4 Things Every Denver Seller
Should Be Doing Before Each Showing  

January 29, 2026

Ask any Denver-area homeowner who has sold a home in the last 3-4 years, and they will tell you that the days of being able to take okay photos of your home, throw a sign in the yard, and have buyers come rushing to submit offers are long gone. Today’s Denver home sellers are facing many more challenges—higher competition, fewer showings, and much pickier buyers. All of this means one thing—home sellers must put their best foot forward with every showing they get to increase their odds of getting an offer. To help, here are four things that sellers must do before every showing to ensure they don’t lose their potential buyer.

If you are selling a home and have a dog or cat, your pre-showing routine might be a little harder than someone without these loving companions. Before the potential buyers come through, it is our strong recommendation that you not only pick up all toys and beds related to the loved fur baby, but also put them out of sight. This includes food and water bowls, cat towers, kennels, litter boxes, and anything else that gives away that a furry creature lives with you. In fact, the idea here is to make it seem like there’s not a pet in the home when a buyer goes through. You can throw the items in a neat pile in the back corner of a garage, or many sellers will throw the items in the back of their vehicle when they leave.

Even if a buyer loves animals, if they see evidence of pets, it becomes a hyper focus, and they almost stop looking at the home, and they start wondering more about the pet that lives there. Even if there is no smell of the pet, they start checking for the smell in every room, they start looking for damage caused by pets, and it becomes a bigger factor during their home preview. However, if there’s no evidence of a pet to begin with, their mind often never even goes there—they don’t think about pets or the impact they may have had on the home. This is why it’s best to pick up anything related to your beloved pet before each showing.

I have had some buyers that go out of their way to only look at vacant homes. Being in someone else’s home, even if it’s just for a short time can be an uncomfortable experience for them. By leaving dishes out, clean or dirty, or food on the counter, it makes the home feel more lived in compared to when everything is neatly put away. This is why I recommend that every dish is put in the cabinet before all showings and all countertops are cleared off with only a few small kitchen appliances, like a toaster. You want a buyer to feel like they are walking into a home that is ready for a new Airbnb tenant for a fun weekend instead of a home being lived in by a permanent resident. A buyer that doesn’t feel comfortable being there to see the home will not be able to visualize themselves living there, drastically reducing the chances of them making an offer after their showing.

This one is especially true for vacant homes. Often when a seller is selling a home no one is living in, they do not want to spend the money on heating or cooling an empty house. However, if a buyer walks into a home, and it’s freezing or way too hot, depending on the time of year, they are instantly turned off. In some cases, they will even speed up their showing just to get back to more comfortable temperatures. For winter months, it’s our recommendation to have the thermostat set to 70-72 during showings. In the summer months, set the air conditioning to 72-74.

This one might seem like a no brainer; however, you might be surprised how many sellers will rush out the door before a showing and leave their computer, tablet, or phone sitting right in plain sight, and even on. This is not only a potential security issue with personal information being able to be seen, but it also gives the same feeling as leaving dishes out as stated above. To take this a step further, make sure you put your personal items away in the bathroom; put the toothbrush, comb, shampoo, etc. in a cabinet. Buyers are there to see the bathroom finishes, not to learn what body wash you use in the shower.

———————« BONUS – Make a List »———————

There’s a lot to do when it comes to making sure your house is ready for each showing. The best way to ensure you don’t forget anything is to make a small checklist that you can easily refer to before heading out the door. Be sure to look at this list in plenty of time to get anything you might have missed done!


No matter what the current Denver real estate market conditions are, it’s important that when you’re selling a home you take a few minutes before each showing to ensure that it’s being presented in the best way possible. With these quick tips, you can increase the odds of receiving an offer on your Denver area home.

If you want to ensure you’re getting as many showings as possible, then you need to work with the right Denver real estate agent that knows how to market your Denver area home. The good news is, if you’re reading this, you’ve already found them! Contact a TK Homes Agent today and let’s chat about how to make your real estate goals a reality!

~ Written by CEO/REALTOR® Trevor Kohlhepp