So I just returned home from showing properties in a popular suburb nearby. Out of the 5 houses shown, 3 of them were absolutley filthy!  What's going on???

Do sellers not realize the value of having a cleaning crew come through?

I have to say that I am absolutely boggled. A few of the houses reeked of smoke.  Several had thick dust "bunnies" throughout the house and layers of dust.  Need I even mention the piles of clothes and trash cans that looked like they haven't been emptied in a month??

Am I crazy, but in this market, as agents when we list, do we not stress the importance of cleanliness?

I just can't get over it.  I think I have the odor from the last house all over my clothes. 

Please stress to your sellers how important it is to have the house cleaned and in order!!

Those Febreeze air fresheners only cost a few bucks, but make a HUGE difference when showing a home, not to mention what a difference clothes being put away and trash being emptied make!

I'm going to shower now...gotta wash that smell off of me.  Ewww.

 

 

27 Comments on Has Mr. Clean retired?????

20 Most Recent Comments Displayed Show All

SEP
29
2006
195,501 Points Outside Blog
Sellers at times simply dont care.
12:37pm • #8
Very intersting and amusing post.  I smiled as I read it, because my better half thinks that Febreze is the best thing ever made.  We literally have about 15 bottles stored in the garage...
2:05pm • #9
I tell my clients if it smells it will not sell. 
2:37pm • #10
329,920 Points 45 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

The sense of smell is THE most powerful sense to offend, and rarely can that be overcome.  Sellers just don't seem to understand that not only does smell impact the way a property shows but so does cleanliness, and/or lack thereof.

Dishes stacked high in the sink, filthy refrigerator and stove, unmade beds, piles of laundry, trash piled up because 'they keep forgetting to put it out'....it all speaks volumes.  They just don't get that if a potential buyer sees stuff like that during the showing, they will automatically wonder what else that they can't see hasn't been taken care of as well.

Some sellers can be their own worst enemy, and some listing agents don't seem to have what it takes to tell a seller what they need to do to get their house in showing condition.  THAT'S PART OF THE JOB!!!

Jeezzzzzzzz..........

Ann Cummings
www.AnnCummings.com
2:50pm • #11
258,458 Points 77 Featured Posts Outside Blog
I am begining to think that not all people know what clean is.  I am not a neat freak bu my stove, refrigerator and microwave are cleaner than the appliances in the houses I show.  We just clean up after every meal.
3:13pm • #12
421,787 Points 16 Featured Posts Outside Blog
My lender has a super efficient air purifier that I sometimes borrow. It will get rid of almost any smell you can think of, usually after running for just one night. I've learned that people have different versions of what "clean" is.  Nothing surprises me any more.
3:39pm • #13
249,151 Points 14 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Sellers must understand that their home should look like a model home. This means it needs to be spotless, it needs to smell new, and it means it needs to be staged. These are all important items, but being clean comes first. If it's dirty staging it doesn't make any difference.
3:57pm • #14
520,678 Points 229 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

If it's "smellin," it ain't "sellin!"

That is way too funny!

Rich Jacobson, www.KitsapLife.com

4:39pm • #15
156,683 Points 1 Featured Post
The problem is that most of the time the odor is so bad, it is past the point of fabreze.  I just wish sellers would understand that nobody wants to purchase a filthy & smelly home!
6:17pm • #16
1 Featured Post
Hmmm. Scary thought, but maynbe that WAS clean to them?
6:51pm • #17
As a former home seller...it is hard to keep house ready for show 24/7 (especially with teenage kids living home) --- it sounds like I'm defending those folks that y'all seem to be ragging on ..
10:49pm • #18
SEP
30
2006
249,151 Points 14 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Joanne it might be hard, but in this market it is required. There is to much inventory to be loosing any buyers because you decided to not clean up for a few days. Most people should hire a cleaning company for while the home is listed.
9:26am • #19

Sellers apparently have to be told repeatedly that the way they live in their HOME, and the way the realtor sells their HOUSE are two different things.

The house, the product that is on the market for sale, needs to appeal to the broadest number of potential buyers. And it appeals by being neutral. Neutral in decorating, neutral in color, and neutral in smell. As a home Stager, I tell homeowners that instead of covering up smells, find the source and GET RID OF IT. It should not (IMO) be just clean. Everything needs to sparkle. Sinks need to be dry and without water marks, no mildew in the shower, no stray hairs in the bathroom, eeewwww, wastebaskets/garbage cans/diaper pails empty and out of sight, litter boxes where the cat(s) can find them but super clean. Floors clean and swept, vacuum marks on carpet are great! This is but a small part of how a homeowner can prepare their home for sale.

Once a home is Staged, it can be maintained this way too. Its a bit demanding but everyone in the family can pitch in and help, just have a tangible reward for everyone when the house is under contract as an incentive!  Our family had 2 teenagers at home, a fur-ball of a dog and a cat when our house went on the market. Our listing agent knew something was different with the house by the time she got to the 2nd room. And that's when she learned about home Staging. Our house sold in 30 hours.

A house is usually people's biggest asset. Why is it that when they try to sell it they show it so poorly? Ask anyone, what do you do when you sell your car? The answer most of the time will be, I detail it. Then why, Mr and Mrs HomeSeller, why aren't you detailling your home like you would detail your car?? WHERE IS YOUR EQUITY?????

Stage your home, Sell your house!
10:53am • #20
245,817 Points 56 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Perhaps they did not have a full time, experienced realtor to guide them. Hopefully, attrition will start and we can get back to buinsess as usual. I know that realtors that showed my homes, prior to the frenzy of everyone becoming a realtor, always knew that my sellers were clean and left the home spotless.

In fact, one of my current sellers who just received an offer the day before they had the moving trucks coming (GREAT Timing), not only had a spotless home but when I went over to see the husband last night, he was busy patching walls from hanging pictures and cleaning up a storm.  Some folks have couth and others don't.

I know that I won't take some listings...I have a reputation for providing a certain standard.
11:35am • #21
4 Featured Posts
I can not say enough about how important it is to stage and keep the home clean. I have shown some properties that I have been ashamed of even taking my clients too. I wish people would get it through their heads that if they want to sell, CLEN THE MESS UP. I terminated a contract because of this very reason. After 2 months and so much negative feedback, I decided that it was not going to be a good fit and there was nothing else I could do. I even took some loads of garbage to the dump for them, which soon seem to regenerate back into the home.
11:42am • #22

Cleanliness and good smells are essential to a home sale.

We showed a house last month. The potential buyers referred to it as the "stinky house". We also showed another home listed at $699k. It reeked of moth balls. The owners were in their late 80's. We immediately left that home as well.

Candles--if you're home/plug ins with a vanilla scent/fragrance packets in your a/c filter/potpourri. Smells and cleanliness are essential!

Linnea and Jay Hanley
1:56pm • #23
OCT
01
2006

It seems - at least for myself - that homes that occupy an unwilling tenant are the worst to show (as a Buyer's Agent)....

Worst one to date:  As a matter of habit - I ring the doorbell before using my key. On this home, the Tenants responded and thus were greeting us at the door - in variouses stages of undress (from Children to adult), followed by the first view of the home as they opened the doors wide - a pile of dirty diapers next to the entry - offering a lovely smell. We politely excused ourselves.

12:52pm • #24
3 Featured Posts
I like the dryer sheets idea. This is also the biggest reason I LOVE EMPTY HOUSES!!! I agree that tenants can make showing a real nightmare if they choose to be difficult. I agree that most buyers really can see through normal "lived in" minor clutter---but I LOVE EMPTY HOUSES--even if the are not staged, they are still much easier to show and usually have fewer problems unless there is something seriously wrong with them. 
10:17pm • #25
OCT
07
2006
906,205 Points 21 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

If at all possible, I preview the home I am going to show.  This way I can evaluate the property, prepare the buyer if necessary of its condition, and give feedback to seller's agent if I encountered major problems. 

9:36am • #26
OCT
10
2006
249,151 Points 14 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Deb you might love empty houses, but buyers have a very hard time knowing how their stuff would fit in the home. It's the hardest home to sell.
12:18am • #27

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Laurie Petranoff

Lake in the Hills, IL

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