The sight of a warm sun and blue sky overhead matched with the synchronous sound of birds chirping, people chatting and children at play in the yard all signal that spring has indeed arrived. A season of rebirth is welcome news to most Canadians after a long, blistery winter. Spring – a season synonymous with fresh starts – is also a great time to sell your home. That is, after it is thoroughly cleaned of the remnants of the winter season! Here are some spring cleaning tips to consider for home sellers looking to make a move this spring:
Judge a Book by Its Cover
Few potential buyers are going to consider buying a home that doesn’t dazzle from the driveway. It is absolutely imperative – especially after a winter that may well have left unsightly stains and marks in its wake – that the outside of your home be clean, from windows and garage doors to ducts and railings. Also, cut the grass, trim the hedges and make sure the general landscape and exterior of your home look sharp.
Work From the Ground Up
Flooring is a definitive detail to remember when spring cleaning in hopes of selling your home this spring. Just because you don’t see the stain in the living room does not mean a potential buyer will have such a forgiving eye! Steam-clean the carpets and scrub the tiles and hardwood in every room of your home.
Uplift the Most Popular Room
To buy or not to buy, that is the question… often decided in the kitchen. Like most other rooms in the home, the kitchen can need a real facelift after a hardy winter of warm, stick-to-the-bones meals and increased foot traffic. Here, you may want to really roll up your sleeves. Be sure to clean the fridge, oven and other appliances, as well as the tile and shine any stainless steel.
When Less is Truly More
Spring can undoubtedly be a time of disorganization, with toques and mittens being replaced for shorts and t-shirts. Oftentimes even, the home can have morphed over the season. New toy corners may have developed alongside makeshift desks on the coffee table and, in the basement, a used sporting goods store replete with mats, weights and shoes. It is very important when selling your home this season to see to it that, like the white March snow to the warm April sun, any winter clutter is lost to the spring.
