One common question I get asked is, “How am I going to keep my home presentable for showings when I have small children in the house?”

Oh Honey! I feel for you. Being a mom of 8, having sold a few homes myself, I know what it’s like. I was/am one of those moms who likes to play with my kids more than I like to clean around them. So I know the stress that goes into it. We don’t want to be upset with our kids for making messes, but we have that underlying thought that their messes might prevent the next person who sees our house from seeing it at it’s best.

Here are some tips for you.

#1 Ask your Realtor if you can have at least 30 minutes prior to a showing. If you implement my ideas, you should be able to get the house sparkling within 30 minutes.

#2 Have a written plan! Who is in charge of what during the 30 minutes? Little Susie picks up toys and puts them in the toybox. Johnny gathers all the dirty laundry he can find and tosses it into the empty dryer (little ones can reach the dryer). Baby Jenny sits quietly in her high chair eating a non messy snack.

#3 Clean as you go – For those of us who weren’t taught this nearly life saving skill, it can be tough to remember to clean up the spilled apple juice now!

#4 Do “Someone’s Coming” Drills with the kids. Practice the drill. Make it fun! You could come up with a little song that you all sing as you are cleaning the house for a showing.

#5 Have all non-essentials packed! This is especially great for toys. Get some plastic tubs and pack away all the toys. Bring out a different play tub each week. Usually the messes come because the kids have too much and get overwhelmed and bored. When there is a little bit, it seems to go much further.

#6 Have only enough dishes for one day. This will force you to keep the dishes clean and will make your cabinets look very spacious.

#7 Don’t leave the little niceties out when you aren’t showing the house. Have one cabinet that holds the “staging” items. After the house is all picked up and you’re ready to go out the door, go to the cupboard and pull out the staging items, running them around to their final locations.

#8 HIRE SOMEONE! Hire someone to clean the windows and do a deep cleaning of the house before you put it on the market. This will give you only spot checks to do rather than trying to bleach the grout 30 minutes before the showing.

#9 Baskets hide stuff My rule of thumb is that every flat surface should be clutter free. Walk through your house and find all the flat spaces that gather clutter. Now, assign a basket for each area. You can do a quick swoop of the clutter into the basket and hide it beneath a bed or place neatly in a closet. After the showing, you can put all those things back – if you really must!

At least three times a day, take 20 minutes to do a quick clean up. It’s amazing how much you can get finished in 20 minutes.

Any other ideas?

Here are some new foreclosures in Fort Worth. WOW! Some of these are amazing deals! This is just a sampling of the foreclosures on the market. To find the best one that will work for you, give me a call or send me a text today. 817-914-4987

We are currently under construction. Construction is scheduled to be completed by midnight Aug 22nd.

In the meantime, I would love for you to check out our new listings

409 Calvary Dr in Euless a 4 bedroom 3 bath home

520 Sorenson in Keller – Hidden Lakes – a 4 bedroom 4 bath home in golf course community

You can also search the MLS by clicking on the Search the MLS link at the top of the page.

Foreclosures in Fort Worth – Currently Active 08/05/09

You may click on the pictures to see if there are additional pictures for the listing. Also, if you click on the address of the property, a map will pop up that enables you to zoom in or out.

If any of these homes are of interest to you, give me a call – 817-914-4987 – and I will be delighted to show them to you.

These foreclosures are in the following zip codes: 76137,76248,76179,76131,76133,76123, 76112 These are the zip codes with the highest foreclosures in Fort Worth, and will be the areas that qualify for the $25,000 loan program.

If you would like to receive a list of foreclosures in other areas, please fill out the contact form with the zip codes you would like information on.

For more information about the down payment assistance program

We don’t need a magazine to tell us that we’re a great place to live, but it’s nice when we get recognized by such a great magazine as CNN’s Money Magazine. I often look around at all the people shopping, the new buildings being built and shake my head and say, “What recession?”

If you haven’t made the leap to move to the DFW metroplex, now is the time to really start thinking about it. Give me a call today! Terri 817-914-4987

You may click on the pictures to see if there are additional pictures for the listing. Also, if you click on the address of the property, a map will pop up that enables you to zoom in or out.

If any of these homes are of interest to you, give me a call – 817-914-4987 – and I will be delighted to show them to you.

These foreclosures are in the following zip codes: 76137,76248,76179,76131,76133,76123, 76112 These are the zip codes with the highest foreclosures in Fort Worth, and will be the areas that qualify for the $25,000 loan program.

If you would like to receive a list of foreclosures in other areas, please fill out the contact form with the zip codes you would like information on.

For more information about the down payment assistance program

Here are some videos I took that help you visualize your new drive home to 1130 Misty Oak in Keller, TX.
Call me today!
The videos are all just a little bit different – and of course you get my hilarious humor as you ride with me on your new drive home.

Want to know where to move to increase your chances of getting a job? Texas is your answer! Better yet, move to the DFW metroplex. Both Dallas and Fort Worth were in the top 5 spots for best cities for jobs according to Forbes Magazine. We have a thriving economy and great home prices! Give me a call today to get on your way to a better life!

You may click on the pictures to see if there are additional pictures for the listing. Also, if you click on the address of the property, a map will pop up that enables you to zoom in or out.

If any of these homes are of interest to you, give me a call – 817-914-4987 – and I will be delighted to show them to you.

These foreclosures are in Tarrant County and have been on the market for less than 60 days.
If you would like to receive a list of foreclosures in other areas, please fill out the contact form with the zip codes you would like information on.