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Selling a Franklin TN Home, How Clean is Clean Enough?

In Franklin, TN the real estate market is selective and the buyers expect to tour homes for sale that are in move-in condition or have been professionally staged and have been maintained and are in a clean condition during the sales process.  But what about the condition and cleanliness of the home at the walk through just before the signing of documents and the key transfer?  So the precise question for the seller once they have removed their belongings from the premises is, how clean is clean enough?

A home will obviously look dirtier when the contents are removed, and many times the contents were concealing dirt and grime.  Also the moving process, repeated treks in and out, will get the home dirty and in poor weather this is significant.  It is the responsibility of the seller to have the home in a presentable condition acceptable to the buyer at the time of the walk through.  Our team can not recommend enough that a professional moving company be used and a cleaning service be contracted to do the post move cleaning for the new homeowners.   If it is a matter of budget, we suggest that one or the other be performed by a professional as the amount of energy and effort to complete the move will wear you down and sellers tend to under estimate the amount of time required to get all the contents moved and the property cleaned.  There is nothing worse than running out of time when moving and the last thing to be done is the cleaning.  Take some of our tips below in mind when planning on the cleaning after the contents are removed.

Here is a basic guideline for having your Franklin TN home clean for the walk through by the buyer.  First review your contract with the selling agent to know when the walk through will be held and finalize the specific time.  That way you are sure to have the items removed and leave time to clean.  The basics for cleaning begin with sweep, mop, vacuum.  This will get all the floor surfaces cleaned.  The move traffic will have added dirt that normally isn’t there and gather up the items that reside under your furniture, so leave out the vacuum, broom and mop to handle that task after the contents are removed.  Assess the carpeting and if it was spotted and stained under the furniture then plan to get them steam cleaned.  The objective here is the buyer does not want to be surprised by stains that were concealed by rugs or furnishings.

Next the bathrooms and kitchen need a cleanup.  That means all the sinks, toilets, tubs, showers, and  counter-tops.  These areas need to be sanitized and germ free as nobody wants to clean up after someone else.   A brief dusting of the horizontal surfaces if there are any and the chandeliers is recommended too.  The question always comes up about nail holes from hanging pictures and decor.  I recommend removing the small nails and doing no touch-up for these typical small nails used to hang light weight items, but for large screws and lag bolts, I do advise to have the hole patched and painted to match.  Then on to the kitchen appliances that are remaining they should be cleaned inside and out.  Run the dishwasher empty or according to the cleaning instructions that came with the appliance.  The stove should not have remnants of your last pizza and the refrigerator should be clean if it is remaining with the sale. If the home has a garage then sweep out or use a leaf blower to clear the garage.   Finally, make sure that there is no trash being left behind for the new owner.

I like to do my business with the understanding that when you pay it forward it returns tenfold.  If you leave your home in great shape for the buyer, then you should have no issues on your future home.  For the seller, think about it like this:  In most cases you are going to be moving from one house to another. How do you want your new home to look when you show up with your furniture on a moving truck, ready to unload?  Would you like, paying movers by the hour while they wait for you to run a vacuum through the house before they can set your furnishings in place?  I think not!

We hope that you have found these tips useful when selling and preparing your Franklin TN home for the new owner.

Contact a member of The Grumbles Team at 615-587-5843 to setup a consultation to buy or sell a home in the Nashville area today.  This is just another example of how we use our experience to help you.

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Franklin | Brentwood | Spring Hill | Mike Grumbles & The Grumbles Team specializing in Franklin TN Community Homes for Sale

The Grumbles Team is our family serving your family with your real estate needs in Franklin, Tennessee 615-587-5843.

Your Williamson County REALTOR!

EXIT Realty of the South | 1227 Lakeview Dr. Suite 1 | Franklin | TN | 37067 | 615.550.5555

 Williamson County Real Estate Agent

Each EXIT Office Independently Owned and Operated

 
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