Clean Doesn’t Cost a Thing

Posted on Oct 10, 2007 by Cari McGee in Buyers, Real Estate Career, Real Estate Industry, Sellers

I showed a house last week and then again this past weekend.  It’s a rambler with four bedrooms, very nice floor plan, wonderful view from the living room picture window and a HUGE backyard (the lot is 6/10 of an acre). It is located in a golf course community and they are asking LESS THAN what they bought it for two years ago.

The family has fallen on some difficult economic times and they just need to get out of the house. 

Homes sell because of three main factors…price, condition and location.  You can’t do anything about the location.  Neighborhoods take on a life of their own and they either grow up well or take a downturn.  But, you choose the price, and you control the condition.

When buyers walk in, and see what they would have to fix, they mentally subtract from the offer they might submit. Cleanliness is one of those things that YOU, the homeowner, can fix before the buyer even views it as a problem.

The house I showed twice in a four day span was NOT clean, and it had little things that needed to be fixed as well.  I would spend the five hundred dollars necessary to get the little things taken care of (because it brings you an offer faster AND for more), and I would keep the house clean.  There was grease on the stove top and dirt on the floor and towels strewn across the counters in the bathroom.  It was not a pleasant showing experience.

But even if they didn’t want to/couldn’t spend the five hundred fix-up dollars, they CAN clean.  Because CLEANING is FREE.