Home Showmanship

My house went on the market for rent today, and almost immediately I got three requests for showings. How this works: I get a text message asking if it can be available on a specific day and hour block (meaning: can it be clean and you be gone?). Today, one of those hour blocks was 15 minutes from when I got the text. I can always say no, but here are some helpful tips that make it easier to say Yes:

1. I made three large index card "to-do" lists that live near the door: 1) At Home; 2) Out and About; 3) At Computer. When I'm home, I focus on the first list and doing whatever I can to make the house look welcoming for a potential renter (packing, cleaning, improvements). When I come across errands I need to run or things to buy, I add it to the second list. When I think of things I need to do at the computer (apply for jobs, update resume, network, blog about moving) I add it to the third.

2. When I get that last-minute text, or when I know I need to be out, I grab the second and third lists and take them with me. Usually I can knock out a few errands in an hour, and if I have extra time I can set up with my laptop at the coffee shop around the corner and work on computer stuff.

3. I'm planning on adding two additional lists: 4) Before Leaving Home. This will be a quick checklist to make sure that the house is in tip-top showing condition before I leave: clean catbox, empty sink, clear clutter, admonish cats to "be good," turn on AC, etc. With only 15 minutes notice, it's easier for me to just run through a pre-written list than try to think of things off the top of my head and worry about what I'm missing. I also have to keep the house pretty clean ALL THE TIME which is a good exercise that everyone should experience, if you're not already living it.

4. And for the last list: 5) Places to Go. The coffee shop is easy, but I could also spend an unplanned hour at the Menil, or the Contemporary Arts Museum, or go for a run (requires some prep), and feel like it was an hour well spent.

I'm generally keeping my laptop by the back door and a bag big enough to carry it, so I can just load and go. I am also going to have to make sure to shower and get dressed early so that I don't look like a crazy person when I'm out running errands.

And, it's not lost on me that were I still working this week, it would be a lot more difficult to get up and go, making this a mixed blessing.