with keeping it clean for the home inspection.
GOLD / squash / 13576 posts
I'd suggest deep cleaning you house and packing away as much as you can. It's true people can overlook clutter but if you want to get the highest price for your house you should keep it as clean, neat and clutter free as possible. I can't tell you how many houses we walked out of because they were messy.
coconut / 8861 posts
I'm interested in this. We're going to be putting our condo on the market in the near future. What about baby proofing and showing? Does the realtor take them off in the morning and put them back after the last showing? We've got baby proofing on the stoves, doors, and knobs.
honeydew / 7687 posts
@lolabee: thanks for the input! we will definitely leave at all costs, as a buyer I"d hate to have the family there!
@cascademom: Our realtor didn't bring it up- I am absolutely leaving them on because I SAH and cannot go through and re-do it all after every showing. We did take the gate down around the fireplace because it was really an eye sore, but that's not as much of an issue now that he is older.
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