One of the most important steps in preparing a real estate listing for open houses is a thorough cleaning. A pristine home not only looks more inviting but also creates a positive first impression for potential buyers. Here are some essential ways that open house cleanings can significantly enhance your real estate listing’s appeal.
What is an open house cleaning?
An open house cleaning tackles the entire household from top to bottom, including vacuuming or mopping floors, wiping baseboards, window ledges, walls and light switches. It also includes the following room-specific tasks:
Bathrooms
- Bathtub and shower enclosures
- Inside, outside, and behind toilets
- Lights, mirrors, sinks, and countertops
- Vacuuming ceiling fan covers
- Emptying garbage bins
- Cleaning vanities inside and out
Bedrooms
- Dusting furniture, table tops, picture frames, etc.
- Cleaning mirrors and polishing ornaments
- Making the bed
- Tidying and neatening
Kitchen
- Cleaning inside the fridge and oven
- Wiping down the stove top
- Polishing the fridge front
- Cleaning the microwave inside and out
- Cleaning the backsplash and countertops
- Cleaning the sink
- Wiping cabinets and drawers inside and out
Living and Dining Rooms
- Dusting surfaces and furniture
- Cleaning mirrors or ornaments
- Vacuuming upholstered furniture
Laundry Room
- Clearing air vents and lint traps
- Wiping the washer and dryer
- Cleaning floors
Fresh and Odour-Free Real Estate Listings
Even if a potential buyer doesn’t intentionally do a “sniff test,” offensive odours are one of the first things they notice when they enter a home. Many have an uncanny sense of smell that reflexively detects odours.
An open house cleaning for your real estate listing creates a fresh, odour-free environment where buyers feel safe and welcome. Top-to-bottom cleanings will eliminate unpleasant smells produced by smoking, pets, cooking, mould, mildew, dampness, and more.
Sparkling Surfaces in Real Estate Listings
Buyers don’t want to feel that “ick” factor when they enter the kitchen or bathroom. They expect to see sparkling surfaces that are sanitary and hygienic in the rooms most prone to germs.
From the sink, counters, appliances, and cabinets in the kitchen, to the glass doors, tiles, mirrors, and toilet in the bathrooms, a professional cleaning will make good first impressions to attract higher offers.
Focus on Important Features of Real Estate Listings
A dirty home and nasty odours tend to overshadow the most important features of a home. Open house cleaning ensures viewers focus on the most appealing features that will entice them to put in an offer.
Buyers are often easily distracted by the smallest insignificant details, including signs the home isn’t well-maintained. For example, handprints on the fridge door will be more noticeable to many prospects than the fact it’s a state-of-the-art stainless steel appliance.
Many buyers will also be turned off by soap scum in the shower, even though it sports stunning new glass walls and marble tiles. When you focus on cleanliness, prospects can then focus on sellable highlights.
Highlight the Real Estate Listing Is Well-Maintained
Buyers are attracted to homes that have been lovingly well-maintained by the sellers. They want to see gleaming backsplashes and countertops, clean, fresh-smelling carpeting, polished hardwood floors, and dust-free steps on elegant staircases.
Open house cleanings ensure that every detail of the home reflects the TLC the current owners have invested in their home. It also highlights their pride of ownership to help elevate the listing’s appeal.
Showcase the Spaciousness of Real Estate Listings
A thorough open house cleaning includes the all-important decluttering process to help enhance the spaciousness of the home. This is an essential step in all homes, but is particularly important for small spaces.
Removing all unnecessary furnishings and distracting items, such as collectibles on built-in shelving, allows every inch of the home to appear useful, purposeful, and light-filled.
Buyers want to envision themselves in the space and feel confident that their furniture will fit well in the layout. By decluttering the home, you remove all distractions so every square centimetre of the home shines.
Sparkling Windows Improve Curb Appeal and Light
Sparkling windows enhance natural light, creating sun-filled rooms that help elevate mood. Clean windows also improve curb appeal, so as buyers approach, they notice the finer features of the real estate listing.
Once again, pride of ownership is reflected in the little details that reduce red flags like grimey windows, so buyers are drawn into the home without worries about what they might find!
Reduce the Wear and Tear of High-Traffic Areas
Professional cleaners reduce the wear and tear common in high-traffic areas that can make a home feel old and neglected.
From hand prints and grease marks around light switches to well-worn matted carpets in halls and on stairs, and food splatters on kitchen backsplashes to scratches on hardwood floors, a professional open house cleaning attacks common signs of aging to help create a flawless finish that feels new.
Highlight Desirable Appliances
Home buyers love new appliances, whether it’s a stainless steel fridge and stove, a snazzy customized range hood, or efficient front-loading washer/dryer set in the laundry room.
A deep cleaning includes a thorough wipe down of appliances, highlighting their desirability to potential buyers. Appliances should be cleaned inside and out to ensure nosy buyers don’t find a ball of lint in the dryer or a load of dirty laundry in the washer.
This also makes the home feel up-to-date and more energy efficient with appliances that help save money for the new owners.
Improve Indoor Air Quality
Apart from odours, proper cleaning helps improve indoor air quality. Removing dust, caked-on food in the kitchen, pollen, pet dander/hair, and more helps reduce irritating particles that can make a space feel tight and unwelcoming.
Homes have a certain atmosphere to them and buyers want their living spaces to feel open, spacious, and hygienic. While odours are a red flag, poor air quality can cause sensitive buyers or allergy sufferers to experience unpleasant symptoms such as burning, watery eyes, nasal congestion, tightness in the chest, or an itchy throat that causes coughing.
An open house cleaning reduces allergens and irritants such as mould and mildew to create a welcoming, fresh environment where buyers can breathe easily.
Contact Maid4Condos for an Expert Open House Cleaning
Booking an open house cleaning for your real estate listings will help improve curb appeal, highlight the home’s best features, and reduce the red flags that prevent offers. At Maid4Condos, we offer deep cleaning services designed to transform homes into spotless, inviting spaces that attract potential buyers.
Our experienced team meticulously cleans every corner, ensuring that your listing presents its best possible version. Whether it’s eliminating stubborn odours, polishing surfaces, or tackling high-traffic areas, our professional cleaning services help sellers maximize their home’s value and appeal.
Click here to learn more about Maid4Condos’ professional residential cleaning services that are ideal for real estate listings. You can also call us at 647-822-0601 or contact us online.
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