If you are getting ready to sell your home, you have to put yourself in the buyer’s shoes as to how you can add value and appeal to your home. How can you make it the perfect “doll house?” What needs improvement to make your home irresistible? If you have a realtor working to sell your home, he/she can advise you on some alterations and cleaning that may be necessary to give it more worth. Work with the realtor on your time frame for selling so that you can have ample time to get your home ready for the market with great success.

Step One – De-clutter your home. There is nothing worse than walking into a home that is covered inch-by-inch with “stuff.” Prospective buyers are looking for how spacious areas are in a home and clutter cramps the space, giving it a smaller appearance. De-cluttering should include the walls and a multitude of pictures.  You are proud of your family but it can distract the buyer from the features of the home.  Pack them away for safe keeping.

Go from room to room to remove and pack away any and all items you will not need until you are ready to move. All furniture and floors should be completely free from objects and clothing.  Also avoid excess toys and crafts which are difficult to pack up when a client is coming to see your home.  Kitchen and dining areas are the hardest to keep tidy but most important since these rooms are the first areas of interest to the prospective buyers.  Keep counters and tables completely free of clutter and minimize items in cabinets and china hutches.  As you are cleaning and de-cluttering, this is the perfect time to pack away unnecessary items and place them in storage until you move. This is a perfect way to remove items from the home and open up space.

Step Two – Clean Out Closets and Cabinets – How many closets and how spacious the closets are, are huge selling points for a home. That includes storage closets, bedroom closets, linen closets and broom closets.  Remove everything and just keep, in very organized fashion, a few sets of clothes in each closet for each family member, clear all storage and move to a storage unit, plus box up and remove all but one set of sheets and a few towels for each bathroom.  The broom closet should just contain one broom and one mop – the vacuum as well if this is where it is kept.

Bathroom and kitchen cabinets should be de-cluttered and washed out. Only keep a few of the necessities in each cabinet to make the areas look larger and pack up everything else you will not need at this time. The object is to show your buyers that, even though there are items in the cabinets and closets, there is plenty of room for more – which is the concern of most home buyers.

Step Three – Paint, patch and repair noticeable damaged walls.  You may not need to clean the entire home but tend to areas that need minor repairs and are unsightly.  Walls may need renovation if you had to remove the excess pictures. Keep the walls white since it gives the room a larger appearance.

Step Four – Clean carpets and floors – All floors should be vacuumed and swept often to remove any “tumbleweeds” from around the home.  As people enter the home, they first notice the floors. Keep all traffic areas clean by mopping well and get the carpets cleaned with a steam cleaner.  Entry ways should be clean and clutter-free since this is the first impression

Step Five – Clean up your garage, outdoor shed and yard – Remember the importance of a clean, clutter-free garage.  Pack away everything you will not need to allow for a lot of extra space when being viewed by a prospective buyer.  After cleared out, sweep thoroughly.  The garage will have a much better selling appeal.  The same goes for the yard.  Lawns should be well-manicured and keep all outdoor toys and gadgets stored in your shed. When someone drives up to your home, a buyer will notice the outside as well as the inside.

Be sure everyone in the home is on the same page so you can have total cooperation in keeping the home in a salable condition.  Get the whole family to pitch in to de-clutter, pack and clean to maintain the home in the best shape for more worth and value.  A little effort will pay off for a quicker sale – and in the process, you are ahead of the game with packing.

For more information on house cleaning call 403-291-1051 and talk to one of our representatives.

Ram Cleaning Services, Complete Cleaning and Maintenance Care serving Calgary and area since 1967