Are you thinking of selling or renting your home later this year? Maybe it’s time to find a new roommate? Or will you be having a guest visit for an extended stay? Whatever your reason for needing your home to look its best, spring is a good time to lay the foundations. As you begin your spring cleaning and freshen up your home before the heat hits, keep these tips from real estate tech platform SetSchedule in mind.
Take the Time to Declutter
Spring cleaning isn’t just about beating the rugs and air conditioner or swamp cooler maintenance. It’s a good time to take stock of everything in your home and determine what could be better organized and what needs to be gotten rid of entirely. Whether you’re looking to welcome people into your home, or present an inviting image for would-be buyers or tenants, removing your clutter is important.
Decluttering and minimalism have been hot topics for a few years now, so you have a variety of options available to you, from the KonMari method to Swedish death cleaning to learning about capsule wardrobes. Determine what method is right for you and get to work!
Make Note of Any Impending Repairs or Improvements
When the weather is nice, your mind might turn to DIY projects. As you’re cleaning the house, make note of repairs and improvements that are needed around the home, everything from touching up the paint to tightening the screws on the door hinges to replacing the kitchen sink. SetSchedule recommends not just taking mental note of these, but actually writing them down (on paper or digitally, however you prefer) and making a plan for when and how they’ll be done.
Safety Matters, Too
While people in other states use Daylight Savings Time as a reminder to check their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, in Arizona we have to choose our own date for that important check. The experts at SetSchedule recommend incorporating a safety review in your spring cleaning. In addition to testing your detectors and replacing batteries if needed, also check whether your fire extinguisher is expired. Do a quick review of how you’re storing any dangerous cleaning chemicals or other potentially hazardous materials. Check the water shut-off valves both for individual fixtures and the entire house to make sure they aren’t corroded, stuck, or otherwise in need of maintenance. Look for tripping and slipping hazards too, such as cords strung across the walkway, a dripping pipe, or uneven sidewalks, and add those to your DIY project list as needed.
Addressing these concerns promptly will not only make your home safer for you and your family, it will also potentially address issues that could come up during a home inspection as part of the sales process. Taking care of them now means you’ll have one less task to handle before finalizing the sale of your home.
Consider a Decor Refresh
Are your curtains looking a little faded? Is your welcome mat falling apart? Are you really regretting that chartreuse accent wall? Now is a good time to consider what elements of your decor you might want to change and improve, both to make your home nicer to live in and also to improve its salability. Some changes you might want to make right away, while others might benefit from you waiting for a great sale on new drapes. Set Schedule suggests that you spend some time looking at design magazines or Pinterest and get an idea for how to freshen up your home.
