Pricing Your Home

How Clean and De-cluttered Does My Home Need to Be?

 

 

One of the biggest factors that lead to getting a higher sale price for your home is 100% in your control! The best kept, cleanest homes typically sell faster and for more money than those that are in need of repair, maintenance, or a deep clean.

 

Here are 5 reasons why:

 

  1. The buyer needs to be able to picture themselves, their furniture, and their family living in the space. A space that is cluttered with personal items can be hard to look past.
  2. If the home isn’t extremely clean, the buyer then starts to wonder about other aspects of the home. For example: If the seller didn’t clean the home, did they change the furnace filters on a regular basis? Clean the vents? Change or clean the filter and maintain the humidifier?
  3. If the condition of the home isn’t in it’s prime state when showings are taking place, how will it be left on possession day? Does the buyer have to plan on walking into an even bigger mess after the seller moves out? A buyer will have this in their mind when negotiating the purchase price and it could be a factor in the price they are willing to pay.
  4. If there is a lot of clutter, items, clothing, and excess furniture – it’s easy to wonder if the home has enough storage. Storage space is a big deal for most buyers. It always comes up. Your home might have a lot of storage but with clutter and excess belongings it will look like there isn’t enough.
  5. The first impression of any home on the market happens before the buyers ever step foot in the property. It happens online. Buyer looks for homes they want to view on the MLS/Realtor.ca, Realtor websites and other online sources. If the property was cluttered on photo day, it’s all you’ll see in the photos. This will result in less showings, and likely less interest which could also translate into a longer time on the market and a lower sale price.

 

Move-In Ready:

 

A common phrase you’ve likely heard when talking with someone about real estate is “Move-in Ready”. Move in ready homes are properties that require no upgrading, renovations, garbage removal, maintenance, or work of any kind. You can simply move in and enjoy. These “Move-in Ready” homes are the most sought after in our market. Why not have your home “Move-in Ready” prior to listing?

 

Pro Tip:

 

You may want to hire a professional cleaner prior to listing your home for sale. It will cost a bit of money up front, but it will be money well spent if you’re not up to the task yourself. From a return on investment standpoint having your home professionally cleaned prior to listing it for sale results in the best return on your investment (ROI) dollar for dollar.

You may even consider doing some of the tasks yourself and hiring the professionals to take care of some of the larger jobs. Things like cleaning the fridge and stove inside and out are good examples. Shampooing the carpets to remove any stains and signs of wear. Cleaning and reorganizing the pantry. A full, deep clean of all the bathrooms. You will have a lot going on, sometimes a little help can go a long way!

 

Need Some Help?

 

Do you need or want some help going through your home, room by room to help you determine how you should stage it? What you should remove? What needs to be de-cluttered? We can help get your home show ready! It will be faster and easier than you might think. Contact us and pick a day and time you’d like one of us to come by to take a look.

At AlbertaRE we are here to help!