Preparing Your House for Sale: The Ultimate Cleaning Checklist

Preparing your house for sale involves doing a thorough cleaning to ensure that it looks good for potential buyers and that you feel confident with your home listing. House sale preparation is easier when using a checklist or working with a cleaning company.

If you feel stress around preparing your house for sale, you’re not alone. Selling a home can be one of the most stressful times of life, according to HomeLight. Not only are you dealing with complicated feelings of leaving your house, but you also have to pay attention to the financial and logistical aspects of the process.

Cleaning is one of the key steps to ensure that your home looks perfect for listing photographs and potential buyers. It is a staple of house sale preparation and can even influence how many offers you receive, and whether you can sell your property for more. Read on to learn all about how you can quickly and easily make sure your home is spotless.

Declutter Before Cleaning

It’s important to clear away as much clutter as you can before you begin deep cleaning. Clutter gets in the way and can prevent you from accessing grimy and dusty surfaces.

Decluttering for sale can also be advantageous for moving purposes. Sort through your things to see if there is anything that you can part with. You may be surprised to discover that you throw away more than you originally believed you would. 

A good rule to follow when decluttering is the 80/20 rule. This rule dictates that, supposedly, we only care about around one-fifth of our possessions. Even if you do not follow it strictly, go through items one by one and determine if you thought about them recently. If not, it may be time for them to go.

Clean From Top to Bottom

Cleaning from top to bottom allows dirt and debris to fall to lower levels and create a cascading effect. You will not have to worry about mucking up the area you just cleaned.

For example, start by cleaning fans and lights, along with other items inside or close to the ceiling. Then, work your way down to higher shelves and furniture. Once the final layer is complete, you can simply vacuum it up.

Dust All Surfaces

Dusting can seem like a menial chore, but neglecting it can lead to allergens floating in the air or the buildup of dirt and grime on valuable surfaces. Run a special dust rag over all surfaces in your home that accumulate it. Even if you do not see visible dust, this step is still important.

Dusting is the perfect opportunity to test the work-your-way-down method. Start by dusting higher surfaces, like shelving units, then work your way to lower, more accessible areas such as tables.

Replace Broken Air Vents and Light Fixtures

The last thing a potential buyer wants to see is a broken air conditioner, especially when temperatures can reach sky-high during the summer months. Air vents should work properly and distribute air conditioning and heat as needed.

Light fixtures that are broken or semi-functional should be replaced. Any light switch that does not work needs to be investigated and repaired. Often, the fix or flickering lights is a new lightbulb, but some of the other solutions are more complex. 

If you have not updated your home, now is a great time to make the switch from incandescent to LED lightbulbs. The LED light bulbs are brighter and more cost-effective.

Deep Clean the Kitchen and Bathrooms

The kitchen and the bathrooms are two of the room types that receive the most amount of traffic throughout the day. These rooms must be very clean.

When a food preparation area is soiled, it can be unattractive to potential buyers. Additionally, an unclean bathroom may lead them to believe that the rest of the house exhibits the same standards, or lack thereof.

Frequently Asked Questions

What matters the most when selling a house?

Appearance matters most when selling a house, especially if you want to fetch top-dollar offers from potential buyers. Some of the ways you can enhance the appearance and atmosphere of your home include:

• Removing personal clutter
• Opting for a staging company
• Creating enticing smells with candles, scent warmers, or simmer pots
• Update outdoor landscaping
• Repair minor issues, such as cracks
• Repainting the exterior

What is the hardest month to sell a house?

It is most difficult to sell a house during the core winter months of January and February. Lower temperatures disincentivize people from wanting to move during this time, and the market tends to slow down over the winter.

November and December are also difficult times to try and sell a home. The holiday season can pull the focus of potential buyers away from real estate and to other important factors, such as family.

Should you work with a cleaning company to prepare your house for sale?

Yes. Many cleaning companies offer deep cleaning and move-out cleaning services, geared specifically toward preparing a home to sell. Their expertise will help make the process go more smoothly.

When you do not have to worry about cleaning, you can focus on other aspects of the home sale, such as arranging open houses and meeting with potential buyers.

Professional cleaners may also find areas that you have forgotten to clean. A thorough deep cleaning will ensure that every nook and cranny of your home is ready to show, without worrying about accumulated dirt and grime.

Companies such as Yorleny’s Cleaning Service even offer pre-listing cleaning, a specialized service meant to prepare your home for listing photographs and virtual tours. 

Preparing Your House for Sale With a Cleaning Checklist

Preparing your house for sale can be an overwhelming task, but it does not have to be. By putting together a cleaning checklist and partnering with professionals, you can ensure a seamless selling process and a beautiful home to show.

Yorleny’s Cleaning Service offers quality you can see. Our dedicated Florida team services Palm City, Boca Raton, and more. With a mission to enrich the lives of our customers, our dedication to service and professionalism sets us apart from other cleaning companies.

Ready to begin? Reach out to us today to book an appointment.