Congratulations, you’re selling your home! But now you have to get it ready for potential buyers—not to mention taking care of your kids, pets, work, and of course, finding your next home. But have no fear, we’ve asked Real Estate Professional, Cassie Dickerson, to weigh in on how to get your house in tip-top shape. Check out the essential checklist below!
1-Get Rid of Clutter
Time to go through all the closets, cabinets, and everywhere else you can think of! Moving is a great excuse to get rid of clothes you haven’t worn in a while, or old kids’ toys collecting dust. Consider donating belongings that are in good condition (clothing, toys, kitchenware, etc.) to local Goodwills.
2-Deep Clean
Clean… And then clean again. Areas that you don’t usually think about such as skylights and baseboards will need some extra care. Make sure to work top to bottom! Sweeping dust onto your freshly mopped floor is never ideal.
3- Finish Home Projects
Remember that leaky faucet that you bought the materials to fix but never did? Or the new light fixtures that are still sitting in their box but need to be installed? Now is the time!
4- Lightbulbs
Check all the lights in your home and make sure they’re functioning, and replace the ones that aren’t. The brighter the better! You want to illuminate all of the work you’ve put into cleaning your home.
5- Remove Personal Items
Items such as family pictures or fancy art are not necessary. Buyers want to imagine their personal items in the house, not yours.
6- Pet Plan
Come up with a pet plan. Buyers don’t want to see or worse, smell, any pets in the home. Renting a steam cleaner may be conducive to the cause – and will leave your carpets looking fresh!
7- Neutral Color Paint
Keep it neutral! Fresh paint and carpets make a home look turn-key. If the color is fairly up to date, you might not need to repaint. Life can get a little crazy, so go around and make sure there aren’t areas that need to be touched up.
8- Update the Details!
Keep it simple: choose more modern kitchen pendant lights or replace cabinet hardware to give old cabinets a new, fresh look.
9- Curb Appeal
Adding flowers on the front porch and painting the mailbox are fairly easy and inexpensive ways to give your home a facelift.
10- Talk To Your Agent!
If nothing else, consult with your real estate agent. It’s a seller’s market and you may not need to do as much as you think. A knowledgeable agent can tell you what buyers are looking for and save you money in unnecessary updates.
Need help getting your home in shape for the market? Contact Kathleen’s Cleaning Service and ask about our Move-out Deep Clean!