How to get your home stage ready on the daily (plus a free printable!)

We made the decision to list our home in December, and life has been a crazy whirlwind ever since.  It was pretty sudden and we were not prepared at all, so we made it a full week of cleaning, staging and packing the week before Christmas. With prayer, determination and some pretty organizing items, we made it happen!

I’m all about making things pretty and organized (even though my life has always been chaos). And while I could write endlessly on how to pack up your life, today I am focusing on something way more intimidating…

Our amazing realtor told us that we’d need to be super ready to leave at the drop of a hat. And not just ready to physically leave the premises, but also have our house ready. With a travelling husband and an active toddler, I knew it would be a challenge.

A week after he told me this, newly exhausted from packing and cleaning, I looked around my immaculate house the day of our scheduled photos and reality set in. This is going to be so much harder than the last week’s preparation. Now I would have to keep it clean! With a toddler. Who is a boy. And super active. So, there’s that.

And if you know me well, this will come as no surprise: in the midst of all these changes, I also decided to re-brand my blog, begin creating more content regularly and launch my .com.

So, as any good blogger would do, now you get to go on this adventure with me! And if you have moving in your plans soon, I hope this can be helpful for you too.

I put together a super handy list of things to do on a daily basis when having to run out the door. And I made it pretty, because quite frankly, everything is better when it comes in a pretty printable. And because I love all you wonderful readers, it is free for you to use!

I hope you enjoy it and it can be helpful. Mine is printed (but not on the fridge, cause that’s a no-no!) and has been such a great help, especially with those 15-minute notices. I try to do as much as possible first thing in the morning so I can run out when needed.

And here are some more tips I have learned with having a few last minute showings:

1. Make sure to have a catch-all to put any last minute items into. Some people use their dishwasher, oven or dryer….we have a toy chest and an empty file cabinet that we’ll be using to dump everything into.
2. If you don’t already do this, close your toilet seat lids. Potential buyers don’t want to see your toilet bowl
3. Don’t leave any clothes out or hanging, and try to do laundry daily / as needed.
4. Pack a backpack or overnight bag with any valuables, passports, cash, laptops and tablets. Have it ready to go when you have to run out of the house for showings.
5. Whether you have any scheduled showings or not, make your bed and tidy up.
6. If you have kids, try to contain their playing in one room. We used to have a toy room but now it is just an office, despite BabyCoolJ sitting in there alone saying “bye toy room!”

Just remember you can do this, and this too shall pass! One thing I’ve learned since becoming a mama is having this structure and the repetition will help you keep up the great work – and be ready anytime.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my first printable. Hope you find it helpful!