How would you clean a house that you were going to put on the market to sale?
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Clean it thoroughly. Wipe, sweep, and vacuum everything, sweep the porches, and take care of the landscaping outside. If the house is still owner occupied, all dishes should be washed (don't leave dirty dishes in the sink or on the counter or table), clothes should be cleaned (or at least hidden), the beds should be made, miscellaneous items that aren't in their normal location should be boxed, and the boxes should be out of the way (and out of sight as best as possible). Consider fumigating the house if necessary (use the two hour bug bombs that will at a minimum make the bugs hide). Dust everywhere (including the tops of ceiling fans, and remove spider webs). Clean all the windows and mirrors. Any appliances that you are leaving should be cleaned, and should be as empty as possible. Defrost the freezer, degrease the oven, clean the lint filters out of the dryer. Make sure everything works. During the inspection, you will also want to make sure there is power / water / heat etc to the house. You will also want to make sure that you stay out of the potential buyers way. It is usually better if you are not there and you let your realtor handle the showing, but if you are there, let the buyers spend as much time in the house as they need (let them know that from the beginning), don’t crowd them or look over their shoulders, and be ready to answer any questions they may have honestly.
Consider removing some personal items that make it look like your house (family pictures that are on the mantle for instance) so the prospective buyers can start seeing the house as "their house". When the buyers are coming, turn on all the lights, and open up the blinds/curtains so the house looks bright (as possible) in advance of them coming. Turn on the A/C / heat as necessary so it will be comfortable for them when they are walking through. Don't leave personal paperwork or mail sitting out. If you have a work area in the kitchen, garage, storage shed, make sure it is cleaned and organized. Better to slightly inconvenience yourself to have to get things in and out than to have a mess, which turns people off and makes them think (even subconsciously) that your house may be worth less than it is. If there are any simple projects that you can complete in advance (patching any holes in the wall, touch up painting, tightening door knobs, replacing broken electrical outlets and covers) do so.
Make sure they can get to every place in the house (that you don't have any furniture or other possessions blocking rooms off. If you have a rather large number of furniture or possessions, it may make your house look smaller than it is and so you may want to consider rearranging the furniture or moving it somewhere else (to the garage, storage shed, a family member's house, your new home). Also, get rid of anything that smells in the house (anything in the fridge that is starting to go past its prime, or any garbage, etc. And try not to cook smelly food (that might not bother you, but might bother someone who wasn't use to it) (or burn any food for that matter) the day of, or the day before showing.
The potential buyers will be dissuaded from buying your home, or giving you the best possible price even for things they don’t know they don’t like (that they see, but that doesn’t jump out at them), so go through the house from one corner to the other and look for everything that isn’t where it is supposed to be, or that can be cleaned better than it is. A few hours of hard work may result in a quicker deal and a better offer.
Over the last year I've been in about 100 homes trying to find one I'd want to buy. The things I noticed the most were homes that were overly cluttered. It made it very difficult to envision my own things in their place. Rule one. get rid of unnecessary clutter. Remember though, people will be looking in your closets so if you're shoving a lot of stuff in them, keep it organized! Next, I'm a big lover of kitchens. I always looked inside the oven to see how dirty it was (needed to know if I'd be able to clean it myself or if I'd have to add new appliances to my list of future expenses). I happen to be a clean freak so I typically would notice if people don't dust or clean their windows. As long as you keep your house looking "tidy" you don't really have to worry about it being sparkling clean. It won't get noticed. Just make sure the major things are clean..clean the bathroom(s) daily, vaccum daily, keep things off the kitchen counters, make sure all the beds are made, etc etc etc. It can't hurt to have a few plug in air fresheners throughout . If you have cable, the DIY network has great real estate shows about selling your home!
Clean like you've never cleaned before. Clean everything inside and out. Spend time in the kitchen and bath rooms where buyer will look more closely. Remove (give away or store) extra furniture so the house looks roomy. Take down your pictures and collections and clear off counters so potential buyers can imagine their stuff in your house. Make sure the entrance looks very inviting. Clean the cellar and garage too.
Most people will want to paint in their colors so don't spend a lot on painting. The new in colors are sort of earth tones which are neutral as is beige or off white so if you can use these if you have to paint.
Start at the top and work your way down. Clean ceilings and ceiling fans, light fixtures, search for cob webs, take down drapes or curtains and clean them as well as the windows and mini blinds, wash walls and baseboards (paint if needed), clean carpets and other flooring.
On the exterior you will need to do basically the same as inside. Clean the brick or siding, wash the windows and screens, trim the hedges and make sure the lawn stays nice, neat, and litter free.
Pre-pack as much as you can to reduce clutter in the house and give any prospective buyers a chance to visualize their own belongings in the house. Good luck!
Don't forget the outside of your house. Many people over look pressure washing there house. You would be amazed at the difference.
1. DE-CLUTTER, rent a storage building and put any large furniture in it..You just want to bare minimum. Your living space looks bigger.
2. Clean out closets, cabinets and cupboards and only have the necessities in it, IT MAKES YOU STORAGE SPACE LOOK BETTER. Organize these items, people do look inside the cabinets, and make sure you wipe the bottoms of them and drawers out. If things are organzied people think WOW these people take care of everything.
3. Keep bathrooms wipes CLEAN! Wipe toilets and sinks every morning before leaving or before a viewing. You want your house ready at all times to view. If you have bath mats make sure they are not smushed down and are fluffy!
4. Vacuum out air vents! And curtains, or wash them if necessary.
5. Wash windows inside and out!
6. Dust all baseboards, mop, and sweep all the time. Shampoo carpets if you have spots.
7. If you ahve a dishwasher clean the inside out.
8. Go outside and sweep the porch and sidewalk. Make sure the lawn is mowed and the sidewalks edged and the bushes trimmed. Make sure mulch is not old and weathered too much...plant flowers and have flower pots or hanging baskets with color on the front of the house.
9. Walk out to the street and ask yourself is this an inviting place? The first impression is the most important. People drive by and decide if they want to go in from that first appearance.
I'd watched "Designed to Sell" on HGTV a few times to see how to "stage" a home to sell, and for the actual cleaning, I'd hire a cleaning team. If the house wasn't extremely cluttered or dirty, it wouldn't be terribly expensive.
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