Selling Your Home Series – Cleaning

Cleaning your Home is the easiest and most affordable way to impress a buyer and may help in getting the price you want when an offer comes in. Yes, it’s hard work, but it certainly pays off in the end. We all know the importance of dusting, vacuuming and wiping down the counters, but here are a few things you don’t want to miss and with my Daily Checklist, it’s really very easy to stay on top of it if you get all the hard work done before you put it on the market.

Start with the Entryway. You’ve made sure your house has the Curb Appeal to draw them in, and now the first impression must be just right. When a buyer walks into your home, the first room they see should be impeccable. This is going to be the first impression of what’s to be expected of the rest of the home.

Make sure it is clean and simplified.

*Don’t Forget*

Dust the Backs of Doors

and

Baseboards, especially behind those doors

The next room you need to focus on is the Kitchen. You’ve already cleared the counters, and stored away of the kids artwork on the fridge, but this room really needs to sparkle. Your dishes should be put away and in the dishwasher. No one wants to smell last night’s supper. An easy trick is to run the quick rinse cycle on your dishwasher to wash away any food that may cause odors.

*Don’t Forget*

Vacuum the coils on the fridge

and vacuum the inside corners of your pantry and cabinets.

The last room that you must stay on top of is the Bathroom. This may be the most important room of all. No one wants to bathe in a moldy shower. To avoid leaving a bad impression with a potential buyer, scrub the grout and tile, remove water build up, clean the sides of the toilet, and make sure it is immaculate.

*Don’t Forget*

Buyers will be opening cabinets, make sure they look nice and uncluttered.

*Other tips not to Forget*

Scrub the sliding door track

and make the glass crystal clear.

*And Don’t Forget*

Those ceiling fans and lampshades

Real Estate Expert, Renee Burrows, says, “We see lots of deferred maintenance, missing systems and damage. My best advice to you (unless your comparables show otherwise) is to slap on that neutral paint (if necessary), clean the carpets and de-clutter. Make sure the home is easy to show at all times (again – your competition is VACANT property which is VERY easy to get in to!) Also make sure it is priced and marketed well. We are dealing with ANOTHER declining market at this moment in most areas so it isn’t wise to sink in thousands of dollars with a negative return on investment.”

Now, I’m not saying that doing all these detailed things will get you barrels of dollars, but it’s all about the mindset. If you are paying attention to these little details, the rest of your house will fall in line naturally. A clean home looks like a well cared for home and that will impress a buyer the most.

I get asked often how I stay on top of keeping the house show ready while homeschooling and running a business from my home. Here’s how I do it – with my Daily Cleaning List.

This list is my lifesaver. If I’ve accomplished these chores each day, even if the house is at it’s worst, it’s better than most. The “One Larger Chore” are saved for the biggies – vacuuming, mopping, dusting, etc. This makes it so easy to stay organized and stress free while your house is on the market.

We are coming to a close in our Selling Your Home Series and in the next post, we’ll be talking about how to Show Your Home.

Don’t miss it! And stay tuned for more Before and After photos!

Be sure to read the final post in this series, Showing Instructions.

Renee Burrows is a wonderful resource for all your real estate needs.