what I learned from living in a *show-ready* home

Nineteen days til we move!

Last month, I set kind of an ambitious goal to produce six content ideas before moving. For some, perhaps, that’s nothing. For me, it's just not feasible right now. When I develop content, particularly a social media post, it becomes a project. I immerse myself in the topic, spend a fair bit of time drafting the copy, splicing the videos or collecting photographs, to create something interesting, insightful, and hopefully, relevant for you. With our move nearing, my focus and energy had to shift. I know myself and I wouldn't be able to give either the content or our move prep the attention it needs. So instead of six, I’m carving out time for the two which offer the most value for you.

(Side note: I really enjoy writing long-form pieces like this because I can provide more thoughtful tips and details, which you can then choose from to see what clicks. A 2200 character caption is often not enough! I’ll write more about where I’m at with content creation in a post-move post, but if you also prefer long- vs. short-form content, let me know in the Comments below!)

photo by bona fide photography

The first explores what I learned from living in a *show-ready* home, including the process to getting there. If you’ve not had to prepare your house for sale, show-ready is when your home is thoroughly cleaned, depersonalized, and staged to create a favourable impression with realtors and prospective buyers. Sometimes home sellers have already moved out, allowing their space to easily remain as is like a showhome. Most sellers, like us, still occupy their home while on the market. This means maintaining a show-ready interior while continuing with daily life, and being able to vacate quickly for any potential viewing that pops up. No small task! Especially with kids. 

Among the many lessons this show-ready home experience taught me, I credit getting there and getting through to the last one in this post. Spoiler: it isn’t because I’m an interior organizer or designer. It’s because of an action I took that you can, too. You also don’t have to be in the midst of a move for these lessons to resonate. They’re applicable to anyone at any point in your house-to-home journey, here to serve as another lens through which to see and approach your space.

i can live with less

A critical part of selling your home is staging. In order to stage your space well, you first have to declutter. Buyers want to see your home’s potential. Keeping furniture in every room means they don’t have to imagine what will fit. But clearing counters, opening up floor space, and depersonalizing the decor helps buyers see past your belongings. Instead, they can focus on the layout and flow, and the foundational pieces (think HVAC, major appliances) that will remain once you’ve left.

In our pre-list walkthrough, my realtor and I decided which items to tuck away to ensure the focus of each room was it’s function. Every surface was pared down to what we absolutely needed to live there, with a few intentionally styled pieces to keep it looking alive and welcoming. The kitchen was where I noticed the biggest shift. We removed a few daily use countertop items (dish rack, toaster, Sodastream, crock of spatulas and baking utensils), so buyers could fully appreciate the spaciousness. Other than keeping a couple spatulas and whisks in a drawer, the rest was stored in our basement. Living without them for the duration of showings (and later, the inspection and appraisal), was an opportunity to learn what’s essential (dish rack!) and what’s not (ahem, SIX mini spatulas).

photo by bona fide photography

The same could be said for our family room where the majority of our evenings are spent. Books, blankets, card decks, and gear for physical therapy exercises are what we regularly use. Everything else is extra, even our TV!

Experiencing time with less confirms what I’ve known for a while: it’s totally possible to live with less stuff AND to find peace with the guilt of letting things go. The latter is almost harder than carrying on with fewer items. This next year will be an even better experiment for us as we move into a rental. Not everything will be unboxed, on purpose, so that we don’t have to repack next summer. I have a strong feeling that many of our unboxed items will go unmissed. Look forward to reporting back on how it goes!

little things make a home “HOME”

Within our kitchen is a convenient desk-height counter. It is our hub for receiving mail, signing school forms, charging devices, dropping keys, storing stationary, files, and more. It also holds a jar of handmade bookmarks, unframed family photos taped to the wall above, a pair of Lego trees built for me as a gift, and a jade green stone with the word “laugh” etched on it.

Can you spot the trees and jade stone?

When my girls came home from school the day of our first two showings, they immediately noticed the change in our hub—those little details were gone.

Our home hub (left), depersonalized (right) for real estate photographs and showings.

Paring down and depersonalizing our home of those little moments stripped away that feeling of “us”. Obviously, that was the intent. But hearing them say how strange and bare the hub looked, told me they were feeling something more. We all felt uncomfortable knowing strangers would be walking throughout our home while we were forced to stay out. But I think grooming our home to welcome someone new and accepting that it would soon belong to another family, was the real a-ha sinking in and feeling tough.

Taking down the gallery rail in my office left a blank space on the wall...but not in my memory.

As hard as it was to take down and hide those small things that give our home meaning, it may also be a way to begin seeing our interior as just a space. The small things get to join our journey north and bring that sense of us into a new place.

starting is everything

Last post I mentioned how even as a professional home organizer and interior designer, I was daunted by the task of preparing our home to be show-ready. My realtor had full trust that if anyone could do this it was me because “you live like this!” That made me pause and realize she had a point. In our early years here, I paid a lot of attention to how we used each room, continually tweaking and trying out different arrangements. From the furniture to all the closets, cabinets, and drawers, it was a process to find what worked, with each iteration feeling better and more satisfying than the one before.

photo by bona fide photography

During my last sweep through our home before the real estate photographer came, I had an "Ohh" moment. A split-second pause at noticing how every thing in every room had a place. Nothing was waiting to be put away or thrown out. Everything within view had a purpose and a designated spot that was practical, beautiful, or both. It felt good and pretty surreal.

Whether you own a house or live in a rental, I know from clients, family, and friends, that Ohh moment is one most of us strive for yet seem to find a little out of reach. To be clear, I’m not saying our house was perfect (no such thing!) and would NEVER need improvement. Nope. Truthfully, no space is ever completely “done.” Not designed or styled indefinitely, and certainly not organized 100%. My point here is that I didn’t wait to make changes. I tweaked and trialed my way to create an environment that worked for our family during the season we were in. Starting back then is what made getting *show-ready* AND selling our home possible in a very short amount of time.

So many of us wait for someday—

When I have time

When the kids are grown

It’s on my list

I’ll get to it

Having a space that functions and flows well for the lifestyle you’re living right now, can’t wait for someday. A tweak doesn’t have to be a huge to-do. Taking any small area of your home and thoughtfully adjusting it to feel right and work better for you is all you need to bring that Ohh within reach. And if you have the desire to design and organize your space, but struggle to find the hours and energy to act on it, I am Here. For. You.

which of these lessons speaks to you and your home?

Living with less feels exciting to me. I’m not and don’t see myself becoming a true minimalist. More so an intentionalist—being mindful of consumption, valuing simplicity, purpose, and practicality. I’d love to know what in this post resonated with you and if it inspires you take action in a particular direction. Starting is everything, no matter how small. If you’re stuck, drop a comment ↓, send me a DM, or book a free call to chat.

Always here for you,