Our Spring Home Selling Cleaning Tips

Let’s get your home show-ready! The first step to selling success is making a great impression. Cleaning up before buyers arrive is essential – this will prevent them from talking about “dust balls the size of cats” or remembering your house as the one with an unpleasant fish fry odor. Start at the front door, and polish or repaint for maximum appeal. Now you can move inside and tackle our list of home-selling cleaning tips that are guaranteed to help seal the deal!

Jump Start Your Home’s Style With a Warm Welcome at the Door

After giving your entryway some extra love with curb appeal, it’s time to ensure that when potential buyers step inside they get an amazing first impression. Whether you have a spacious foyer or cozy living room awaiting their arrival – cleanliness is key! A buyer I recently showed around was particularly concerned about how tidy everything appeared in the home and she wasn’t wrong to be so picky; many people assume if something looks unkempt then elsewhere won’t fare any better either. Let them know from the very start that this house is lovingly cared for.

Make sure that the first impression a buyer has when entering your home is one of WOW, not Whoa!

Cleaning Tips:

• Steam clean carpets if needed to remove all stains and spots.
• Sweep and mop floors as often as needed to keep them shining
• Ceiling fans should be dusted and the light covers cleaned (this also makes a room look brighter)
• Baseboards should be free of dust, dirt, and scuff marks

Bedrooms Should Say RELAX!

When it comes to selling a house, one of the most important rooms to stage is the bedroom. With bedrooms being such intimate spaces, buyers need to feel welcomed and comfortable in order for them to be able to envision themselves living there. Here are some tips on how you can best stage your bedroom when moving:

• Clear out clutter; take away any unnecessary items that could distract from the room’s overall aesthetic.
• Use neutral colors on walls and bedding as this will create a clean look that appeals to a wide range of buyers.
• Let natural light in by opening up curtains or blinds; well lit spaces make them appear larger and more inviting.
• Add simple decorations like vases with flowers or artwork that complements the color scheme of the room.
• Properly arrange your furniture so there is enough space for potential buyers to move around freely without feeling cramped.

Home selling cleaning: Bathrooms are Important

Although the bathrooms are typically the smallest rooms in a house, they hold a lot of nooks and crannies that get overlooked in daily cleaning.  Make that bathroom sparkle!

Cleaning Tips:

• Check the corners around the tub and where the tub meets the floor – scrub any of that soap scum and gunk that can build
  up in these small places.
• Make sure that the tub and shower walls are clean.  Buyers will definitely be pulling back the shower curtain to see.  After all of the soap scum has been removed, try this trick:  Applying Turtle Wax to the shower walls will make them shine and keep the scum from building back up.  DO NOT use the wax in the tub…it will make it slippery and a fall hazard!
• Clean the mirror and the light covers.  Consider adding higher-wattage or LED bulbs to make the space even brighter.
• Remove everything you don’t use on a daily basis from the linen closet and showcase that space.
• Fresh towels and a fluffy new bath mat can finish the room.

Home Selling Cleaning: Kitchens Can Seal the Deal

Kitchens and bathrooms are the spaces that receive the closest looks from buyers since they are the most expensive to change or update.  Even if your kitchen does not have top-of-the-line appliances and granite countertops, it should still put its best foot forward.

Cleaning Tips:

• Clean the oven and cooktop thoroughly and keep them that way! I find that about 75% of my buyers open the oven to see if it has been cleaned.  A dirty oven or stove gives the appearance of an item that may need to be replaced soon, lowering the value in the eyes of the buyer.
• After cleaning the sink, dry it with a soft cloth or paper towel to eliminate water spots that can make it look dirty.
• Clean the fronts of the refrigerator (pack away all of those magnets!) and the dishwasher
• Murphy’s Oil Soap is a great product to clean your cabinet fronts with and will leave the kitchen smelling fresh as well.
• Clean the shelves in your pantry.  When your house is on the market is not the time to make a big Costco run and stock up on items that can’t fit comfortably in the pantry or cabinets.  Half-empty is a good rule of thumb.
• Again, floors, lighting covers, and baseboards must be cleaned.
• There are companies that can steam clean your ceramic tile to get all of the built-up dirt out of the grout – check out Stanley Steamer for quotes and services.

Are you tired yet?  It is hard work doing all of the cleaning to get a house in shape to sell, but is well worth the effort and can pay off in higher offers.