blankets, clothes, and outerwear off site. Keep linens to a minimum. • Laundry Room — Whether your washer and dryer are in the basement, laundry room, or closet, you should make the room or area neat. Organize what you keep with shelving or bins. Don’t leave clothes out for buyers to see. Store detergents, bleach, and softeners in cabinets. Don’t use the tops of the appliances for storage. • Garage — Although cleaning the garage may be the most daunting of tasks, it can be as simple as getting rid of things you haven’t touched in years. Boxes of broken toys, useless sports gear, and rusty tools all seem to migrate to the dark corners of the garage. Use this opportunity to donate or discard. Other items, like wall paint, extra tiles for the floor, and bicycles, can be shelved or hung. • Pets — Pet items also need to be out of the way when a buyer comes by. See the section on Pet Peeves on how to deal with pets while selling your home.
DEEP CLEANING: SPOTLESS IS THE N TLESS IS THE NAME OF THE GAME
Doing a thorough, deep cleaning of your home is vital. It works for people selling a car (they get more money), and it will work for you when selling your home. With the home depersonalized and decluttered, it might make sense to use a professional deep- cleaning service. Otherwise, with the clutter gone, move on to cleaning each room. Tidy each room, from top to bottom. Be meticulous, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. Homebuyers will open cabinets, pantries, and closets to assess their storage opportunities.
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