When showing a home it has always been an absolute must to make sure it is perfectly clean. Now in the time of an active pandemic though, it is even more important. A dirty, or cluttered home can cost your client thousands off the sale price, and even turn buyers away completely. Today, a home that doesn’t meet strict cleaning standards may not even be able to be shown at all. Preparing a cleaning checklist for open houses is a great tool to give to your clients to ensure they are meeting these standards.
Explaining the importance of investing substantial time and effort into cleaning for an in-person open house to your clients is crucial. Take this opportunity to also provide them with a helpful resource such as a cleaning checklist. Making this thoughtful gesture will help you stand out as an agent and make a great impression. Feel free to use our deep-cleaning checklist below, we would love to be of any assistance to your clients!
Remember that an impressively clean home sends a signal to all potential buyers that the property is well-maintained, and ready for them to move into. Something you definitely want all potential buyers to feel confident in.
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Check out the deep cleaning checklist we put together!
Cleaning Checklist: All the Necessities
This cleaning checklist for open houses covers everything your client should do to ensure their home is prepared for buyers. Not only to impress them with the home itself, but also make sure it is safe for any and all visitors to be in the home. Our checklist is available in a convenient PDF file, and can easily be emailed to any of your clients. It is easy to follow, and they are able to check off tasks as they finish them.
It’s never fun to break the news to your clients that they need to prepare to dedicate a couple weekends to cleaning and decluttering. So, don’t hesitate to tell them early and give them a guiding checklist to help them prepare. They will be grateful for it in the long run!
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Cleaning is no one’s favorite thing to do in their free time. Having a plan of attack and few good strategies in your back pocket can make it go a lot faster though. Send these cleaning tips to your clients along with the cleaning checklist for open houses attached above, and all your clients will be ready to conquer the task of cleaning for an open house.
You will want to remove any personal, stored, or excessive decorative items for the open house. These will only be distracting to buyers, and make your home look smaller. Clutter can be detrimental to a home sale, and we aren’t even talking about a lot of clutter here. You want to try to remove any trace of a person living in your house to the best of your ability. It will definitely be inconvenient for a time, but well worth it when you benefit from a speedy and profitable sale.
You want to try and transform your house into one anyone could imagine themselves living in. That means that any personal touches you have in the home, or maybe the junk drawer you have in the kitchen, definitely needs to go. It’s hard to picture a home as yours when there is evidence of someone else everywhere you look.
Invite a friend, neighbor, or family member to walk through your house with you and help you with this. Ask them to help you pick out anything that may be distracting, needs decluttering, or an extra cleaning. This can literally make or break a sale. So it is always important to try and make your home as neutral as possible.
If after decluttering you decide cleaning for an open house is not a task you want to take on, don’t feel bad about it. You have the option to hire a professional cleaning service to come to your home the night before or morning of the open house. They will take care of absolutely everything. Especially if you talk to them beforehand and let them know you are having the home cleaned for a showing. Pricing and time needs vary drastically depending on the cleaning service. So, you will need to do some investigating to find a good service for you. Saving the time and effort it takes to clean for an open house is very enticing for many though, and always a good option!