With more favourable bond rates, Cape Town is, once again, entering a property boom. The demand is definitely there. However, the market remains competitive and preparing your home for sale is key to getting a good price.
This may involve investing in some basic repairs. Don’t underestimate the role of simple elbow grease. A deep clean can make a home look and feel significantly more inviting.
There are many ways it “pays” to give your home a thorough clear and clean. It can:
- attract potential buyers more easily
- boost the sales price
- reduce or eliminate the need for costly repairs
- enhance the available space
- showcase the property’s true potential.
Decluttering before putting a home on show
Decluttering all spaces is the first step to a successful sale. Clutter distracts buyers from your home’s most marketable features. It makes the rooms look cramped and less appealing.
By removing cumbersome furniture, family photographs, artworks and knick-knacks, buyers can visualise themselves and their belongings occupying the property.
Decluttering depersonalises the home and maximises space. Also, it gives you a head start when it comes to packing and moving.
Once boxed, your personal items can be stored with family or friends, or at a self-storage facility.
Cape Town storage companies to contact for temporary storage include:
- Stor-age Self Storage
- Securistore
- Base Camp Self Storage
- Big Storage
- PODit
- Store Fast
- The Storage Crowd.
Most offer a range of units available over the short- and long-term.
Areas to focus on during cleaning
A clean home is indicative of a well-cared for and maintained home. It presents the property in the best possible light.
Although the entire home should be clean and odour-free, certain areas require special attention.
Give the walls a wash
Washing the walls freshens the home and removes mould spores and unsightly marks. When cleaned properly, it may even avoid the need to repaint.
The key is to use a soft brush to remove loose dirt first, before washing the wall from the top down with warm water and a drop of dishwashing liquid.
Then rinse and dry with a clean, lint-free cloth. Persistent stains can be tackled using white vinegar diluted in water.
Deep-clean the kitchen and bathroom
Cleaning and sanitising the kitchen and bathroom is a must. Sinks, taps, drains and splash boards demand intensive cleaning,
Removing stains from your bath, re-whitening grout, disinfecting and unclogging drains, and replacing the filter in the stove’s extraction fan can make the difference between concluding a sale or not.
Have carpets and curtains deep-cleaned
Carpets, blinds and curtains pick up dust, grime, mould and nasty odours.
Deep-cleaning enhances the aesthetics. It may eliminate the need to replace carpeting – an expensive undertaking if your home is carpeted throughout.
Wash windows
Sparkling clean windows create a positive first impression with potential buyers. They let in more natural light, and improve the indoor viewing experience.
A solution of white vinegar or dishwashing liquid and warm water, and the use of a microfibre cloth, is an inexpensive and effective way of getting the glass spotlessly clean and streak-free.
How Chelsea Cleaning can assist in preparing your home for sale
Deep-cleaning your home is a laborious and time-consuming process.
A better solution is to recruit the professionals to tackle the big jobs – the carpets, upholstery, mattresses, blinds and curtains.
Chelsea Cleaning is the home-cleaning specialist in the greater Cape Town area. We have years of experience in helping our customers prepare their properties for sale.
We offer the full quota of residential cleaning services, so there’s no need for several different contractors to get under your feet.
Additional home staging tips for sellers
Cape Town properties with so-called curb appeal typically get higher prices and sell faster.
It’s about making the entrance to your home more pleasing to the eye. That entails mowing the lawn, planting a few pretty annuals in the front garden, and weeding and sweeping the driveway and paths.
Cleaning the gutters and fascia boards, replacing old light fittings and rusty hinges, and giving the front door a fresh coat of paint is an inexpensive way of improving the property’s exterior.
Small interventions that can help you sell your home for the asking price include:
- re-arrange furniture to create more space
- position fresh flowers and fragrance diffusers
- place brightly coloured scatter cushions
- create ambient lighting in the living areas
- use fresh linen on beds
- organise shelves and cupboard space
- replace outdated door knobs and handles with modern options.
