If you are selling your home, you want to keep it in “show ready” condition as long as it is listed. This way, it always looks nice when buyers come to preview the property. You want your home to look as attractive and clean as possible. The goal is to impress buyers and inspire them to imagine themselves living there.

Home Staging Advice

One of the first tips to consider is hiring a professional home stager to make your house appealing to more buyers. Decluttering and depersonalizing are a few of the strategies they will utilize. I suggest you read my previous article on “The Magic of Home Staging” to learn more about the value of this service. You might also want to check out my article about “How to Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal” for outdoor cleaning and staging tips.

Home Interior Cleaning Tips

For the interior of your home, here are some of my simple tips to keep your house show ready:

  • Organize the front entry closet
  • Thoroughly vacuum and dust the entire house
  • Remove any cobwebs
  • Clean all windows and mirrors
  • Air out and launder curtains
  • Dust the blinds
  • Wash and polish floors
  • Remove excess furniture
  • Store your valuables and any fragile items
  • Clean your chimney and stack fire logs
  • Organize book shelves
  • Clean the toilets and leave lids closed
  • Fix any faucet drips and clean the sinks
  • Organize all cabinets
  • Empty trash containers and eliminate any trash odors
  • Remove and store personal items
  • Clean tubs, showers and shower curtains/doors

Hire a Professional Cleaning Crew

It’s a very good idea to hire a professional cleaning crew to deep clean your home just before you put it on the market. This is a smart investment because they know how to clean every corner of the house and it’s much less physical labor on your part. Then, all you have to do is maintain the clean home as long as it is being listed. If your house is on the market for several months, you may want to bring back a cleaning crew at some point along the way when things start getting dirty again.

Clean Closets and Personal Items

I would also like to reiterate the importance of putting away any valuables, fragile decor or personal items, as well as cleaning and organizing all closets and storage spaces. Home buyers who are previewing the property will naturally want to open every cabinet and look in every single place they can access. They are curious and they have to right to see everything they want to see. If there’s something personal you don’t want them to see, make sure it is packed away somewhere safe and out of sight. Clean, well-organized closets and storage spaces will also make the house look nicer and it will make those storage spaces seem much roomier.

Check out my full video on this topic:

If you are planning to sell your home soon, there are many steps you should be taking to get you and your house prepared for the process. The right preparation will help you get the most out of your home sale. Contact The HD Group today for a no-obligation listing consultation if you are ready to get started.