Despite styling your home for viewings, it still needs to be perfect when buyers arrive at your home with their real estate agent. At Switch Real Estate, we try to give our sellers a good amount of time to prepare for a viewing, but when you are still living in your home, it’s never enough time!
Children and pets can make it even more difficult when buyers are due to arrive at your home, leaving you stressed and worried that you forgot something vital. So to help you perform a quick clean-up and make your home look absolutely perfect for potential buyers, here are a few clean up tips that should make everything run smoothly.
1. Make a list
When a real estate agent calls with a viewing request from potential buyers, your life suddenly becomes a lot easier with a list! If you can keep this list down to less than 30 minutes, you can clean your home and be out the door in plenty of time for the buyers to arrive. Keep this list somewhere handy, making sure it’s easy to grab when the call comes in from the Sydney real estate agent.
2. Pick up as you go
As you walk around your home at any time of day, always carry a basket so you can pick up items that should be put away. If you do this as a matter of course throughout the day, when you only have 30 minutes until potential buyers arrive, it’s just a quick flit around the house picking up the odd item that’s recently been left in the wrong place.
3. Empty kitchen & bathroom bins
Always have a handy supply of bin liners for the kitchen and bathrooms. When the call comes from your agent, you can grab the full or partly full bags from the kitchen and bathrooms, replace them with new, and take them out to the council bin in the yard. A quick spray with air freshener as well (keeping a can within easy reach), and your home is nearly ready for viewing.
4. Tidy the bathroom
Quickly check the shower, bath tub and vanity and wipe away any water, toothpaste remains or soap suds. Check the floors are clean and dry as well, hang fresh towels in the bathrooms and toilets (giving the toilets a quick clean at the same time), tidy away toothbrushes, creams and lotions, and leave the surfaces clean, dry and uncluttered.
5. Vacuum & mop obvious areas
You already know which areas of your home always need vacuuming and where the most dirt and debris accumulates. So quickly run the vacuum cleaner around these rooms and run a damp mop over hardwood floors. You might think that this will take too long, but when you already vacuum your carpets and mop your timber floors regularly, it doesn’t take long to give them a quick spruce up before buyers arrive.
6. Quickly tidy the kitchen
If you also keep your kitchen clean and tidy, it won’t take long to rinse and dry a few coffee cups and wipe over the bench tops. You have already emptied the bin, so if any appliances are left on the counter tops, wipe them over quickly or put them away in a cupboard. If you have too much dirty crockery around, put it all in the dishwasher and switch it on!
7. Neaten the bedrooms
This means quickly making the beds, but if you always do this every morning, you can just give them a quick check. Close all the wardrobe doors, open the curtains or blinds, and turn on all the lights in in these rooms. Toys and clothes left around can be popped into your basket as you whisk your way around the house picking up items that need to be put away quickly. You can easily pop this basket into a cupboard or even in the laundry out of the way when you have finished circling your home – you don’t need to empty it, just cover it with a towel to save time – out of sight means out of mind!
8. Check the living areas
If it’s the middle of the day, it’s unlikely that these rooms will be untidy, because you always tidy up before going to bed, don’t you? So straighten magazines, remove any cups left around from breakfast, tidy away toys in your basket, straighten cushions and floor rugs, and open the curtains, blinds and windows to let a lovely breeze filter through your home.
9. Organise your pets
If you have indoor cats, you need to know where you have stored their baskets and whip them into the car quickly. Dogs can just jump into the car (don’t forget their leads) or you can simply take your dog for a walk for the duration of the viewing. It’s best not to leave pets at home while buyers are viewing your home, birds in cages are however, acceptable.
With these nine steps, and if you keep on top of your house cleaning at all times, you should be able to whip around your home and have it ready for viewing in less than 30 minutes!
