Beyond the Deep Clean: Tips to Prepare Your Home for Sale

Beyond the Deep Clean: Tips to Prepare Your Home for Sale

We all know that our homes must be neat and clean before our realtors list them on the MLS. However, a deep clean is not all it takes, and there are many simple things you can do that most owners overlook that will help your home stand out from the rest.

 Today, The Golfi Team takes a look at a few of these so that you can get ahead of the selling curb.

Get to know what everyone else is doing

 Your realtor is a valuable wealth of information that can help you determine what’s hot and what’s not. Further, you can go into stealth mode and search local listings online to see what’s most popular in your area. You may have to filter by sold homes and spend some time sorting which sold the quickest and looking at the commonalities between them.

Fix the outdoor faucets

 Chances are, you don’t use your outdoor faucets as often as you do the inside. If your outdoor water supply hasn’t been used in a while, check to see if it’s fully functional. If not, grab your tools. These are fairly easy to swap out, but you will need to remember to shut the water off before you begin.

 Check under the sink

 If you have ever had even a minor water leak, there’s a good chance that the cabinet floor underneath your sink may have water damage or, worse, wood rot. The Honest Carpenter offers tips on how to replace this material so that it is spic and span when you clean out from under the sink before it’s time to sell.

 Touch up the siding

 Even if your siding looks great from a distance, a homebuyer will scrutinize every fleck of peeling paint. It only costs around $100 per year to touch up the exterior, but that could save you thousands of dollars in the long run and will prove to your home’s next potential owners that the property was well taken care of. According to Sherwin Williams, blistering is another common problem that can also be rectified by scraping off excess paint and smoothing out the surface.

Slope the soil away from the home

Pooling water can cause damage to a home’s foundation. If you have not already, check to see if your flower beds slope inward or away from the home. If there is standing water touching your house, it’s time to add some fill dirt to keep it away.

Change the air filter

 Your HVAC system is a huge investment, and you can bet that it’s one your buyers will look at closely. One simple step that many homeowners overlook is changing the air filter, which should be swapped out every month or so in high pollen areas and if you have pets.

Remove mice and their droppings

As much as we like to think that our homes are only occupied by our families, mice, rats, and other pests can all make their way into our properties. The CDC recommends cleaning with a disinfectant and wearing gloves if you find evidence of a mouse intrusion, which is most likely in the garage or attic.

Stage it professionally. 

Having your home professionally staged will make it look bigger, brighter, and more appealing to everyone. A professional home staging company can stage your home, even if you are still living there while it is on the market. Professional staging not only looks great but can also help you get the most out of your investment – and best of all, it is offered FREE of charge when using The Golfi Team. 

Deep cleaning your home is only half the battle when it’s time to list. The steps above, such as fixing the faucets, cleaning out the mice droppings, and scouring local listings to see what others in your neighborhood are doing, can all help you sell your home quickly and for the most money.

Written by Lisa Gonzales