There’s nothing like a bad odor to turn off buyers the moment they walk in your door.
And yet, it’s surprising how many sellers neglect to properly clean and deodorize their homes before welcoming their first prospective buyers. Whether due to simply not being aware of any smells, thinking that clutter won’t matter, or putting off a deep clean because of a lack of time, one thing is for sure: a dirty home or one with an odor will make your home significantly harder to sell.
Here’s how to make sure your home is welcoming, clean, and ready to sell by the time you have your first showing.
Declutter as much as possible before you list your home
If you’re having to move around piles of papers or 15 knickknacks in order to wipe down your shelves and counters, chances are you’re not going to clean very often.
Clutter not only leads to chaos within the home—how can you find the thing you need when you’re surrounded by all kinds of things you don’t?—but it also makes it much harder to keep your home clean.
What’s more, decluttering will also make your move much easier when the time comes, as you’ll have less to pack up and take with you.
Do a deep clean yourself, or hire a cleaning company to do one for you
One of the best tips to help you sell your home is to do a serious deep clean.
That’s more than a spring cleaning—a deep clean means tackling baseboards and those grungy corners in the bathroom, the grout in your tile, wiping down pantry shelves, the whole nine yards.
The reason this is so important is that buyers will want to examine every crevice and eyeball every corner. If they spot dirt or grime in one place, chances are they’ll start wondering whether you’ve skimped on home maintenance in other, more critical areas. And that can lead them to cross your home off their “possibilities” list pretty quickly.
If you don’t have the time or the inclination to do a thorough job yourself, hire a cleaning company (just make sure you’ve decluttered first!). This is one investment that you’re guaranteed to make back when you sell your home.
Have a friend or neighbor walk through your home to point out any odors
The thing about odors is that we all get used to them if we live with them day after day. If you’re selling a home with pets, or a home that a smoker lived in, or even if you just cook highly aromatic foods regularly, you’ll want to get a fresh nose in your home to tell you whether you have any odors that need to be removed.
Litter boxes are one obvious culprit when it comes to home odors, but dog beds, birdcages, and small mammal cages are also items that can create seriously strong smells.
Nicotine and food odors are also things you’ll want to tackle immediately. Invest in products that actually get rid of the smells, rather than mask them, like enzymatic cleaners. The only thing worse than a pet smell, after all, is a pet smell masked by Ocean Breeze air freshener.
Selling your home calls for making it as warm, welcoming, and clean as possible. By getting rid of any smells and going all out on your deep cleaning, you’ll be sure that buyers who are considering your home won’t be turned off by that odor coming off of Rover’s blanket.
Valet Maids is a Dallas maid service that helps you check cleaning off your to-do list. Book online at ValetMaids.com or give us a call at 214-438-4804.
