Prepping for an showing

Since the house has been listed I have been keeping up with the housework (most of the time) and not letting clutter get away from me.  I have to tell you, it's more than I would normally do, but now it seems to becoming my normal.  For instance, I didn't always make my bed because I knew I'd be getting back into it 16 hours later and no one was going to see it.  Now, it's one of the first things I do when I get up in the morning.  It seems to be rubbing off on my son as well.  I got a call for a showing at 12:30 today and when I checked his room, his bed was made and the room was tidy. 

Generally then, getting ready for a showing is easy.  Though I still find myself spending at least an hour prepping.  These are some of the things I do to get ready:
- Ensure curtains are open in the sun room, turn on the fan and open a couple of windows for a cross breeze.  I open the external door and lock the door between the kitchen and sun room.  The external door is a bit tricky to open so I make it easy for them.
- Check spare bedrooms for dust bunnies, make sure closet doors are closed, and spritz some air freshner.
- In the master bedroom, smooth the bedding of kitty prints, clean the mirrors of fingerprints, and check to ensure dresser drawers are closed.
- My ensuite is simple, just give the sink an extra wipe (since I keep a bowl for the cats in it), and remove any garbage in the bin.  I take a bag with me and empty the waste bins in the various rooms.
- The kitchen gets a once over, counters and the sinks are wiped down, I sweep the floor, and straighten the tablecloth.
- I continue sweeping in the living room, give the television and the stand a quick dusting, and spritz the furniture with Febreeze.  I keep an eye out for stray cat hair too!
- If needed, the rug in the front foyer gets a quick vacuum and the mirror by the door gets cleaned.  
- In the basement I turn on several lights, open the storage room door, and double check my son's areas...though I really don't have to.
- Just before I leave the house, I put the lids on the cat litter totes. 

I have air freshners throughout the house too as cat odor was the major complaint when I first listed the house.  Now it's never an issue.  

I've gotten into somewhat of a routine, clothes washing, grocery shopping, and baking on Monday, vacuuming and dusting the entire house on Tuesday and Saturdays, washing floors and cleaning bathrooms on Wednesday and Sunday.  Friday is truly my day off, usually when I go out with friends for lunch and dinner.  But there are days when I get distracted by things I'd rather do, like sewing and knitting or crocheting, or even just reading blogs!

Since I've reduced the price, we've had six showings in four days with another scheduled for later this week.  My agent is also planning another open house for Sunday.  With the increased traffic (though I didn't think we were doing badly before), my fingers are crossed that an offer will be coming soon.   Regardless, I think the routine is here to stay.