As you may have guessed, I’m writing today about the importance of making sure your home is clean and clutter free when it is listed on the market for sale.  Given this time of year as well, I suppose I could also write about the importance of disinfecting your household.  My family, along with many other families from what I’ve heard, has been a victim of the cold and flu fun of winter.  Two sick kiddos kept us at home for most of the holiday season but we are healthy and feeling good now.  Hopefully that continues throughout the rest of winter.  Onto real estate info…  😊

I work not only with sellers but also with a lot of buyers and I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your home as clean and clutter free as possible.  If you want top dollar for your home, you have to keep in mind the buyer’s perception of your home.  A lot of buyers use emotion and perceptions when deciding to make an offer on a home and what to offer.  I hear a lot…”We went with our gut feeling…”.  We talk a lot about their perception as compared to competition, which is very important, but equally important is their perception of how the home has been cared for.  Buyer’s perception is that a clean and clutter free house is “sturdier” and that the systems have been well maintained over the years.  A clean house communicates that you have pride in your home and have taken care of it properly.  I recently showed a home to some buyers of mine and the house was very dirty and cluttered and it made my buyer’s second guess everything.  You definitely don’t want potential buyers doing that in your home.

Keeping it clutter free has many advantages as well.  A clutter free house allows buyers the opportunity to envision their things in your home.  It gives them a better experience.  A lot of clutter, especially items that are unique (for example, a collection of insects) can distract a buyer and not always in a good way.  When they leave your house, they most likely will be remembering the unique clutter that was there instead of a nice feature of your home.  Another advantage of removing clutter is that in a lot of cases it will make your home appear bigger.  For example, if you have a smaller kitchen with not a lot of counter space, it is important to remove any extra appliances or items you have on the counter.  It gives the perception of more space. 

I’ll leave you with one more tip- make sure your front door is clean.  The front door is where potential buyers stand and look around waiting for the agent to open the door.  It is the first impression of the home so make sure it’s free of cob webs, debris, dirt and that it looks nice and inviting.  Upgrading the door handle is also a nice touch and inexpensive.

Happy Cleaning!!