You already know that your house needs to be spotless before you list it, but are you cleaning everywhere that buyers might look? Odds are, you’ve gotten so used to your house the way it is you don’t even notice some of the areas that could be a little cleaner before you go to market.
Creative Home Stagers works with home sellers to get their houses ready for a competitive real estate market. Here are five places every home seller should clean (thoroughly) before ever sticking that For Sale sign in the yard.
- Windows and Screens
The number one thing well-meaning homeowners forget to clean is the windows! No one likes “doing windows,” but it’s a must before you list your house. Here in the Southeast, window screens can get incredibly dirty, and you’ll be shocked how much pollen buildup yours have likely accumulated over time. Clean windows and screens also let in more light, which is one home feature buyers always, always gravitate towards. - High Surfaces
Sure, you dusted the dining table and spruced up the couch, but did you think about the ceiling fans? If the high-up elements of your home are dusty, grimy, or dirty, skeptical home buyers will catch it. Areas to focus on include ceiling fans and blades, any exposed lightbulbs and/or pendants, and the hood above your stove. Don’t forget to swipe on top of the fridge and any cabinets, too! - Vents and Intakes
After a long winter of working hard, your HVAC system is probably pretty dirty. It’s easy to overlook your home’s intake vents and filters, but if they look dirty potential buyers will wonder what else you’ve neglected! You should be changing your filters once every three months, anyway, but you also need to dust between every slat of each vent, too. - Driveway
A pressure washer is one of the most powerful tools in a home seller’s arsenal. For just a couple hundred dollars, a pressure washer (or a person with a pressure washer) can make the outside of your home look good as new. Focus on the driveway and other paved areas where algae may have accumulated, but don’t forget about brick or any other parts of your home that can safely be pressure washed, either. - Storage Areas
Some homeowners focus so much on decluttering the most visible rooms in the home they don’t think about how buyers will react when they open a closet or drawer to find it stuffed with stuff. If your guest room closet, for example, is packed to the gills, buyers will assume you’ve already run out of room and, hey, this house doesn’t have as much storage as I thought! You don’t want that. Pare down your stuff before selling and get it off the property one way or another, whether that’s renting a storage unit or donating it to charity. And for goodness’ sakes, don’t just stuff everything in the garage.
Creative Home Stagers is ready to help you sell your home this spring.
Reach out today to talk staging, cleaning, and everything else you need to know for getting top-dollar in the Charlotte market.