Do not just list your home for sale without any advance preparation for house cleaning and some touch-ups. A few minor touch-ups and cleaning up can go a long way towards making a favourable impression on prospective buyers — and perhaps cinching a deal.
“Put your buyer’s hat on and walk through your home like it is the first time,” “Make notes on what you, as a buyer, would notice “and then repair, clean or replace those items.”
These are some suggestions for your house cleaning to prepare your home for a sale.
1. Clean, clean, clean. Dust your fan blades, polish your appliances and faucets, and give the windows a thorough washing. If you’re too busy to do all those things, consider hiring a cleaning service company to do the job
2. Pay attention to smells. “Don’t cook any pungent food in your home on the day of a showing,” “Although it might taste great, the smell is strong and lingers for a long time. You don’t want your home to smell like a fast food restaurant!”
3. Clear out the clutter. You want buyers to focus on how awesome your space is, not how messy it looks. Get rid of that pile of shoes from the entry, that stack of mail from the kitchen table and anything else that detracts from your home’s gorgeous features.
4. Repaint the walls neutral colours. Repaint your rooms in neutral tones like tans and whites that allow buyers to focus on the spaces themselves, not the colour of the walls.
5. Keep the décor simple. To help buyers imagine themselves in your space, get rid of any art or other décor that might turn off people with different tastes. A classic landscape painting is fine.
6. Get rid of personal items. Buyers want to be able to envision themselves in your home, so remove anything overly personal, like family photos in the hallway or your kids’ artwork on the fridge.
7. Let there be light! Open up all the windows to let in natural light and add floor or table lamps to areas that are dim. A bright, cheery room looks bigger and more inviting.
8. Bring nature inside. Potted plants or a few pretty buds in a vase can help bring energy into a space, just make sure the plants are in good health (and bug-free!).
9. Get rid of bulky furniture. Your furniture should fit the scale of the room, so get rid of any extra or oversized items that could make your space look smaller than it really is.
10. Organize your closets. Storage space is a huge selling point, and if your closets are stuffed to the brim, buyers will think you don’t have enough of it.
11. Give each room a purpose. That spare room you’ve been using as an office / guest room / dumping ground won’t help sell your home. Clean and tidy up this room and stage the space to showcase to the buyers how they can use it themselves such as office, guest room, crafts room.
12. Make a conversation area. Help buyers picture themselves relaxing with family and guests by grouping your furniture into arrangements that inspire conversation.
13. Touring your house. The last thing you want is people bumping into furniture as they tour your home; it disrupts their focus and makes your space look cramped.
14. Front door appeal. Make sure your home’s exterior looks excellent. Trim your shrubs, weed your flower beds, fix any peeling paint and keep the walkway clear. Just adding a row of potted plants along the walkway or a cheerful wreath to your front door can make a big difference.
The final tip is a critical one, the first impression counts. So do your house cleaning and touch up before listing your home for sale, it goes a long way. If you don’t have time to do it, you can hire a professional house cleaning services in Singapore.