Spring into Cleaning Inside & Out for Home Showings
Spring has finally decided to stick around and summer isn’t far behind. With more potential homeowners on the prowl for a deal, spending time inside and outside of your home can help seal the deal on that big sale. Most folks live in what they’d describe as a “clean home” but realtors know there’s that step above to the “show-ready” home. Taking the time to make your home sparkle for its next occupant is all about a few tricks and some old fashioned elbow grease.
If you’re in a time crunch and working with a house full of kids, one of the best tools and motivator is – money. Offer your kids a bit of green to clean up their room each and every day. Smaller children can be paid per item they pick up and put away or decide to donate. This influence can help get them started on their own entrepreneurial trail to success and hopefully keep tears to a minimum. It works for adults as well. Tear through those closets and head down to consignment shops and other resale joints to get a dividend on those designer pants you just had to have. You can even donate items to Goodwill and others for tax deductions if they don’t resale.
Love it or get rid of it – time to declutter every area. Find your inner Feng Shui and get it done. And while not everything can be sold, thrown away or donated, find an area to store a couple of bins of treasures. You can even use the bins to store items such as bills and newspapers and things that linger in a normal home but don’t need to be out for a home showing. Have empty suitcases? Open them and fill with those “have to keep” treasures as well. It will straighten up the house and basement.
And de-personalize your home as much as possible. Clean all those magnets off the fridge and put away those heart wrenching art pieces and even family photos. Your next home is where they will live and shine but for now, make your home less of you so the potential buyer sees themselves there.
Take out the trash – literally. Before heading out to be unseen by potential buyers, take a moment to empty all the trash cans and pick up any lingering items that haven’t made it into the trash. Make a checklist for each room and do a quick scan to gather it all.
Keep your bathroom picked up and wiped down and if you have more than one, try and get the troops to only use one so you cut down on cleaning before each showing. Making a plan for showings is key. When the realtor calls with a potential buyer, get your smart phone timer out and walk through each room spending five minutes taking care of the bigger items to pick up or clean. Don’t get bogged down and miss a room.
Maybe it’s time to take that multi week family vacation. Get the house in tip top shape and hit the open road Clark Griswold style. Load up the family for a cross country trip while the realtors show plenty of potential buyers your home. Max out your vacation time and relax and live life.
Taking a look outside, one of the best tools in the toolbox is the checkbook. Hire a landscaping crew to get your yard, shrubs and trees in pristine shape. Or tackle it yourself with a plan for each square foot. Add some flowers and rent a power washer for the driveway, walkways and even siding. A fresh clean sidewalk is quite inviting for a potential buyer. And it’s time to touch up or repaint the outside of your home. An investment that will pay itself back when your home outshines others with that fresh coat.
If you have one, tackle that garage. Start with the door. Clean it and paint it as well. Then move inside and declutter and clean. Power wash here as well and perhaps paint the inside. Make it sparkle and don’t forget to de-personalize if needed. A neat and efficient garage will add character and help hook that potential buyer.
In a market filled with buyers, take the time to spring clean inside and out and help those buyers flock to your location so you can get to your next one.