5 CLEANING TIPS TO BOOST YOUR HOME’S PRICE

PureOne Window Cleaning — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 00:45:35 +0000

UNDERSTANDING THE TIPS

You’re on your way to get your home ready for the real estate market, potential buyers from all over will be viewing your home online and in person. You’re thinking your home is ready for buyers to view, but is it really?

During my time as a real estate agent, I have seen great homes stay on the market or get negotiated down thousands for various reasons and a dirty home is always on the top of this list.

TIP OVERVIEW

These budget friendly tips can be DIY projects or can be done by hiring a local professional cleaning company. These tips are in no particular importance but are listed in the order a buyer gets out of their car and begins making their decision on whether you get a full asking price offer, a reduced price offer or they take a walk to the next home for sale.

Let’s begin.

1. GIVE YOUR HOME A BATH

JUDGEMENT: The buyer sees your home online and the pictures look great thanks to some filters and lighting. Now the buyer heads to the home and it looks dull. The walls & walkways are covered with dirt, dust, moss while the driveway has oil stains from years of neglect. The entrance is covered in dust and cobwebs. The buyer is already thinking about updating the home. The price quickly drops in their mind when it comes time to negotiating.

TIP: PRESSURE WASH THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR HOME

DIY: Using a hose and a brush can safely clean these areas with not much effort. Some degreaser on the driveway and a good scrub can get your home it’s shine again. By contacting your local equipment rental company, you can rent a professional pressure washer for those hard stains. Research tutorial videos on YouTube on how to use it.

By cleaning your home’s walls, roof, garage door, driveways (oil stains), walkways, balconies, patios, you can make your home look colorful and vibrant at a very low cost.

CAUTION: Some pressure washing machines have the power to remove paint off of any surface. Research DIY videos online.

PROS: Many service companies in your area can do this for you. Be sure to hire a professional cleaning company that has experience using pressure washers and the right equipment to also clean your roof or second story walls.

2. TRIM YOUR BUSH

JUDGEMENT: The buyer removes their gaze from the home and focuses on the front yard. They compare the yards with the neighbors. Trees are covering the entrance, weeds overlap the walkways, grass exceeds its height and lacks a green color, and dead plants need to be pulled. Now their thought is: “If this is not maintained, they probably did not maintain the plumbing or electrical. Let’s keep an eye on that.” This is NOT how you want a buyer approaching your home.

TIP: MAINTAIN YOUR YARD (FRONT AND BACK)

DIY: Head to your local hardware store and pick up some trimmers and some gloves. Pull every thing dead and leave everything green. Trim everything green and DO NOT trim anything colorful (flowers or fruit). Throwing a bag of fertilizer and adding some low cost plants can be the extra credit. However, the focus should be on the obvious overcrowding of dead plants, overgrown trees/shrubs and the trimming of the grass.

CAUTION: Climbing trees and going on ladders can be very dangerous. Please exercise extreme caution and try to have another person to help keep you safe.

PROS: Hiring a professional landscaper can help on the trimming of tall trees and also handle the removal of left over trash. The option for the landscaper to maintain the home for a fair price until it sells is an option until it sells. However, maintaining your own yard can be very rewarding.

3. MAKE YOUR HOME SMELL GOOD

JUDGEMENT: The buyer walks in and immediately smells the home. You snark because it’s your home and how could someone judge a home by it’s smell? Well it happens! And psychological studies have determined this to be true. We buy with every single one of our senses, including smell. Old moldy food, dirty laundry, old carpet, and Houston (your beloved family doggo), ETC. What is a buyer to think?

They do their best to get past the smell and most do but that doesn’t mean they forget it. They walk through the rest of the house dreading every other breath they must take. The buyer is not looking at the possibilities of the home but on how fast they can run through the home and make it to the back yard for some fresh air.

Let the buyer fantasize about the memories they will create in the home and not the work they are going to have to do to get that smell out.

TIP: CLEAN YOUR HOME

DIY: Cleaning your floors, spraying some febreze on your couch, lemon scented all purpose cleaner on your tables can go a long way. Grocery stores rent out carpet cleaners and local rental companies can offer you a professional wood floor buffer. DIY videos on youtube can show you how to reclaim those hard wood floors.

CAREFUL: When DIY, certain products or machines can cause damage to floors or furniture, making the situation much worse than a bad smell. Before attempting deep cleaning, read all instruction labels carefully.

PROS: Many home cleaning service companies can give you a free estimate on your home. Prices may vary depending on the size of home, state of it’s dirtiness and services requested.

4. LET IN THE NATURAL LIGHT

JUDGEMENT: The buyer is experiencing the entire home for the first time. They look to every corner and every room. As the buyer enters the kitchen, they look out the window to see the view where they will be standing while preparing dinner. Soon after, the buyer enters the master bedroom and looks out the master bedroom window to see what the view from there kingdom will look like. Are you seeing the pattern?

Buyers look out windows. They open the blinds, they peak into the neighbors home to see who will live next to them, they imagine the natural light beaming into their family room while they entertain. The buyer struggles with this when the windows are covered in water spots, frames are covered in dust, grime, dirt, and fingerprints.

The fantasy of the view turns into a quick peek of what they must clean. They are now considering replacing the windows which was never a thought when they first entered the home. Give them a better view.

TIP: CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS INSIDE AND OUT

DIY: You can do this at home with clean rags, soap, water and a bucket. Many videos and articles online can show you tips and tricks to get the dirtiest windows cleaned. Replace ripped or broken screens at your local hardware store, vacuum your window tracks, remove hard water spots with acidic solutions and wipe down all those blinds.

CAUTION: Cleaning your windows on the first floor can be quite simple, however, climbing up on a ladder can be dangerous. Have a spotter below for safety.

PROS: Hiring a local window cleaning company can be life saver in certain situations with homes that have skylights on the roof and windows on the 2nd or 3rd story. Call your local window cleaning company for more information. Pricing is determined by size of home, current state of cleanliness, ease of access to all windows, and type of windows.

5. THE DETAILS MATTER

JUDGEMENT: The buyers have walked throughout the home. The agent is explaining all the features and amenities that come with it. The buyers, needing to really solidify the offer, step out to the backyard, kitchen, patio or where ever they can sit and ponder. Where ever they are standing or sitting, they are looking around at the details of your home. Looking for anything to tell them to run away or sign away.

TIPS: DETAIL THE ENTERTAINING AREAS

Mirrors and glass: Water stained bathroom shower doors and dirty mirrors is really just plain gross. Maybe not to you cause you live in it and it’s your grime but to others it’s a representation of the rest of the home. Keep it clean.

Light fixtures: Removal of dust, dirt, cobwebs from porch lights, your patio bulb covers, chandeliers and any glass that projects light artificially can really spruce up the space. You avoid any judgements from buyers that are looking for anything to reduce the price.

Patio Furniture: If your buyers want to sit outside to seal the deal, keep your patio furniture clean. Pressure wash your home’s outside furniture and keep it clean enough to sit on.

CAUTION: Using water around electrical, climbing on ladders to reach fixtures, using cleaning solutions and cleaning machines can damage furniture. Reading instructions or calling for professional help is advise

CONCLUSION

Finally, go over this checklist while walking around your home. Making sure you have done everything possible to make your home a welcoming place where real estate agents can bring buyers to walk through. For instance, cleaning can help reduce the need for reduction in price, buyers questioning the home’s previous maintenance and state of health, and can help solidify an offer on the spot. All this with just a few cleaning services that you can do at home or seek professional help at a low cost.

TIP: GET ADVICE ON YOUR HOMES CLEANLINESS FROM FAMILY, FRIENDS & AGENTS

People in general are not going to tell you your home stinks or that you have a very dirty bathroom. It is very personal and we tend to be gentle in trying not to hurt the people we love. But if you had a secret camera recording people’s opinions of your home, you would hear some hard truths. Forget the camera and grab a friend or family member who you can trust to offer constructive criticism. Ask them to review this checklist list with you while you walk around your home and grade each tip from 1-10 (10 being exceptionally clean and maintained).

Hope this helps you stay organized and ready for a fast and prosperous sale of your home. If you’re located in the Orange County area visit PureOneToday.com or call us for help on your home’s cleaning needs.

CAUTION: More importantly, do not cover up anything with a cleaning that should be expressed legally to buyer’s about the home’s state of health. This is just plain wrong and unethical. If your agent condones this type of behavior, I would fire them and hire an honest agent that cares about you and your home.

By ROBERT NUNEZ

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