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Tips For Keeping Your Home Clean And Tidy When It's Put On The Market

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Selling your home while you're still living it in is a real challenge. It's difficult to go about your daily life while trying to maintain a spotless home and well-manicured lawn. However, when buyers are out looking at homes on real estate listings, a shaggy lawn or dirty kitchen floor could be enough to knock your home out of the competition. Here are some tips for keeping your home ready to show on short notice:

Put Excess Furniture And Clutter In Storage

The fewer things you have in your home, the less there will be to keep clean. Since you'll be moving soon anyway, you may want to pack up most of your belongings and place them in storage. Save a few pieces that are necessary for daily life and for staging purposes. Your home will look larger with less furniture and that's an added perk of clearing out clutter. When choosing furniture to put in storage, you may want to remove bookcases and other wood furniture that shows dust and fingerprints quickly. Leave your upholstered furniture in your home since it isn't as quick to show dust and dirt.

Keep Furniture And Beds Covered

You can keep your furniture clean by covering it with sheets or blankets. The covers keep off dust and they also protect your furniture from spills and stains so you don't have any last-minute cleaning to do to get rid of pet hairs, crumbs, or stains. Just pull off the sheets, fold them, and slide them under the couch and your home will be ready for showing quickly. If you don't have time to make your bed every morning, just buy a nice comforter and cover your other bedding with it so your bed looks freshly made.

Stay On Top Of Housecleaning

Your real estate agent can offer good advice on how to keep your home clean so it can be shown during the day while you're at work. If your home is in a nice neighborhood and you list it at a good price, your agent may show it often when it's first put on the market. You'll want to make sure your home always looks clean and smells fresh. Remember to take out the trash every time you leave the house. You may want to use paper plates and throw them out after meals if you don't have time to do dishes before bed or before you go to work. Also, pay close attention to the bathroom. Dry the tub and shower after you use them in the morning so they sparkle and don't have any scummy rings. If you do this every day, a few quick wipes will keep your bathroom in good shape.

Hire A Professional Cleaning Service Before The Open House

To make sure your home is in its best shape, consider hiring professional cleaners right before you put your home up for sale or right before an open house. This will present your home in the best light for buyers. You may get used to living with dust and dirt and forget to look for it in places like baseboards and ceiling fans. However, buyers will notice a dirty home, so calling in a professional cleaning service and lawn maintenance crew is worth considering if it will help sell your home.

Unless you have amazing organizational skills and you don't have small kids and pets, keeping your home spotless will be nearly impossible. You may want to save yourself the trouble and move in with your parents or rent temporary housing for a month or so while your home is on the market. Stage your home so it looks perfect and then just walk away so it stays organized and clean. If homes are selling fast in your neighborhood, you may not have to stay with your parents or friends for too long, and it can save you from a lot of stress over keeping your home spotless while it is being shown to potential buyers.


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