In the current market — where interest rates are considered high and insurance rates seem to be climbing — if you want to sell your house you need it to stand out.
One of the best ways to do that is having your home deep cleaned right before listing.
“Buyers right now are making some big judgement calls,” said Becky Seda, with Seda Real Estate Group in Oklahoma City.
Seda says buyers really notice when a house isn’t clean.
“If they walk into a house and it looks a little bit dusty or dirty they start to think that you are not taking care of the things behind the scenes, which is likely not true,” she said. “Getting a deep, deep clean is helping so much with getting homes sold.”
The truth is, there is a big difference between cleaning for day-to-day and cleaning to sell your house.
A deep clean should include:
- Wiping down baseboards
- Cleaning windows, window frames and ledges
- Wiping out cabinets, shelves and drawers
- Cleaning up the yard and landscaping, which may include power washing
- Changing filters and cleaning return air vents
- Steam cleaning tile floors, showers, and carpets
- Dusting ceiling fans
- Clearing out and cleaning storm shelters
Day-to-day those things don’t matter as much as they do when your home is for sale.
“We have houses that have been on the market, even recently, for two or three months and then we go in and do a deep cleaning — something the seller said, ‘No,’ to in the beginning. All of the sudden the feedback is, “This house is beautiful,’ ‘It looks brand new,'” said Shannon Stiger, a listing agent with Seda Real Estate Group.
Deep cleaning is especially important if you live in a neighborhood where new homes are still being built.
“In that case, a buyer is comparing your house to new construction. If your house isn’t spotless they will walk into the new home and choose that,” Seda said.
While the list may seem overwhelming, your real estate agent can generally help you find trusted vendors to take care of these various tasks. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Along with cleaning, another thing to take care of when listing your home in this market is deferred maintenance.
If you have any maintenance issues that you have put off, taking care of those things before listing can put your house in a better position to sell.
This may include things like:
- Fixing or adjusting doors or drawers that don’t close correctly
- Replacing missing hardware
- Fixing caulk around windows
- Replacing damaged weather stripping
- Changing light bulbs that are burned out
- Servicing your HVAC system
- Replacing missing gutter downspouts
“Because interest rates are high and people are feeling a little tighter on budgets, if they see a home that needs repairs then they may keep looking,” Seda said.
If you have questions about these topics we would love to help. Our team is always ready and willing to talk real estate. Give us a call at 405-400-9973.