Selling a home in the spring often means you’ll need to get a jump on your seasonal cleaning routine. If you’ve lived in one place for years, you may know how to spring clean your house efficiently and take care of items that matter most to you. However, if you want to list your home for sale, you may need to update your cleaning regimen. As you work through each room, give thought to potential staging ideas. Focus on ways to make your home shine in real estate photographs. For instance, when possible, you’ll want to depersonalize the house to provide more of a “blank slate” for new owners to imagine themselves in your home.
Combine Spring Cleaning with Your House Prep for Selling
Grab your cleaning supplies along with some storage boxes and bags. Before you begin, write a “cleaning for selling house” checklist to remind you of each step you aim to complete.
Some items to add to your checklist for cleaning before selling include:
Spruce up the Entryway
Your entryway is one of your home’s first impressions to potential buyers. To bring this area up to par, start outside the house by sweeping away leaves or dirt from patios and walkways. Examine your front door to determine if you need a new coat of paint in addition to cleaning. If your family leaves their shoes by the door, make sure they’re organized with a shoe rack, cabinet, or shelf.
Brighten the Bathrooms
You may have heard that bathrooms and kitchens sell houses, so pay particular attention to these areas of the home. In the bathrooms, look for signs of mold or mildew around tubs, sinks, and showers that could turn off buyers. Rather than simply scrubbing away mold or mildew, consider recaulking the shower or tub. Remove built-up soap scum from glass shower doors and spend extra time cleaning grout between tiles. Declutter your vanity area by removing or storing some of your toiletries.
Refresh the Kitchen
When showing a home, sellers should want the homebuyer to imagine themselves making cookies at the kitchen island with their kids or grandkids. Buyers should picture themselves gathering in the kitchen, which tends to become the central hub of any household. If you have extra cleaning time, you should spend it in this room. If you have high-end fixtures such as granite or marble countertops, ensure they’re clutter-free so homebuyers will notice them.
Note that now is not the time to get adventurous and begin a home renovation or significant project. Discuss potential options with your real estate agent if your kitchen needs a significant revamp.
Clean and Stage Living Areas
After dusting shelves and cleaning furnishings, consider how to stage your living room, dining room, or family room. Remove items such as family photographs or collages to depersonalize these spaces. Work with your real estate agent to stage the rooms and make them more appealing to potential buyers.
Take Your Cleaning Routine Out to the Yard
To increase your curb appeal, spend some time in your yard. In addition to weekly grass cutting, ensure your flower beds are weed-free and full of fresh blooms. Trim overgrown trees and bushes to provide a clear view of your home. Consider pressure washing to easily remove built-up dirt when cleaning your siding, patio, or deck.
Check the Condition of the Basement and Attic
You may rarely spend time in the basement or attic, but buyers will want to look at these areas before making an offer. Try to provide a clear, safe path and visual access to closed-off storage areas in an unfinished basement. If needed, take steps to remove musty, damp smells by using a dehumidifier.
Learn more: Does Finishing My Basement Add Value to My Home?
Cleaning Tasks Throughout the House
After you finish your basic cleaning routine, take a final walk through your home. Inspect the walls for marks that can develop over the years. If needed, consider patching or touching up paint. Look for stains on the carpets or old area rugs that warrant replacement. Check window treatments and consider replacing broken blinds.
Cleaning in a Time Crunch: What to Focus on When House Cleaning Before Selling
Keeping a house clean for last-minute showings can add to the stress of getting ready for a move. If you buy a new house before you sell your current home, why not pack as you clean? Rather than dusting around knick-knacks and photo frames, wrap up the fragile items and pack them into moving boxes. Removing personal items like family photographs and memorabilia from past vacations or events often works better for staging and selling.
Ultimately, your cleaning schedule will depend on how much time you have at your disposal. If you can’t squeeze in a deep home cleaning, you may need to skip ahead to the most important tasks. Buyers won’t look in every nook and cranny on their initial visit, so if you’re hoping for a quick home sale, you may want to focus on surface cleaning and finding places to store your mail and other countertop clutter.
How to Prioritize Cleaning Tasks Before Listing Your Home
Ask your real estate agent to conduct a walk-through before you begin cleaning. They may notice that your carpets could benefit from a steam cleaning or point out areas where you may need to touch up paint. A real estate agent may also tell you about areas where you shouldn’t waste your time at this point in the process.
You should also focus on items that buyers might notice. Certain odors can turn off potential buyers. Open windows to chase away musty smells after the winter. Consider cleaning products that will add a fresh scent to the environment.
Buyers may also pick up on noisy appliances, so if your refrigerator or dishwasher makes a racket, you may want to have it checked out and find out if a small repair will solve the problem.
When to Bring in the Cleaning Professionals
When working under a deadline for your upcoming move, consider hiring a professional house cleaning service. You may consider the cost of a house cleaner among the best money you’ve ever spent! Generally, house cleaners typically charge hourly, so you can ask them to spend a certain amount of time cleaning or work with them to prioritize specific tasks, such as the kitchen cabinets. With the average hourly cost of cleaning services ranging from $50-90, according to Home Advisor, you can usually find a reputable service for whatever amount fits your budget.
If you don’t want to schedule a full-house deep cleaning, you can also hire a contractor for tougher jobs, like windows or yard work. Bob Vila reports an average cost of window cleaning around $213, with the cost per window ranging from $4-$11. You may also want to call a chimney cleaner to inspect and clean your fireplace. If the chimney sweep also inspects the fireplace, Home Guide reports that you can expect to pay between $150-$350.
Property investors can also hire a cleaning service to streamline the process while they focus on their next investing opportunity.
Conclusion
Before you put your home on the market this spring, set a plan to make each room sparkle. A clean, well-maintained property will show better in real estate photographs and also impress potential buyers stopping by for live, in-person tours.
