Cleaning For Showings

Showing your home can be stressful. If your home needs renovations or small alterations, our ‘Preparing To Sell’ series on Pinterest will be very helpful! If you home does not need any repairs, remember to give your house a deep clean before showings begin. Potential buyers want to view tidy and clean homes during their search. The overall presentation on showings make a big impact on the market time and final sale price. You only have one chance for a good first impression.

Here are suggestions to note when preparing for showings.

• Entrance
  • This is your first impression for buyers
  • Sweep steps and front porch of all debris
  • Paint/wipe down front door
  • Clean porch lights
  • Confirm bulbs are working and match
  • Make sure doorbell works

• Overall
  • Declutter! Less is more when selling your home
    • One trick is to have one or two plastic bins designated for all the daily items on your countertops. Prior to a showing, you can store the bin(s) in the garage or your car when you leave. This way the important stuff is all in one place!
  • Windows should be cleaned inside and out
  • If needed, power wash siding and decks
  • Window treatments should be cleaned – free of dust and dirt
  • Dust or wash baseboards and woodwork
  • Rent a carpet cleaner or have carpet professionally cleaned. Carpet holds odors
  • De-Web! Look up and all around. Clean away all spider webs and don’t forget the basement. Walking through spider webs isn’t fun
  • Move furniture; clean behind furniture and vacuum underneath
  • Light fixtures should gleam
    • Remove fixture globes and wash
    • Make sure all lights have working bulbs that match

• Kitchen
  • Clean all appliances inside and out
  • Take old food out of fridge (no one wants to smell a stinky fridge)
  • No dirty dishes in sink
  • Clean inside of microwave
  • Clean oven and stove
  • If possible, clean under and behind appliances
  • Clear all surfaces of clutter
  • If necessary, have floors and backsplash tile grout professionally cleaned

• Bathroom
  • Bathrooms must be sparkling clean
  • Store all personal products in cabinets. No one wants to see your toothbrush
  • Toilets must be clean and don’t forget to flush and be sure lids are down.  Yes, buyers are opening your closed toilets and looking inside
  • Clean mirrors

• Pets
  • Believe it or not, some people do not like animals or are allergic. Buyers do not want to smell your pet. The less evidence of your pet, the better
  • Clean litter boxes before all showings
  • Remove pet bowls, or at least make sure they are clean
  • Vacuum all rugs, carpet and furniture
  • Pet beds should be washed regularly as they hold much of the pet smell
  • Clean dog poop from yard daily. Buyers don’t enjoy having to walk around land mines when checking out the backyard

• Office
  • Keep financial documents and bills in a drawer. If they’re sitting on your desk, buyers will probably look

• Right before a showing
  • Dust
  • Vacuum
  • Empty all garbage cans
  • Wipe all sinks
  • Check for stray hairs Try to remove all odors
    • Do not cook fish or anything with a strong smells while your house is on the market.  If your house smells, buyers might not step past the front door

We all live in our homes, so it helps to walk through your house looking through “the buyer’s eyes”. Start at the front door and pretend you are a buyer looking at your house and see what you notice.