Tips for Showing Your House
In this article
- What is a real estate showing?
- How can you prepare your home for a showing?
- What are the most common home showing mistakes?
- Do showings present a safety risk?
- How can sellers avoid showings?
What is a real estate showing?
A real estate showing is any opportunity you give a potential buyer to see your home in person. It could be an open house, a lockbox tour or a private showing.
If you’re looking for a conventional buyer, and if you want to encourage multiple offers, avoiding showings isn’t really an option. Sight-unseen sales are extremely rare, unless you’re dealing with international or out-of-town buyers.
Whether you’re looking forward to showing off your home to potential buyers or dreading the process, here’s how to show a home for sale.
Home Selling Checklist: 12 Things to Do Before Selling Your House
Getting ready to sell your house? Then it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work because there are tons of things to do before listing your home!
Selling a home, after all, entails a whole lot more than just planting a “For Sale” sign on your front lawn or uploading a few random photos of your place—especially if you’re angling for the most cash. (And, honestly, who isn’t?)
So before you put your house on the market, peruse this checklist of what to do before selling your home. Some of these tips are surprisingly easy, while others might require a bit more elbow grease. But they’re bound to pay off once buyers start oohing and ahhing over your place—and hopefully ponying up a great offer.
12 Steps of a Real Estate Closing
Don’t be tempted to skip steps—it could cost you!
A real estate deal is generally a long and stressful exercise that involves many steps and procedural formalities. Closing on a house occurs when you sign the papers that make the house yours, but before that fateful day arrives, a long list of things has to happen. This article describes the 12 steps that must be taken between the moment your offer is accepted and when you get the keys to your new home.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Real estate deals are generally completed over a span of weeks and have many moving parts.
- Deals start with opening an escrow account and end with a final walk-through before signing on the dotted line.
- The complexity of real estate closings is a good reason to hire an attorney to guide you through the process.
- Don’t be surprised by closing costs and ask your loan officer and realtor about all the potential fees.
- Buyers who have been pre-approved for a mortgage are typically able to close sooner.
Ralene Nelson, REALTOR®
JUST LISTED – 307 Birch Ridge Dr, Rio Vista
2 bed/2 bath/1,154sqft/4,321sqft Lot
$425,000 – Updated Carmel model, in the active adult community of Trilogy. Just bring your furniture to this lovely 2 bedroom, 2 bath home with prepaid solar. Sellers have just finished with new interior paint, laminate flooring w/wider baseboards throughout, & painted cabinets. Kitchen has white cabinets, granite counters, electric stove top, stainless appliances & 2 pantries. Primary bedroom closet has built-in organizer & 2nd bath has walk-in tub w/shower over. Laundry room has additional storage, & 55 gal hot water heater. Shutters through out makes this a very cozy home. Fenced back yard for your pet and patio with all weather cover . This makes for a cozy backyard, and your within walking distance to the dog park & path around the lake. Water softner & reverse osmosis. This community offers many ammenities & social clubs, such as, tennis, bocce ball courts, pickle ball, beautiful gym overlooking the golf course, 2 swimming pools & spas, billiards, & computer room. Have coffee or lunch in the cafe & lunch/dinner at the Monarch Restaurant. Various clubs such as cycling, RV, dancing, drama & more. Refrigerator, washer/dryer convey with sale. READ MORE
PENDING SALE – 623 California St, Rio Vista
2 bed/1 bath/934sqft/4,792sqft lot
Price Reduced to $315,000 – Adorable cottage/bungalow, 2 bedroom, 1 bath and has been updated. Larger backyard with patio & raised garden beds for your vegetables. The kitchen has been remodeled & there is an inside laundry & single car garage. Convenient location, walk to town for breakfast, snack, and/or dinner. READ MORE
FOR SALE – 718 Allender Wy. Rio Vista
3 bd/2 bth/1346sf
$514,999 – Gorgeous home, shows pride of ownership, and has been renovated since purchased. 3 bedrooms & 2 baths with all new flooring/baseboards, interior paint, light fixtures, etc. The kitchen has newly painted cabinets with quartz countertops with an island. Auxillary electric heaters in 3rd bedroom & living room. Whole house water filter with under-the-sink reverse osmosis. The front yard has been totally relandscaped with a new walkway to the front door, with drought-resistant landscaping, a drip system & timer. The driveway extended as well as the sidewalk to the backyard. The backyard has a sprinkler system as well as a patio. Just bring your furniture and enjoy!! Rio Vista is a quaint town located on the Sacramento River, close to SF, Sacramento & bay area. READ MOREOPEN HOUSE – Saturday 1:00 – 3:30pm
FOR SALE – 295 Sage Meadows Drio Vista
3bed/3.5bath/2,367sqft/6,669sqft lot
$559,000 – Calistoga model, with private courtyard, located on a corner lot. New interior paint (including garage) & tile/grout cleaned, gives this home a fresh look. Island kitchen with granite tile, black appliances, w/5 burner gas stove top & maple cabinets. Open floor plan makes this a great home for entertaining & the fireplace makes it cozy. Large master bedroom has bay window, upgraded tile in bath (walk in shower & tub). Den has been enclosed as well as another room, so this could be 4 bedrooms. One can be your den, other can be your craft/sewing room. 2nd bedroom has full bath, with courtyard entrance. Laundry room has sink, cabinets & folding space. Full patio & fencing secures this backyard for your family pet. Trilogy offers many amenities, from tennis, bocce, billards, pickle ball, golf, 2 pools & spas and even playground for grandchildren. Just bring your furniture & make new friends.READ MOREFOR SALE – 731 Turnberry Ter Rio Vista
2 bed/2 bath/1410 sqft
$410,000 – NO BONDS-Spinnaker model with private backyard. This 2 bedroom, 2 bath home feels like a very relaxing cottage for a retirement home. The patio provides a quiet place for morning coffee & afternoon beverage. Den has built-in book/curio shelves & bay window. The Master bedroom has a bay window, which creates room for a sitting area. New hot water heater. Enjoy amenities such as golf, tennis, bocce, pools/spas & a new gym, and more. READ MORE
FOR SALE – 710 Pinehurst Dr. Rio Vista
2bed/2bath/2,065sqft/5,345sqft lot
$445,900 – Solar owned & No Bonds!! Can’t get much better, this Hatteras model located in the Rio Vista Active Adult Community, Trilogy, offers drought-resistant landscaping & cozy backyard. Start the day with coffee on the patio & watch the sunset on the front porch. This home has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths with blinds throughout. The home has a living room/dining room combo and a family room/kitchen with tile floors in the kitchen/nook. Full patio with cover & is very private. The laundry room has a sink, washer/dryer convey with the sale, as well as refrigerators. Walking distance to Delta clubhouse, pro shop & Monarch Restaurant. Trilogy offers 2 swimming pools/spas, a cafe & restaurant, tennis courts, bocce ball courts, pickle ball, billiards & more. Just bring your furniture and enjoy your retirement life. READ MORE
FOR SALE – 689 Waterwood Dr, Rio Vista
2 bed/2 bath/1,837sqft/5,436sqft lot
NEW PRICE $570,000 – Breathtaking views as you step into this beautiful home, located on the 11th green & pond. Popular Reflect model with quartz counters, white cabinets, 5 burner gas stove top & refrigerator are included. Tile floors with carpet in bedrooms. A double-sided gas fireplace makes for a cozy den & living room. The primary bath has double sinks with a walk-in shower with w/bench seating. Shutters throughout the home. Walk out either slider onto the covered patio that is the full length of the home. Small piece of turf for your pet, low maintenance landscape (front & back) & fenced. The backyard is lovely & a great place for a BBQ. Washer/dryer are included & there’s a laundry tub in the garage. Prepaid solar lease, transferrable to the buyer for the remaining years of the lease. Just bring your furniture and enjoy all the amenities, such as 2 swimming pools/spas, bocce ball courts, tennis & pickle ball courts, horseshoes, billiards, a library, a computer room, etc. So many activities to enjoy, you can be as busy as you want or idle. There is a club for just about all your hobbies. READ MORE
FOR SALE – 181 Cedar Ridge Dr. Rio Vista
2 bed/2 bath/1,433sqft
Events in Northern California this Weekend
First Annual Crab Feed
Sat, February 11, 2023, 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Stagg High School 1621 Brookside Road Stockton
NorCal Gladiators Youth Football and Cheer is hosting their very First Annual Crab Feed with raffles, music, dinner and much more.
The NorCal Gladiators Youth Football and Cheer program will be volunteering their time to host and serve the guest of our community at our very first annual crab feed.
All-you-can-eat crab, salad, bread, and butter, we hope you bring your dancing shoes. We will have a live DJ playing all your favorite hits, while we raffle off some of the greatest prizes.
All proceeds from this event will go towards the year 2023 football and cheer expenses.
Port, Chocolate, Cigars and Dinner
Sat, February 11, 2023, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Jessie’s Grove Winery 1973 West Turner Road, Lodi
Enjoy a Valentine’s experience with that special someone in your life! This will be a memory you both will not forget!
- Dress to impress! Make this Valentines memorable
- Each $70 ticket includes;5 port tastingsChocolate pairings
- Stogies cigar2 barrel tastingsJessie’s Grove wine glass
- Course Fully catered dinner & desserts
- Big C BBQLive music and dancing!
***Wine Club Members get $10 off each ticket purchase***
READ MORE
The Wright Social Spot Best Pre-Valentine’s Dinner & Live Music Show
Sat, February 11, 2023, 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM
The Wright Social Spot 509 W. 2nd Street, Antioch
The Wright Social Spot Events Celebrates The Best “2023” Pre-Valentines Live Music & Dinner Party in the Bay Area. Get Your Tickets Now!
The Wright Social Spot welcomes our first event of 2023 with The Best Indoor Pre-Valentines Dinner & February Birthday’s Event of the Year with Live Music Performances & 4-Course Dinner.
Please Join Us in celebrating LOVE at classy upscale Fun-Filled Pre-Valentine’s Day “2023” Event. COME AND GET YOUR LIFETIME GLASS ROSE!!!!!!
Live Music, DJ, Dancing, 4-Course Dinner included with the $75 cover.
DON’T MISS THIS AWESOME DINNER MUSIC EVENT!! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW BEFORE THEY ARE SOLD OUT!!!
- HOSTED BY: Paul & Maggie Wright from The Wright Social Spot & WrightCatering.net
- WHERE: 509 W. 2nd Street, Antioch, CA
- DATE: Saturday, February 11, 2023
- TIME: 4:00 PM -11:00 PM
- WHAT’S INCLUDED: Singing 🎼🎵🎼♪ Dancing 💃🕺4-Course Dinner 🍽😋Beverages🍸 🍹 🍸
- INCLUDES DINNER SERVICE: 7:00PM – 8:30PM (Choice of Chicken, NY Steak, Salmon, Shrimp) – included with $75 Admission. Dinner Options available for Oxtails (+ $25), Lamb (+$25), King Crab Legs (+ $50), Lobster (+$50)
- RSVP BY: February 11, 2023, Pre-paid Reservations Required so get your tickets early.
- PAYMENT OPTIONS: Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, Debit/Credit or PayPal to 415-971-8776 Or Eventbrite, Credit/Debit (NO REFUNDS, NO EXCEPTIONS)
- DOORS OPEN: 4:00 PM
- PARKING: Lots of free parking (FIRST COME FIRST SERVE) THEME: Black & Gold & Red
- MORE INFORMATION: Call or Text Paul at (415) 971-8776 or Maggie at 209-896-7131
- YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/W0QgsYc2DEo
- WEB: WrightCatering.net
- FB: #WrightSocialSpot
- FB/IG: #RightsCatering
- PAST EVENTS PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TnMVF8fCJitKAtpr6
- THEME: Black, Gold & Red
- VENUE VIDEO: https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxuhKD3v6bDqgpXy3nukv1RaxissbySzeE
DONT MISS THE BEST INDOOR PRE-VALENTINE’S & FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS PARTY IN THE EAST BAY!!! READ MORE
House Of Floyd ( Pink Floyd Tribute)
Sat, February 11, 2023, 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Vinnie’s Bar & Grill 2045 Mount Diablo Street Concord,
An amazing Tribute to Pink Floyd
House of Floyd is the Bay Area’s immersive Pink Floyd tribute band. Rather than simply replicating the iconic band’s recorded songs, House of Floyd focuses on Pink Floyd’s more adventurous live arrangements.
We’re playing a longer-than-usual show at Vinnies in Concord this Saturday night – Feb 11!
For its 50th anniversary, we’ll be playing Dark Side of the Moon along with 2 other full sets of music from Meddle, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall.
Plus an earlier song or two for our diehards.
This is the first Bay Area show with our new members, and our first time at Vinnies.
Come join us for a full Evening of Pink Floyd.
We start at 8:30pm. READ MORE