How to showcase your home when selling?
Cleaning is an essential part of making your home show-ready. Potential buyers will be nosey and look into every corner of your home. They are not supposed to find dust in the corners, or any other distractions, so you'll have to clean everything, not just for appearance. Look at cleaning as a selling tool that accentuates all the best features of a home. Nicely arranged homes score better with homebuyers who like to have a clean and neat overview of the layout and furniture. Here is what you can do to make your home great for showings.
Clean from top to bottom
Since you've got to go through every room, start from the one you want. What matters is that you clean in the top-to-bottom style, which means working your way from the ceiling and the upper shelves to the floor.
Declutter
Decluttering goes hand in hand with cleaning, and if you do it right away, you'll have less to clean afterward. Go through the kitchen and get rid of all products that expired, declutter the fridge and remove any leftovers to gain in space. Also, get rid of odd fridge smells. Don't forget to empty the trashcan either.
Shelves and storage cabinets should be decluttered. Keeping a few books and decor items is fine, but personal items like photos, chargers, devices and gadgets, bills, etc., have to go. Closets in the bedrooms and hallways shouldn't be overfilled, so take out half of the stuff from there and organize it in boxes while home showings are on.
Deep-clean for a fresh smell and look
Sometimes, it's not enough to vacuum the carpets, especially if your last deep cleaning was months ago. Get some excellent carpet care products from the store to minimize the work and maximize the effect. Your carpets will not only be clean, but they'll smell fresh as well. Dusty and dirty windows are easy to spot, which means you can't go around this one either.
Pay special attention to the bath and kitchen.
These two rooms should be cleaned with special care to get to the ultimate result - shiny and spotless. The faucets, the tiles, and stainless-steel appliances need to be sparkly clean. Next, free the kitchen countertop and remove any spices, dishes, the dish rack and all other items that lie around to get an organized and neat kitchen look.
As for the bathroom, arrange bathroom toiletries neatly and don't forget to clean the toothbrush holder or cup, especially if you keep it in the open. Potential buyers notice the littlest things, so make sure to keep an eye on details. You may not be able to keep the laundry basket empty at all times, but make sure it is not overfilled when you have visitors. Also, layout some nice fancy towels when expecting buyers to drop by.
The Bedding
Besides the regular bedroom cleaning (dusting, vacuuming and folding clothes), take care of the bedding. The bed won't look good if there are any wrinkles and lumps in the sheets and comforters. Wrinkle-free bed linens are hard to maintain daily, but you can re-iron them directly on the bed when you have showings and no time. It'll save time and impress buyers.
Maintain the home on the go
Maintaining cleanliness throughout the home is a more significant challenge than the cleaning itself. It's easy to take one or two days to pep up your home, but it's tough to keep up with it every day. Be patient until you sell your home and do things on the go. Load the dishwasher as soon as you're done with a meal, put your bills in a drawer instead of a shelf or table, vacuum regularly, remove dust once a week and put back things you took from them. If you have children, gather their toys daily into a box, and if you have pets, wash their bowls right after eating. Use this opportunity to develop a good habit and live a clutter-free organized life even after you sell the home and move into a new one.
For more information on selling tips in Mississauga and the nearby area, feel free to call me at (416) 994-0188.