Spring Cleaning for the Spring Market

Ready to sell? After you’ve contacted your favorite Peggy Slappey Properties REALTOR®, it’s time to get your hands dirty as you make your home spotless. Spring is a time of renewal, and it's no secret that clean homes sell more quickly for a better price.  Here’s your cleaning checklist for the busy spring market:

Sparkle Sells

Windows and mirrors should sparkle – it’s free! All it takes is time and muscle to get your windows glittering, letting in more light and reflecting the light inside, which both make your home feel bigger and brighter.

Window Coverings

Clean drapes, curtains, and blinds.  They are often overlooked, but they collect dust like anything else. Drapes and curtains should be laundered or sent to the dry cleaner.  Blinds can be dusted, then wiped down with a damp cloth.

Look Up...

...And clean the light fixtures overhead, including all ceiling fans if you have them. Dust and cobwebs accumulate here, too, and it’s often the last place homeowners think to look. Out of sight, out of mind doesn’t cut it when you’re trying to sell your home.

Spotless Kitchens and Bathrooms

Scrub the kitchen and bathrooms until they look brand-new.  Straighten up under the cabinets, too. You know home shoppers will open the cabinets to see what’s inside!

Cut the Clutter

Go ahead, start packing now. Pack away your highly personal collection of seashell art or porcelain figurines and make room for the buyer to imagine herself in the home – clutter free and open.

Make Floors Shine

Have hardwood flooring? Polish it to a high gloss. Refinish it if necessary.  Make your tile and linoleum floors shine, too. Carpets and area rugs should be shampooed, as well.

Curb Appeal Matters

Spend some time in the yard.  Rake, trim bushes, and put out new mulch or pine straw.  Make the outside of your home shine just like the inside so buyers know how much you have cared for it. Showcase the exterior of your home by trimming away tree branches and manicuring hedges.

Plant something! 

The science of color tells us that yellow stimulates buying urges.  You can still find yellow tulips, along with several other varieties of yellow flowers, across Metro Atlanta. Grab a pretty planter for your front door while you’re at it, too.

Freshen Interior Style

Inside, use new throw blankets and pillows to freshen the colors in your home. Use the colors of spring: yellow, pink, lavender, and soft green.  You’ll be amazed how a touch of soft color will brighten up a room.

Be Ready for Unpredictable Weather

Finally, provide a convenient mat for shoes and an umbrella stand outside the front door. Spring weather is unpredictable across Metro Atlanta, and you just spent all that time making the floors shine!  Keep them that way with a courteous gesture to those viewing your home - an easy place to leave muddy or wet shoes.

We hope our checklist encouraged you to get scrubbing this spring. It’s the busiest time of year for real estate sales, which means your home will have plenty of competition.  Make it shine above the rest with a thorough spring cleaning before you list!

Peggy Slappey Properties, Inc. is a Metro Atlanta real estate brokerage with 35 years of experience in real estate sales and marketing.  From new home construction to resales, we can help you find the home of your dreams.  To see our current listings, visit www.psponline.com and call us for expert advice at 770-271-5555.  Keep up to date with the latest PSP events and offers by checking in on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/peggyslappeyproperties and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/psponline.