10 Cleaning Tips When Preparing Your Home For Sale
Cleaning Tips When Preparing Your Home For Sale
Are you preparing your home for sale and are in need of some cleaning tips to help you sell? Check out this list of tips to help you get your home ready to be sold.
There are many tips and tricks for preparing a home for sale. You need to get everything ready, including cleaning as well as getting agents. Home staging may be one of the most essential parts of the home selling process, but to get to this point, you need to clean first.
Getting your home ready can be stressful, but knowing what you should do with this checklist will hopefully help that stress and turn your home into a markable house. Deep house cleaning sets the stage for quality staging and listing photos, enabling buyers to visualize their life in your home. According to the National Association of Realtors, about 58% of buyer's agents stated that a clean house attracts their eyes more.
Your goal for selling a home is to make your house as attractive as possible. The most cost-efficient way to do so is cleaning thoroughly, through all the nooks and crannies. Here is how you can clean your house to be spotless and ready for the sale.
Here are cleaning tips when preparing your home for sale.
Chapters
1. Declutter and Depersonalize
Clutter can take up a lot of space, and space is one of the main factors that can help a home sell faster. There are two significant ways that clutter affects the selling process of a home: it distracts potential buyers from the home's features and makes the house look cramped and uninviting.
Decluttering your home may be one of the most challenging tasks because it takes time, but it is also one of the most crucial tasks to take care of, as it significantly impacts the selling process and can help when it comes time for packing. No one wants to walk into a cluttered house where they can't even see the home's beauty due to the numerous random knick-knacks scattered around the home.
Even though the clutter may appeal to you and fit your personality, not everyone will have the same taste. Therefore, if you are serious about selling your home quickly, you should eliminate all the random belongings around the house for now.
When someone is buying a home, they like to imagine themselves and their belongings in the space. If your personal items are still present, it can make it more difficult for buyers to envision themselves purchasing the home.
Therefore, it is essential to remove all family photos, personal belongings, artwork, clothes, and any miscellaneous items from the counters. This helps interested buyers to better visualize themselves occupying the space instead of being distracted by their personal belongings.
2. Use The Right Cleaning Supplies
Every home has different surfaces, whether it is glass, wood, stone, leather, or granite; every surface needs other cleaning products so you do not damage any surfaces and make sure they are as clean as possible. Below is a list of surfaces that need to be cleaned per room, as well as a list of supplies that are recommended, especially for spring cleaning.
| Kitchen | Bathroom | Living Room | Bedroom | Garage |
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Recommended supplies:
- Microfiber cleaning clothes
- Heavy Duty All Purpose Scrub Brush
- Rubber Cleaning Gloves
- Paper Towels
- All Purpose Cleaner
- Wood Cleaner
- Magic Eraser
- Glass Cleaner
- Clean and Shine Spray
- Cooktop and Stove Cleaner
3. Focus on Kitchen
The kitchen is a significant part of the house. Even if your kitchen is outdated, you can impress buyers by simply cleaning it and clearing the countertops. Fewer items on the counters make the space look bigger.
The fridge, dishwasher, and oven are also big things to focus on. You may be used to the way these look and smell, but buyers want to see them with fresh eyes, so make sure you put some extra effort into emptying them and clearing out all shelves. This may seem tedious, but it will significantly impact the room.
Wipe down all appliances inside and out, then go to the cabinets, drawers, and even the knobs. Also, consider staging your refrigerator and pantry, making sure everything is neat and not overboard. Overall, simply clean and wipe down every inch of this room because this is one of the most used spaces in the house.
4. Carpet Cleaning
Having a professional floor cleaning service may save you time for the carpet and floor, but if not, make sure you vacuum thoroughly and pay attention to the cracks and corners, as well as scrub floors/tiles. A deodorizer like baking soda may be your best friend to get rid of any odors.
A cleaning machine can help get any stains or dirt that has been built up on the floors, as well as a carpet shampooer. Floors are something so little but something big that many people look at. The flooring in a house can either make the home feel new and clean or old and musty.
Without proper carpet cleaning, dirt becomes stuck in the carpet, bacteria can build up and spread, allergens can be attracted, and your family can be exposed to contaminants. Regular carpet cleaning may be essential for your family's health and well-being in general.
5. Examine Fixtures
Make sure all of your fixtures are dusted and cleaned, as well as making sure they all work. Remove any lightbulbs that need to be replaced, and make sure you remove any stains with a microfiber cloth.
Homes get a lot of wear and tear throughout the years that you may not notice, so make sure you restore any to their original look or replace any that need to be so they attract more buyers.
No one wants to buy a house and see all these little things that need to be repaired, so making sure you do any replacements beforehand will help sell your home faster. Simply cleaning stuff with the right cleaners and replacing items will have a significant impact on the fixtures.
Replacing fixtures may seem like an inconvenience, but it will save you much time and money when you are trying to sell the house. People do not want to fix their own; they would instead find a home that has working appliances and fixtures, so take the time to make sure everything works and is clean.
6. Dust
Making sure you dust down all baseboards, ceiling fans, light switches, appliances, doors, and any small parts of the home is essential in creating a home that feels clean. You may not think many people will notice, but people do, and it makes a massive difference to have a clean house.
Taking the time to whip out the duster and go over every part of your house does not take much time and will make a big difference, so make sure you get even the tiny spots that are barely seen so they get a good dust. Dusting does not cost much; whether you choose to buy a cheap duster or even just use a paper towel, either will work the same. Just make sure you get every surface.
7. Smell Test
You are used to your home and the smell that your home has, so make sure you invite someone who does not live in your house to come give a smell test to make sure there are no odors that will make buyers not want the home.
Your nose is immune to pets, cooking, and other smells throughout the house. If you can not tell if your home smells good, invest in some fresh scented oil diffusers, and baked goods, and take all trash out before buyers come by.
Cleaning your house with all-purpose cleaners will also make a massive difference in odors and will help the smell.
8. Scrub Bathroom
The bathroom is a very used room, so make sure you take care of these and take the time to scrub everything and remove any stains or dirt. It is important to pay attention to the sinks and tubs/showers because these are something most people look into because they are an everyday used area.
Another thing many people may look past is the drains; make sure you clean out the drains with either a drain clear or an at-home mixture. If your bathroom grout has mold, you can use bleach cleaner spray to freshen it up, as well as redoing the caulk.
This room may be small, but there are many small spaces that you need to make sure you get into. No one wants to walk into a dirty bathroom. Cleaning around the toilet and wiping down the mirrors and appliances are some of the simplest things to do to revamp this room.
9. Touch-up and Repair
It is essential to inspect your home for any small holes, scratches, or buffs and freshen them up to give your home a put-together look. Though minor repairs are inevitable, it doesn't take much time or effort to fix them. Also keep in mind there may be larger repairs, such as big applicances.
Fresh paint can also do wonders in making your home appear newer, even if it's not. All properties require improvements, and minor improvements can benefit your home without being distracted by minor imperfections.
Some everyday things that should be improved:
- Cleaning baseboards
- Touching up paint
- Outdoor appearance
- Leaky faucets
- Patching holes
- Upgrading lights
10. Hire a Cleaning Service
Cleaning out a house can be a lot, and many people do not have the time to do so, so maybe hiring a residential cleaning service would fit you better. There are many services that are cheaper than others, so if you are in need of finding a professional service, make sure you find the best ones that fit your needs in your area.
Here are some cleaning services in Raleigh, NC:
11. Overall Checklist To Help
- Countertops
- Refrigerator
- Oven and stove
- Dishwasher
- Toilet
- Sink, tub, shower
- Mirrors
- Dusting
- Sweep, vacuum, wash floors
- Polish/Clean furniture
- Clean Smells
FAQS
What should you do to prepare your home to sell?
There are many things to do to help your home sell. The top things you should do are clean your house, inside and out, make sure you have high curb appeal, and declutter/depersonalize the home.
How clean should a house be when you buy it?
The home should at least be wiped down and cleaned. The house does not always have to be perfectly cleaned, but at least vacuumed, counters/appliances wiped down, and the lawn mowed.
Why should you declutter your home before selling?
Even if your home is spotlessly clean, the clutter can detract from that and the space. Clutter-free homes are more appealing to buyers and show you take care of the home.
Cleaning Tips When Preparing Your Home For Sale - The Bottom Line
Preparing a home for sale can be overwhelming, but some tips and tricks can help. Cleaning the house thoroughly and hiring agents are crucial steps to get started. Home staging is also essential and can significantly impact the selling process.
To achieve a well-staged home, it is essential to deep clean the house to set the stage for quality staging and listing photos. This allows buyers to envision themselves in the space.
Your goal is to make your house as attractive as possible, and the most cost-efficient way to achieve this is by cleaning every nook and cranny. By following a checklist and ensuring that your house is spotless, you can turn your home into a marketable property.
If you want to move or need help selling, contact us or visit our website. Our team at Raleigh Realty is here to help you with any home buying or selling needs.
Ryan Fitzgerald
Hi there! Nice to 'meet' you and thanks for visiting our Raleigh Real Estate Blog! My name is Ryan Fitzgerald, and I'm a REALTOR® in Raleigh-Durham, NC, the owner of Raleigh Realty. I work alongside some of the best Realtors in Raleigh. You can find more of my real estate content on Forbes, Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and more. Realtor Magazine named me a top 30 under 30 Realtor in the country (it was a long time ago haha). Any way, that's enough about me. I'd love to learn more about you if you'd like to connect with me on Facebook and Instagram or connect with our team at Raleigh Realty. Looking forward to connecting!
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