Cleaning and Home Staging to Sell Your House
3 home stagers!
When selling a house, proper home staging starts with getting it sparkling clean.
If you watch TV, you know that preparing homes for sale is a hot topic. Shows about decluttering, cleaning and home staging with furniture and accessories are extremely popular.
The folks on those shows always say that the home should be “super clean” before showing — but they don’t offer details on house cleaning.
Here at Act One Cleaning, many customers call us because they want to get their home ready for showing. We have learned a few things over the years, and here are our top seven tips to help get your home ready for the critical eyes of potential buyers:
1. Rent a storage unit before home staging
If you don't use something every day, pack it up and take it to the storage unit before you clean and stage your home. The less you have in your home, the less you have to clean around.
2. Dust everything when house cleaning for staging
When house cleaning while preparing to stage your home, your baseboards should be near perfect; same for ceiling fans and light switches. A clean front door, washing machine, even a bed frame can all be little things that go a long way when it comes to presenting a tidy home. If you do it right, it will look like someone turned up the brightness of your lights.
3. The home staging smell test
Invite someone who doesn’t live in your home to walk in the door and take a big sniff. Whether it's pets, your favorite cooking spices or air fresheners, all sorts of odors can make your house off-putting to buyers. Find the source and eliminate it.
4. Take a serious look at your walls before staging a house
Vacuuming walls with the correct attachment can really spruce up a house. If doors are dirty, clean them … or even paint old interior doors and change doorknobs if necessary.
5. Cleaning can make the bathroom a showplace
Your toilet should shine after you've cleaned the bathroom for a home showing. Pop open the caps behind the seat that cover the bolts and clean thoroughly. Clean all dust from around that area. Scrub around the base of the toilet, carefully wiping any residue. The tub and faucet should look as clean as those in the bathroom of a top-rated hotel. No residue should be felt anywhere.
6. Staging requires a sparkling kitchen
Look at each cabinet knob. Scrub all cabinets, starting at the knob; focus on getting all the little smudges off. Clean all your appliances thoroughly.
This seems over the top, but “stage” your refrigerator and pantry. Make sure all surfaces are cleaned and wiped. Organize the food items neatly; all spices need to be in carefully placed rows. If your kitchen is clean and orderly, it's easier for the new owners to picture themselves cooking there.
7. Examine the floors before your home staging
This is where calling in a professional can go a long way. If a pro isn't in the budget, mop thoroughly, preferably with steam, paying special attention to corners. If the carpet is dirty, at the very least vacuum thoroughly and then rent a cleaning machine at the grocery store and maximize your carpet's potential. This means taking your time and vacuuming again when done.
Just like getting in shape, there are no real shortcuts to the hard work of cleaning and preparing to sell your home. Knowing how to approach the massive task will give you confidence and help you to move on.
About this Experts Contributor: Ashley Hamilton works with Act One Cleaning, a small company that provides homes and businesses with sanitizing and deep cleaning in Rainbow City and Gadsden, Alabama, combining big technology with an exacting eye for detail.
As of January 5, 2015, this service provider was highly rated on Angie's List. Ratings are subject to change based on consumer feedback, so check Angie's List for the most up-to-date reviews. The views expressed by this author do not necessarily reflect those of Angie's List.