06/17/2026
Want the best return on your home sale? Start with a mop.
Sometimes you cannot afford to upgrade everything before you list, and that is okay. What you can always do is clean it up, clear it out, and simplify. Get rid of the dirt, the grime, and yes, all the tchotchkes. Buyers need to be able to see the home, not your stuff. I do not mean the kind of clean you do yourself on a Saturday morning. I mean hiring a true professional. Someone who gets on their hands and knees at your baseboards, scrubs the grout, cleans inside your oven, wipes every window sill, and gets those sticky fingerprints off your light switches.
Here is what our team walked into this week. No joke. We pulled up to a property expecting it to be ready for our painter and handyman. We walked in and there were bongs on the counter, an empty pizza box, and trash everywhere.
Here is another one. We had a deal where the contract clearly stated the home needed to be professionally cleaned upon move out. The seller did it themselves. There was dust and dirt throughout. We brought in a professional for $800. Night and day. That $800 protected the deal. Your version of clean and someone else’s version of clean are two completely different things. Not a judgment. Just reality. I say this with full self-awareness. I have three teenagers, two dogs, and a bunny. I could not live withouy my cleaning lady, and I am still on my hands and knees scrubbing baseboards and wiping light switches weekly. That is what it takes when strangers are considering spending millions in your home.
Before you list or lease, hire a true professional. Windows, sills, oven, grout, closets, all of it. Then open every window and air it out. Pet smells, kid smells, cooking smells. Gone. Buyers will forgive outdated tile. They will not forgive weird smells or visible grime.
I have a trusted crew I refer to my clients. DM me and I will connect you. 📩
DRE 01716801
