PROPERTY NEWS - Making sure your property is spick and span for show day is important, but there's a big difference between fluffing the cushions and conducting a deep clean.

When you're selling your home, you want your property to look at its best, especially when you host a show day. 

But it's not enough to simply fluff the cushions and run a mop across the floor - ensuring that good hygiene guidelines have been adhered to is important, especially in our current climate, where global concern around virus transmission is at a peak.

To ensure your home is hygienically clean for a show day, try the following:

Help your helper: If you're lucky enough to have domestic help, task them with preparing your home for a deep clean. Go the extra mile: now's the time to make sure they are covered for sick leave, and to provide assurances that they will be paid, whether they need to take sick leave or your family needs to go into lockdown for a while.

Book the best: Deep cleaning of your home is an essential, as this not only provides a hygienic environment, it also makes your home sparkle. This can be a deciding factor for interested buyers. You should never discount the attraction of squeaky clean surfaces.

Protect everyone's health: If you, any member of your family or your estate agent is unwell in the lead up to your show day, it is best to reschedule your show day. This may seem an inconvenient setback, but the health and well-being of your family, your estate agent and potential buyers is far more important.

Change your greeting: Welcoming people into your home is often done with a handshake and a smile. Considering our current climate and the viral outbreak, you should find an alternative way of conducting personal greetings. Don't worry about the societal expectations - we're all in this together!

Good hygiene rules: Washing your hands after eating, touching your face, stroking your pets or preparing meals remain important personal hygiene rules, as always.

Stock every room: A bottle of hand sanitiser and fully stocked soap dispensers in every bathroom will help to ensure that your potential buyers, your family and your estate agent have everything they need to stay on the healthy side of life.

Shoes off: Ask people to remove their shoes before they walk into your home. This may seem a strange request, but it can help to maintain the hygienic state of your home. Many people make this a standard rule at home, often swapping their "out of the house" shoes for comfortable slippers, or similar, when they come home. 

Asking people to remove their shoes before they take a walk through your home for sale is often recommended to ensure your home stays squeaky clean on show day.

While the global Covid-19 outbreak is front of mind for many of us, many of the personal hygiene guidelines are simple common sense. For estate agents, in particular, who meet and greet several different people every day, maintaining good personal hygiene is important. As Private Property, we value our estate agent community. 

They are the first interpersonal touchstone for both interested buyers and interested property sellers. Building relationships and maintaining good communication with your clients often necessitates conducting personal meetings, overseeing property inspections, and guiding interested buyers through their potential new homes. 

While the common handshake and similar greetings are often viewed as a sign of courtesy, it is absolutely socially acceptable to avoid these conventions when required, especially if you or your client appear to be ill. 

Moreover, it's always important to ensure you wash your hands correctly and take care to avoid passing any illness you may have.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases' recommendations, adapted for your unique working environment, include:

• Avoid close contact with people who appear to be battling acute respiratory infections and those who are coughing or sneezing.
• If you are ill, you can prevent passing on your illness to others by immediately consulting your doctor telephonically, and asking for medical advice.
• Follow your doctor's medical advice. This may mean staying home and adhering to a treatment plan until you are better.
• If you or your client appears to be ill, rather reschedule your appointments and meetings. This is especially important during a viral outbreak or pandemic.
• Check with your clients whether they have been travelling overseas, or have visited any region in the world where a viral outbreak has recently taken place or is currently underway.
• If you've been travelling to, or have recently visited, an area on the planet that is currently experiencing a viral outbreak, it's recommended you stay home until you are absolutely certain you have not picked up a virus on your travels.
• It's entirely socially acceptable to skip the handshake, especially during a viral outbreak.Source: Private Property

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