This week's post is all about working on the interior of your home so buyers will stop in their tracks and say "Wow!" when they walk in for their showing. We are so excited to share our tips for cleaning and preparing your home so it simply shines. You know how thoroughly you clean when company is coming over? Think of this process as that, multiplied by 100. It will involve some work, but it will be worth it!
Clean, scrub, and polish appliances: Keep your stove, oven, refrigerator, microwave, and other appliances clean inside and out. We love this inclusive list that shared cleaning tips for all types of appliances. (Potential buyers will probably open them to check them out!)
Clean and spot-treat flooring: Clean all carpeting by vacuuming often, spot cleaning stains, or even have professionally steam-cleaned if needed . Polish wood floors and mop tile and vinyl flooring. Clean walls, doors, and woodwork, including baseboards, cabinetry, fans, and windowsills. It's amazing how much fresher your home will appear after this task. One small investment we swear by is the Magic Eraser made by Mr. Clean. This little guy is amazing to take scuffs on your walls, base boards and doors. It also does a great job cleaning sinks and showers.
Eliminate odors: Buyers tend to notice strong smells as soon as they walk through the front door of a home. Many times, if they smell something unpleasant, the showing becomes a waste of time because they have discounted that particular house. Treat smoke, mildew, and pet odors before we are setting up showings for your house. If needed, have this taken care of by a professional. (Regularly “Febreezing” does great for everyday odors.)
Fix drippy faucets and running toilets: If any of your sinks or bathtubs drain slowly, unclog them. If buyers hear a strange plumbing noise while they're touring the home, that will concern them and it could sway their decision. Many of these drips are simple fixes!
Remove clutter: Friends, this is crucial! Organize & declutter to help your home look larger and cleaner overall. Buyers want to see all that usable space. Clear off kitchen and bathroom counters, organize closets, straighten the pantry, clean out cabinets. Think light and airy—only the essentials.
Clean out all closets and cabinet drawers: This is part of the removal of clutter mentioned in our last point. It's so important that it deserves it's own attention. Potential buyers will definitely look in closets to check out storage options and nosy ones will even open drawers! Make sure all valuables, medicines, and private paperwork are removed from storage areas just in case. Better to be safe than sorry.
Test your doors: Make sure hinges and knobs are tightened and doors close properly. If doors squeak when you open/close them, put some WD-40 on the hinges.
Touch Up Paint: Once you've cleaned all surfaces around the house, you might notice some scuffs and nicks in the paint, especially white trim (thanks to puppy teeth or kiddo rough play). Grab some white paint (most contractors use a standard paint for trim so ask about it!) and touch up those spots. It will make such a tremendous difference in making your home feel new again.
Do a few of these chores or all of them for major impact before listing. If you're short on time, (busy job and equally busy family schedule?) it might be a good time to have your home professionally cleaned. Bonus if you can get them done before your listing appointment with your ERA First Advantage agent! Then you can simply focus on some nice fall staging and get your house on the market much quicker!
What else are you working on to prepare your home for a sale? And buyers, what do you want to see in a potential new home?
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