How We Mastered Showing Our Home: Lessons from 16 Showings

We showed our house a total of 16 times. By the end of the process we felt like seasoned pros.

At the beginning we had no real plan beyond the obvious: make the house look presentable. We did the basics, including:

• thoroughly cleaning—vacuuming, dusting, and wiping surfaces
• putting away dog and baby toys
• turning on lights so rooms felt bright and welcoming
• baking something beforehand so the house smelled pleasant
• removing the cutting board and dish towel from the kitchen counter to showcase more granite
• removing the bath mat in the full bathroom to reveal the tile floor
• polishing faucets and fixtures to remove water marks and make them shine
• tidying built-in closets since wardrobes and the bed frame were included in the sale
• emptying garbage and recycling
• closing toilet lids
• blowing leaves and debris off the driveway, front porch, and patio to improve curb appeal
• unlocking the separate entry to the basement so visitors could move through the house easily

Those steps helped, but the early showings taught us an important lesson: logistics and presentation matter just as much as cleanliness. At first we tried to juggle everything while holding the baby and calming the dog, which created stress and distraction for visitors. The doorbell would ring, our dog would bark, and I’d be trying to soothe the baby while letting people in. John would step in and do his best to lead the tour amid the chaos—no surprise the first two showings didn’t go well.

By the third showing we adjusted our approach. We learned that a single, calm person conducting each tour makes the best impression. To achieve that, John handled the showings while Burger, Clara, and I left the house for a walk. John’s detail-oriented memory—like when the windows were replaced or when the HVAC was last serviced—made him a natural choice to answer questions and present the home’s features confidently.

On rainy days we improvised. John parked a few houses down and we spent the showing time in our car. It sounds odd, but it worked: the baby and dog stayed dry and content, we could keep an eye on things, and John had the freedom to guide interested buyers without interruption. The arrangement ended up being surprisingly pleasant—and a little funny—so I took photos to remember those moments.

In the car Clara enjoyed sitting on my lap, and she even found a granola bar wrapper in the console that entertained her with a satisfying crunch. Small improvisations like using keys or wrappers as makeshift toys kept her engaged without needing extra gear.

After a while we developed a simple routine that made each showing smoother: one person manages the tour, the rest of the household leaves or stays completely out of sight, and the home is staged with small, deliberate touches. The result was less stress for our family and a more professional experience for prospective buyers.

Some practical takeaways from our experience selling by owner:

• Plan your role in advance. Decide who will host each showing and who will be out of the house.
• Keep the home consistently staged. Little details like shiny faucets and cleared countertops make a strong, positive impression.
• Control background distractions. If you have pets or young children, arrange a quiet place for them during showings—borrowing a car for a short time worked well for us.
• Be prepared to answer practical questions. Buyers often ask about maintenance history, upgrades, and systems—having those facts at hand builds trust.
• Stay flexible. Weather or multiple showings in a day may require creative solutions to keep the home ready and your family comfortable.

We were grateful for the strong interest in our home and for the lessons learned along the way. We’ll share more detailed for-sale-by-owner tips on marketing and driving traffic in the future, but for now you can find Clara, Burger, and me hanging out in the car between showings—making the best of it and enjoying the little moments.