The Trulia staff has compiled a

An agent left a message on your voice mail. She will be at your home, buyers in tow, in less than forty five minutes. Sound the alarms, all homeowners to battle stations, you are about to encounter a showing appointment!

Oddly enough, buyer showings seem to occur more often than not at the worst possible times. So what do you do when you need to prepare for a showing without a lot of time? Let’s take a look at 10 ways to prepare for a showing:

Mini mop upsSweep the kitchen, bathroom, and entry way. If needed, use a cleaning towel or sponge to clean any spots or debris.

Dust the furnitureA quick wipe down of the furniture, TV screens, and computer monitors can help make each room shine.

Clean off countersAll counters should be clean and clear. Remove clutter as well – small appliances, knick knacks, and odds and ends should be stored.

Beds madeAll the beds in the home should be made. If your bed spreads are faded, dated, torn, or ripped consider updating them with new covers.

Garbage cans emptyAll garbage cans need to be empty. Also wash them out once a week and give them a quick spay of disinfectant to cut down odors.

Carpets vacuumedGive the carpets a quick once over to fluff them up. Focus your efforts on the entry and living room.

Lights onA dark home is gloomy. Turn on all the lights in the home, and open drapes and blinds to brighten the home. Also be sure your windows are clean.

Load the dishwasherClear the dishes off the counters by loading the dishwasher but don’t start the cycle if it will be running during the showing.

Load the washer and dryerClothes should be picked up and either placed in a hamper or loaded into the washer or dryer. Again don’t start the cycle if it will be running during the showing.

Pick up every roomWork backward from the entry point of the home to the furthest bedroom picking up everything up off the floors and counter surfaces.

Wow you have a lot to do in forty five minutes! Not to worry – if you can get the entire household to pitch in to help (bribery is a great motivator) you will be amazed at what you can get done in a short amount of time. Also don’t be afraid to pick your battles. If you can’t do everything, do the most important things first and if you’re lucky the agent might even be late!