How clean/tidy should house be for viewings?

[SomewhereOver]

House has been on the market a few months and not sold so we decided to take it off the market and settled into the idea of staying for another couple of years.

Agents have another almost identical (but different layout) house on the market v nearby and asked if they could keep us in mind if anyone viewed the other house but thought they might prefer ours - we said ok. Agent called round at weekend to say they have someone who would really like to view ours.

I've always driven myself half mad before viewings to get the place really clean and tidy as I think you have to sell the idea of living happily and easily somewhere as well as just the bricks and mortar.

We have a 4 year old and a 7 month old who has just started weaning (mess!), both are unwell at the moment and we are in the middle of a clearout having decided we were going to stay put.

I wanted to say no to viewing this week as the more we thought about it since coming off the market, the more we have decided we will be happy to stay here but DH wanted to go ahead with viewing this week in case they are interested enough to make an offer (part of reason for move is financial).

Anyway - said yes to viewing as DH persuaded me and now house is a mess and DH is away for work!

It's a new build and by no means disgusting, just lots of 'stuff' (clean washing, random piles of paper for filing, toys that don't seem to have a home at the moment, maternity clothes to put away, crib that baby has grown out of - waiting to be dismantled, cot bed half built etc etc) everywhere really and bathrooms aren't pristine.

My question is how clean/tidy do you really think a house has to be for viewings?

Oh gosh sorry for long post!!

Well it depends do you want to sell it or not? You should put the clothes away, both materintiy and washing, it's not a big job, the rest is fine in my opinion. Maybe put the paperwork in a cupboard.

Throw a lot in suitcases and bin bags and put in car. Clutter free as much as possible i think. We are also mid selling with 3 yr old and 7 month old and it is bloody hard to keep tidy

It's a family home not a show house, but on the other hand if it is dirty and messy it does give the impression that you aren't too bothered about selling it.

Having lots of "stuff" lying around just makes the viewer think there isn't enough storage.

Immaculate. Show room standard.

I've sold two properties under a week and the effort of keeping them clean and tidy nearly killed me

If its a mess then it would indicate to me that its not big enough and.not enough storage.

I agree you car can be great for temporary storage

Immaculate

Have been in a similar situation recently. Put away what you can and put everything else in the boot of your car. Definitely vacuum. Concentrate on the kitchen, give bathrooms a quick wipe. If someone genuinely loves the house they will see past evidence of day-to-day living.

Hmmm. If it was a potential forever/heart led house I would easily see past clutter/decor and mess. But if it was sensible buy (ie we need x bedrooms in this location for schools), I would be thinking mess/clutter= not enough storage. Plus if it's a new build, I'd already be going to view thinking tiny rooms and no storage. So ANY clutter would make me run a mile. Sorry

Be very careful with this - I've read several stories where agents have a sure thing buyer all ready and lined up and it's turned out to be just a ploy to get you signed up to them!

That aside - I always made sure it was show home spotless but we actually ended up selling when I hadn't been so perfectly done. I'd make it slightly cleaner than if I was having friends over

Thanks everyone - what I thought! Helpful to hear it though!

If you are determined to sell, I'd recommend what we did: take a drastic approach and put lots of stuff in storage. What's left should then be tightly monitored so you can put things away really quickly - e.g. A drawer you can scoop all the toys into in a second etc. We had a 2yo still in nappies, so I do. sympathise with needing non pretty stuff! But it really makes all the diff difference. In a week we had several offers, sealed bids and then accepted 35k over the asking price. People don't really have imagination to see past clutter, generally.

Ah I viewed several places that were a dump (and I have low standards) I could see past it. I didn't buy them but not because of the mess.

If you're really bothered chuck everything in a bin bag and throw it in a wardrobe