You've made the big decision to offer your home for sale, or it's already on the market for sale.  You've done all the things your REALTOR suggested you do to make your home show at its best.  And it looks good.........

But is it really SAFE for showings?  It's really easy for us, as we live in our  homes, to work around the idiosyncrasies of our own homes.  But can we expect strangers to do the same, especially strangers who are looking at our homes as potential buyers for it?

Take a good hard look at your stairways, if you have any.  Is the railing a little loose?  Are there stair treads that you've been meaning to replace but just haven't really noticed how frayed they are any more?   You've gotten used to the worn treads on the stairs, and know to lift you foot just a little higher on that one step to avoid that edge that's lifted up a little.  Any any of the light bulbs in the stairways burned out?  And those area rugs in the hallway are a little slippery unless you step just so on them......

If your house has kids in it, you know how easy it is to not see toys here and there because that's part of your every day world in your own home, and you know where they usually are so you just automatically step over or around them.  Potential buyers aren't aware of those nuances, and might not see that little toy car or that cute little stuffed animal that Santa brought.

When you go to hang up your coats in the closets, you know to duck just a little in case one or two of the hats up top fall out, or in case one of those games stacked up on the top shelf comes tumbling down.  Potential buyers have no clue what might be waiting for them when they innocently open a closet to check out the space they'll have if they choose your home as their next new home.

Don't forget the basement!  Make sure the lighting down there is as bright as it can be - you don't want any buyers or their agents tripping over things, or hitting their heads on any pipes that might be a little lower than they'd expect.

If you live in areas where you enjoy the beauty of winters, then you're accustomed to snow and ice, and how carefully you have to walk on it.  BUT, potential buyers could be relocating from anywhere, and may not appreciate walking through the snow if they don't have snowshoes on.   They actually may not even know how to drive or walk on it, as they may never had lived anywhere where it did snow!  Take some extra time and make sure your walkways are shovelled and kept clear of snow and ice.  If the only way into your basement is through an outside bulkhead, make sure there's a pathway shovelled to that.

While we're talking about the outside of your home, please clean up messes left by the family dog.  You know where your dog likes to do his business, but potential buyers and their agents don't.  Most of the time when we're checking out the exterior of the house, we're not looking down, we're looking around at the house.  Then it's too late, and that really doesn't sit too well with potential buyers, and most assuredly homeowners don't want that tracked around inside their homes.  I know I sure wouldn't!

Take a walk through your home and look for little hazards like these that may be a liability for you as a homeowner.  Tighten the railings - place nonskid mats under rugs - straighten up the insides of closets - make sure toys are put away safly - change any lightbulbs needing replacing - clear drives & walkways.  We all live with little things like this, but when it comes to selling your home, you want to remove as many potential liabilities as possible. 

Safety for showings on your home is important!  If someone is injured while looking at your home, they could sue you for damages.  Fortunately, this doesn't happen often, and it's easy to take the necessary steps ahead of time to avoid potential nasty situations as much as possible.  It's so much better to be safe than sorry with just a little bit of effort ahead of time!

When selling homes here in Portsmouth New Hampshire during the winter months, I suggest to sellers that they keep a shovel near the front door, and some ice melt handy.  In the event it snows while they're at work, and I have a showing before they can get home, I'll clear out a path for us to get to the house, and having those tools handy, sure makes it a little easier to do my job for my clients.  Working together as a team helps to get the job done!

Ann Cummings
Portsmouth, NH