the wall if you have the space. • 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. You need to realize that you see all of the positve features of your home while the buyer's eye will see any negatives. Sometimes sellers find excuses to skip this most important step. One excuse I heard was "I'm being relocated and the moving company told us to leave everything where it is." If the thought of cleaning and decluttering gives you hives, your choices are as follows: 1) Expect to receive a lower sale price than if your home is show ready and looking awesome. 2) Hire a company to declutter and then deep clean. Otherwise, with the clutter gone, move on to cleaning each room. Tidy each room, from top to bottom. Be meticulous, especially
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