Spring Cleaning for Viewings 

The brightest, sunniest day of the year so far means a lot of different things to different people, however, if you are in the process of selling your home, it can mean only one thing – DUST!

Unfortunately, one of the biggest issues vendors have when selling their property is keeping their house in ship shape for vital viewings. It is imperative, that the home you are selling is bright, clean and wonderfully fragranced but it doesn’t mean you need to hire professional cleaners. In fact, you can spring clean your home perfectly for viewings by following our handy tips for successful cleaning and, more importantly, happy viewers who translate to a property sale. Embrace your inner Marie Kondo and let the decluttering commence!

Get rid of the clutter– Clutter is not a pretty sight when viewing a home, so do yourself a favour and rid your property of the bits and bobs no one needs to see. You’re going to be moving anyway, so you might as well get ahead and tidy up! Your home needs to look clean and polished without the abundance of books, ornaments and intricate figurines so that it appeals to buyers. They want a blank canvas, a clean slate and room to imagine their life in this home.

Let there be light– Lighting is key, you need to create light everywhere and let it flow through the house. This means cleaning the windows to leave them sparkle as well as ensuring every light fitting in your home is in good working order. Furthermore, during viewings it is nice to light some scented candles (not overly strong smelling) and have them popped in rooms for a lovely ambience.

Empty out cupboards– Those clothes you wore 30 years ago are probably taking up silly amounts of space so be impulsive and send clothes to a charity or recycle them – channeling Marie Kondo, if it doesn’t spark joy, let it go! If the kids have way too many toys and millions of miniature toys that they have little chance of playing with again, get rid of them. Remember would-be buyers love nothing more than having a nose around and the illusion of space is extremely important.

Think of the garden and flowers – Nothing says Spring like flowers, clean patios and tidy driveways. It is, after all, the first thing prospective buyers will see upon arrival to your home. Make it a good first impression by creating an outdoor space that is bright, appealing and functional. Paint the walls of the house, hose down the patio and varnish your fence too.

Kitchen basics – Be smart with your kitchen space and put away gadgets and appliances that will only disrupt prospective buyers’ vision. A kitchen should be fit for its purpose, clean, smartly arranged and stylish. Let viewers imagine their own kitchen concept without overloading them with your coffee machine (unless it is extremely fancy), smoothie maker and bread tins! Clean down counter tops and ensure cupboards are tidy in case eyes find their way into them.

Do the basics too – This includes hoovering regularly, mopping floors, polishing and bleaching the toilet bowl! These things genuinely matter to house hunters and they need to feel that the home is presented well to them, to encourage an interest or a sale. Freshen up cushion covers, throws and add texture to rooms with different fabrics. Check out interior design websites for inspiration regarding styling of bedrooms. Don’t forget to freshen up walls and doors with paint and put aside time to pop flowers/plants around, to create natural beauty points.

For your FREE, no obligation, valuation in the South Wicklow and North Wexford area, call into one of our offices (located in Carnew and Gorey) and chat to any of our expert team or you can contact us online at kinsellaestates.ie. We are happy to facilitate overseas buyers and sellers via Skype or similar, outside of regular office hours.  Alternatively, email me directly on michael@kinsellaestates.ie or telephone: +353 53 94 21718