Do I Have to Clean My House Before I Sell It?

Moving out of your house can prove to be a stressful time. Once you’ve gone through the process of selling your home, the real work of packing and moving begins. Until you move to your new place, however, you’ll have several things to do. In the time leading up to your move, it’ll be important to prioritize what you need to do. Of the utmost importance will be to remove all of your possessions from the house and clean it before the closing.

According to census data, almost 31 million people in the United States moved in 2019. With almost 10 percent of the population moving every year, buyers expect certain real estate standards. With all that you have to do, it’s tempting to forgo those last few cleaning chores. However, as tempting as it may be, buyers expect a clean house, and leaving a mess could cause problems. In some states, sellers are even contractually obligated to clean up the home. Let’s take a look at what you need to do to clean your house before selling it.

Take everything with you.

Some sellers might leave behind personal belongings. This is especially true if it’s a long-distance move and there is limited space and time. Unless the buyer has asked for something, or you’re contractually obligated to leave something, you should take everything with you. So, make sure you get those old lamps out of the attic. A way to alleviate the need to leave something behind is to pack early and rent a storage unit before moving to your new home. This will ensure that you have plenty of time and room.

Additionally, if you need help, you can hire professional movers around the time of your move. Many of these companies also offer packing services for a great price if you need help. A moving company has years of experience and will take great care to help you make sure that everything is moved out of the house. You’ll want to take everything with you from your bedroom to the garage, and local movers can do a great job helping you with that. If you require help with your relocation, you can search for movers in your area. Searching for top moving company in Rockville, MD, for example, will help you find expert movers in your area.

Clean the inside and out.

You’ll want to do a good job with the final cleaning of your home. This means that you should take time to clean the inside and outside of the house as part of your moving process. On the outside, you’ll want to make the home look clean by wiping the windows and sweeping off sidewalks and patios. You might even find that you need to spend time pressure washing your home. You can pressure wash the exterior of your house, deck, and walkways to get rid of dirt and grime. You’ll want to make sure that the home exterior looks good before closing day.

Before putting the house on the market, you’ll probably want to do some scrubbing and decluttering of the entire home. Once you sell the house, however, you’ll want to do a thorough cleaning. The best advice is to start before move day. If you need help, you can hire cleaning professionals to assist you with great service. More than just a wipe down, you’ll want to make sure that you dust the ceiling fans, clean the walls, sweep, vacuum, and mop. Be sure to check and clean any appliances you are leaving behind. You should also check the air vents for dust or mold.

Pressure washing and cleaning your house won’t be the only things you’ll have to do before moving. However, you’ll want to make sure that this is on your priority list. Selling your house and moving to a new place can be hectic, but you’ll need to take some time to get the house ready to sell before the final walkthrough.