How to Spring Clean Your Way to a Quick Home Sale

The spring buying seasonGetting Warmed Up For The Spring Buying Season Blog is in full gear, and if you're helping clients sell their homes, now is the time to make sure they're market-ready.

Giving a home a deep spring cleaning will help you present it in the best possible light, so you can attract the perfect buyer. Even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend, there are some low-cost chores that will make a big difference. So, roll up your sleeves and break out the broom — it’s time to spring clean your way to a home sale.

Freshen Up Your Curb Appeal

If a house looks like a mess from the outside, you’ll find that it’s nearly impossible to get buyers to step inside and take a look. Taking the time to do some outdoor chores not only makes the home more attractive, but it can also increase its value. In fact, homes with high curb appeal tend to sell for about 7% moreDaily News 2020 01 27 How Much Does Curb Appeal Affect Home Value Magazine.realtor than similar homes with an uninviting exterior.

After a long winter, the outside of the home will need a little TLC. Start by raking and mowing the lawn and trimming the trees and shrubs. Next, it’s time to start working on some appeal-enhancing projects:

• Power wash the driveway and walkways

• Add or refresh mulch in plant beds

• Plant colorful perennials

• Fix low spots or drainage issues that create puddles

If the home’s exterior paint has seen better days, consider giving it a refresh as well. This requires a bit of an investment, but a fresh coat of paint can make a huge difference.

Create a Grand Entrance

The front entryway is a potential buyer’s first interaction with the home. As such, it’s a pivotal selling point. Set the tone by putting a bit of work into making it look impressive. In addition to general cleaning, add the following to your spring-cleaning list:

• Repaint the front door

• Replace worn out door knockers, locks, and handles

• Add or replace weatherstripping around the door

• Clean the front windows inside and out

• Plant colorful flowers along the walkway

• Add a planter by the door

• Roll out a fresh new welcome mat

Tackling these tasks will help you make your front entryway inviting and draw in potential buyers, rather than turn them away.

Clear Out the Clutter

According to the National Association of Realtors, more than a quarter of buyersStyled Staged Sold Why Staging Matters Even In A Sellers Market Blogs are more willing to overlook a property’s faults if a home is staged. However, before you can start thinking about staging a homeGuide Staging Home Blog, you’ll need to clear out the clutter.

A cluttered home creates the impression that it isn’t well cared for, and it will also make the space look smaller. Convince the seller to narrow down their belongings by separating each item into one of three categories:

• Toss it / donate it

• Organize it

• Store it

Once they've gone through this process, it will be much easier to get everything cleaned up and out of sight.

Focus on the Details

Most homeowners probably keep up with basic cleaning like sweeping, vacuuming, wiping down the countertops, and scrubbing the bathroom fixtures. Maybe they even have a home maintenance robot10 Robots That Are Changing Home Maintenance Blog to take care of the regular cleaning — but how often do they deep clean every surface?

Serious buyers typically scrutinize every detail, so make sure you do, too! When you’re deep cleaning your home, pay attention to things like:

• Light switches

• Outlet plate covers

• Fan blades

• Doorknobs

• Window trim

• Window tracks

• Sliding door tracks

• Baseboards

• Faucets

• Handles

• Showerheads

This type of cleaning is known in the real estate industry as “make-ready” cleaning. While the seller can take care of this on their own, if they're short on time and want to get their home sold ASAP, suggest a reputable professional cleaning company for them.

Don’t Forget the Appliances!

While we’re on the subject of details, don’t forget to deep clean the appliances. It’s almost guaranteed that prospective buyers will open up the fridge and look inside the microwave or the oven. If you forget to clean them out, buyers might see this as a red flag, thinking that things look good on the surface but are less than perfect when you dig a little deeper.

Get Your Home Market Ready!

The next time your sellers ask what should be on their spring-cleaning list, you'll be ready to tell them. Not an agent yet, but thinking of taking the jump? It's easy to get started with Aceable Agent! Check out our completely online pre-licensure coursesReal Estate License to see if now's the right time for a career switch.