Bedrooms:

Strive to instill the habit of making one’s bed every day after one gets up. The bed is the focal point of the room and if it is neatly made, the whole room looks 50% cleaner. It also encourages you to neaten the rest of the room. Put away clothing and accessories as soon as you take them off – either hang them back up or put them in a laundry hamper. The laundry hamper should be emptied as soon as you know there are people coming to walk through. Children should be encouraged to put their toys away in bins or boxes given to them for that purpose.

Living room:

The sofa should be organized first, followed by the coffee table. Make sure videos, CDs, DVDs and games are put away, as well as controllers, etc. Books and magazines should go on the shelf or in a rack. Keep a container or two to store miscellaneous items away from view. Do a quick trip with the vacuum to pick up crumbs or dust bunnies.

It can be hard to adapt to a constant state of clean for your home, but if you keep up on the housework, you will find that a short-notice walkthrough won’t cause you a lot of stress. As you get more used to keeping things clean as a matter of course, it will be nothing to do a quick trip around the house to quick clean before your prospective buyers arrive. Lynn Bulmer