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We all know that first impressions count. Whether you’re interviewing for a job, meeting potential in-laws or someone new, presentation can go a long way towards a great result.
When it comes to selling your home, this same principle applies. Focusing on presenting your property with maximum curb appeal can help you draw more buyers in and secure the sale price you hope for.
One of the best ways to do this is to deep clean the exterior of your home. Even if you don’t intend to sell, by following our expert tips, you can still help to increase your property value and who doesn’t want that?
How Exterior House Cleaning Boosts Curb Appeal
Have you ever walked by a home and noticed grimy windows, a large collection of cobwebs under the eaves or a roof covered in lichen among other things?
Chances are you have, there’s usually at least one in every neighbourhood!
If you felt instantly put off, you’re not alone. This all represents a distinct lack of curb appeal and a lack of care for the property.
Cleaning a home’s exterior removes all these less-than-desirable additions and aids in creating a refreshed, welcoming appearance. It also demonstrates very clearly that your home is well-cared for and properly maintained.
Not only is this appreciated by your neighbours, but it places you in good stead when selling as buyers will see the same.
Essential Exterior House Cleaning Tips for Homeowners
Regularly cleaning the exterior of your home goes beyond just cleaning your gutters. Dirt and grime quickly build up on all exterior surfaces.
Not only can this detract from visual appeal, but it can also cause damage to these same surfaces. Leading to expensive and pesky repairs.
To ensure proper maintenance and winning curb appeal, your exterior cleaning should include:
- Gutters
- Roofing
- Solar panels
- Driveways
- Siding and walls
- Retaining walls
- Pathways
- Windows and the
- Front door
While a quick hose-down with washing detergent might suffice for sprucing up your letterbox this isn’t going to be enough for your home and its exterior.
To ensure the best results, exterior cleaning requires some specialist equipment, skill and training.
Exterior House Cleaning Tips for Home Sellers
If you are looking to sell, making time to clean your home’s exterior before listing is highly recommended. You may even find your chosen real estate agent suggests this and can give you the details of a trusted professional to assist.
The areas we advise sellers to focus on for maximum impact are:
The Driveway
A driveway stained by leaf litter or slippery with moss is both a hazard and an eyesore.
Likely to feature in key photographs advertising your home, ensuring it is clean and free of debris is vital to making a good impression.
Paths, Patios & Decking
Most buyers want to be able to picture themselves enjoying a home’s outdoor spaces, if they are dirty this is much harder to do.
A build-up of dirt and grime in these areas can also make them look and feel smaller. Cleaning these in advance of the sale can really help to make your outdoor areas a win with potential buyers.
Walls
No matter what material your home’s exterior walls are made of, giving them a clean can help to lift the entire appearance of the property.
Budget-friendly, house washing is much more cost-effective than re-painting, but can deliver a result that is equally as impressive.
How to Pressure Wash Your Home Like a Pro
Unless you are trained to work at heights, have professional power washing equipment and experience in this area, we highly recommend leaving this to the experts.
While it may seem like something anyone with a pressure washing tool can do, it is actually very easy to do so incorrectly. In your efforts to achieve a clean home, you could end up causing a lot of damage or injuring yourself in the process.
Professional cleaning services, such as those provided by Kleen Genie, understand how to undertake these tasks without risking your property or their safety.
Using equipment that can adjust water pressure to suit, specialised biodegradable cleaning fluids and being trained to work at heights, they make light work of tough cleaning tasks.
Professionals perform a careful assessment of your home before starting work, identifying any areas of concern, such as peeling paint, cracks in roof tiles and any open windows. The degree and type of build-up to remove is also factored in.
Using this information, a tailored approach is then taken to ensure your home is protected from damage while also still being deeply cleaned.
To learn more about how Kleen Genie can help get your home back to its sparkling clean best, call today at 1300 296 246.
