Selling your home can be a stressful event, not even including having to prepare it for showings and open houses! While you do have options with The Stephen Cooley Real Estate Group where you can sell your home without ever having to do showing or open houses (Click here to find out how), if the more conventional method is what you decide, we have the best tips for spring cleaning and prepping your home for sale.
With all of the imminent packing approaching, you probably realized you have more items than you want to move with you. Deciding what items come with you to your new home and which ones go is an important start to the process. Donating your items to local thrift stores or organizations that give your items to families in need is always a great option. There are several in York county, so just look around and find which method is best for you. So for now, lets get into breaking down the best spring cleaning tips for prepping your home for sale.
Start with one zone at at time: Looking at your house as a whole will be intimidating even to the best of us! Breaking it down to room by room chores will help you tackle tasks and get more done in an organized manner. When you pick up an item, put it where it belongs right then and there. If you have to pick it up more than once, you are dwindling away time that could be spent elsewhere.
Clear off counters and tables: Any flat surface in your home looks best when there isn’t much on them. Declutter your counter tops for a cleaner look. If you have your; toaster, coffee pot, blender and mixer all on your counter, MOVE THEM! There is no way that you are using all of those items every day, so put them away and pull them out as needed! Leave only your essential items and maybe a nice candle. Papers and mail become piles that seem to grow larger every day. That is typically the #1 source of clutter and mess on counters/tables. Find a space for your mail and important papers that are out of eye sight. Bookcases and shelves are absolutely included in the flat surface category and should be cleaned and decluttered as well!
Calm down your colors and wall space: You may love your lime green accent wall but your prospective buyers may not be able to visualize themselves with it. It is important to assist them in creating their image of home while touring yours. Paint your walls neutral colors. Those family photos you have hung up are very cute but should be taken down. Blank walls leave room to the imagination for the new home owners. Think of the homes you see in magazines with their clean image and nice accent throw pillows, you want to mimic them as much as possible. Your style is yours and their style is theirs.
Donate, Donate, DONATE: Your trash is truly another persons treasure. As you are going through room to room, have a large box that you can toss various items into. Don’t really wear your awesome neon windbreaker anymore? Part with it! Do you have 3 spatulas in your kitchen? You only truly need one, let the other 2 go! That junk drawer that houses a few batteries, chopsticks and pens…clean it out! If you have many items that were gifted or just ran its course of usage in your home, donate it. There are so many outlets that give your items to people truly in need. You’ll feel good getting your space cleaned and that you have done good for someone else.
Make it SHINE: Once we’ve gone through your items, it’s time to make it shine! Clean EVERYTHING. Wipe down your light switch covers. Clean all the molding along your floors. Wash your windows inside and out. You never know what a prospective buyer will notice. You want to make sure not only that your house is clean but smells good too! Put dryer sheets in your air filters. “Wash” your couch and chairs with linen spray (or remove your cushion covers and actually wash them!). Little things make a big difference. Clean all dust and webs off your taller items such as your fan and light fixtures. Have clean dish towels and hand towels out vs. used ones. NEVER have your sink full! Stay on top of your dishes during showings and open houses. Have your carpets professionally cleaned. Presents a clean image and a good smell!
Stay on top of your goals and make sure that once you start, you follow through all the way until your last box is out. No one knows your home like you do so come up with a good game plan and get ready to get your home sold!