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I forgot to say - clean is one thing, and yes, you want the place to be clean. But I think what's more important is that it's not all junked up with too many THINGS. Tons of pictures, etc., on every horizontal surface - computer clutter all over the work space, kitchen clutter all over the countertops, bathroom clutter (toothbrushes, etc.) all over the bathroom.
Now that you've got the place clean, go around and take nearly everything off the horizontal surfaces, even if it's your favorite picture and souvenir arrangement. People just get confused when there's lots of stuff around. Pack it up (you've got to do that anyway eventually) and put the boxes out in the garage. Take half the clothes out of your closet so it looks not cluttered. Don't leave the dog bowls out where they can get stepped on.
It will also be a lot easier to keep the place clean when there's not so much stuff around
I cross-posted with you and realize I said many of the same things you said! Great minds think alike!
These posts are hilarious and bring back such memories...ugh, I've sold a lot of places, what a pain. Anyway, very good tips! The one I totally agree with is, NOTHING in the shower or bath to remind the buyer that you still live there. I do not want to see people's scrubbies or shampoo, so I figure they don't want to see mine either. I didn't want any used towels hanging on the bathroom or bedroom door, so I stuck them in the dryer. I mean, it's really so much more stressful than having "company" over, because you can't just throw stuff in closets or drawers -- they'll look in them! I moved most of my clothes down to a rack in the basement (that I covered) because I didn't want my closet to look packed.
I remember one place I sold, I removed all traces of the dog. When I went to closing, the buyers asked if I had a dog. They had seen the dog's bowl at the bottom of the lazy susan. Darn, didn't hide it well enough!
But all true, right? People don't want to see all that STUFF. Selling houses is not like it once was, unfortunately.
If possible, financially and logistically, I always recommend buying or renting first, moving, then selling the existing house.
You have SO much more control over your destiny and you have a property to market wherein you don't have to "follow people with a paper towel."
I already know I will have to do this if I ever move. I have too many litter boxes (all in one room that's devoted to the cats' stuff) to have to shlep them somewhere else for a showing, much less the 4 cats. It's not that I don't keep them spotless (I do), but it's just too much hassle trying not to look like I actually live in the house while selling it. I blame a lot of this on HGTV and similar home shows, TBH. Geez, I bought homes in the past that had all kinds of stuff in them, good and bad. I even bought one that had the couple's entire lives laid out in plain sight - hospital bed, walker, and all. The had both gone to nursing homes simultaneously and everything was left in the house "as is". That was a lot to look past, but the house had potential and was a good price, so who cared? Today's mania for "showroom perfect" houses is a pain!
I already know I will have to do this if I ever move. I have too many litter boxes (all in one room that's devoted to the cats' stuff) to have to shlep them somewhere else for a showing, much less the 4 cats. It's not that I don't keep them spotless (I do), but it's just too much hassle trying not to look like I actually live in the house while selling it. I blame a lot of this on HGTV and similar home shows, TBH. Geez, I bought homes in the past that had all kinds of stuff in them, good and bad. I even bought one that had the couple's entire lives laid out in plain sight - hospital bed, walker, and all. The had both gone to nursing homes simultaneously and everything was left in the house "as is". That was a lot to look past, but the house had potential and was a good price, so who cared? Today's mania for "showroom perfect" houses is a pain!
Well, this has been my thought since before HGTV.
There is so much going on.
When you are planning to pack and move, why not just pack and move?
And, when you are out, you are truly selling a commodity, not your nest. It is a good way for some to break the emotional bonds.
Pack up everything you're taking, get rid of the rest. Stage sparingly. Keep pets in one area so hair and dander don't get scattered (garage?) Remove any trace of pets when showing (doggie day care?)
I think perfect pictures is one thing but it's not realistic to view a home that is currently occupied and see total perfection. That's just overly picky. People are viewing the house, not how you line up shoes in a closet.
Now that your house is super clean it should be very easy to maintain. I have two kids, a dog & two cats. I go through the house every morning before I start my day. I make all the beds, wash dirty clothes & towels, tidy up the bathrooms, scoop the litter box (I put it in the garage for showings), clean up any dog poop in the backyard, make sure the kitchen is clean, empty all trash cans & vacuum. I know there are times where I'm just so tired and don't feel like doing it, but in the end I'm happy I did it.
Our realtor put in our listing that we need a 2 hour notice before showing the house. That is a life saver when you have pets.
These posts are hilarious and bring back such memories...ugh, I've sold a lot of places, what a pain. Anyway, very good tips! The one I totally agree with is, NOTHING in the shower or bath to remind the buyer that you still live there. I do not want to see people's scrubbies or shampoo, so I figure they don't want to see mine either. I didn't want any used towels hanging on the bathroom or bedroom door, so I stuck them in the dryer. I mean, it's really so much more stressful than having "company" over, because you can't just throw stuff in closets or drawers -- they'll look in them! I moved most of my clothes down to a rack in the basement (that I covered) because I didn't want my closet to look packed.
I remember one place I sold, I removed all traces of the dog. When I went to closing, the buyers asked if I had a dog. They had seen the dog's bowl at the bottom of the lazy susan. Darn, didn't hide it well enough!
I had also removed all traces of the dogs and cats. Left the house for 10 days, boarded the cats with their litterbox and took the dogs with us. Had the carpets cleaned twice in the month before putting it on the market, to ensure any trace of dog odor (that I couldn't smell because I live with the dogs) was gone. Had the interior of the house painted, too. Hid the dogs' water bowl in wicker chest in the living room, not realizing anyone would actually open it up and look in it. Out of 15+ showings in the first 36 hours (two of which made offers and one of those purchased the house), one person said they thought the house smelled like animals. I don't think it smelled, I think they were not animal people and saw evidence there had been an animal in the house. We even asked our agent to check with other potential buyers' agents to see if there was an odor, because if there had been, we obviously would have addressed it. All of them said there was not. It still stressed me out totally. Ha ha ha
I agree that leaving the house for at least the first week to 10 days that it's on the market is the best idea. That's generally when you will get the most traffic and you don't have to worry about anything but possibly freshening up the vacuuming and mopping due to people tracking through the house.
I'm starting the process of selling my home so that I can relocate to another state.
While I'm generally a very clean person, sometimes (especially when I work 4 consecutive 10 or 12 hour shifts at work), things can get a little disorganized. When this happens, I clean up. But, the process inevitably starts all over again.
My realtor has emphasized to me (I'm a first time home seller) that I must live in a state of constant "perfect cleanliness" while the house is being shown to potential sellers for the next few weeks.
I'm struggling with this concept. I just spent nearly 9 hour cleaning my home from top to bottom. I'm exhausted. I'm not sure how to effectively keep this large house squeaky clean while living my every day life...
How did you manage to always keep things clean and tidy, especially when you have a full time job, when selling your home?
I also want to mention that I have 2 pets who could care less that I just mopped my cherry wood floors and need them spotless ..
Get a storage place. Box up all your stuff with a few exceptions of needed things. This will help keep clutter down as you won't have a bunch of stuff everywhere.
Crate your pets if you're not home. I have crate trained my dogs.
When you're done using something clean it and/or put it away. This is going to be your biggest help. If you're the type to use something then leaving it around retrain yourself to put it away
There is so much going on.
When you are planning to pack and move, why not just pack and move?
And, when you are out, you are truly selling a commodity, not your nest. It is a good way for some to break the emotional bonds.
Most people I know use the proceeds from the sale of their current property as the down payment on the next one, so no, they cannot simply pack and move and then sell.
Back to the original question, I purged and packed as much as could, and then moved those packed boxes to be neatly stacked in the garage, along with some furniture I wanted to keep but wanted gone for staging purposes. I was lucky enough to have a large 2 car garage and one car, so I had enough room to do this without it looking like a junk yard.
I cleared off all surfaces and left just a few decor pieces around. I used baskets strategically placed around the house for the things we needed to access on a regular basis but then tucked those baskets away in an upper shelf or below sink cabinet every morning. I kept Clorox wipes around and and a quick swipe every day.
I also had any thing that I would have noticed on an inspection fixed ahead of time including having the HVAC system cleaned and certified and I left a copy of that certificate visible.
It wasn't the most fun time I've had but it got the job done.
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