There has seldom been a better time to sell a property in Philly or indeed Pennsylvania. The average house price in-state ended 2021 14% higher than the year previous, with your standard house now fetching $192,040. It really is a buyers market - though, one other factor means that selling, and getting a good price, might be tougher than before. While prices are rising, so is the housing stock. There are more properties out there, and that makes it tougher to make sure yours is the one that ends up selling. Consequently, it’s never been more important to get your house in tip-top condition before getting it on the market.

Making a plan

There are three main factors to consider when you’re cleaning up your property for sale - curb appeal, the interior, and what’s under the surface. One can grab the attention of the buyer, the next will help them fall in love with the property, and the last factor will ensure that the property is both fit for habitation while standing up to scrutiny when it comes to the likes of surveyors and other real estate professionals. This will help you to secure the sale for the best possible price.

Cleaning the curb

There is an underrated value to be found in enhancing curb appeal. According to USA Today, simply cleaning up the outside look of your property is one of the most potent ways to improve your property value - according to their research, simply planting and maintaining flower beds can result in a 267% return on investment. Even short of this, consider what someone wants to see when coming to view the property. Is the grass well-maintained? Are exterior features cleaned of dirt, moss and evidence of pollutants? Make your exterior look like something that the homeowner will want to walk into as if you were selling it that day.

Maintaining your home

Just as a clean exterior will help the home to sell, so will a well presented interior. Indeed, long-standing market analysis reported by The New York Times suggests that a clean home will sell a home much faster than the competition. That might seem straightforward, but there’s more to it than simply organziing the house and ensuring it’s a good fit to live in.

Over time, homes can accrue high levels of surface particulates, dust and mold that can, over time, create an unhealthy environment. This is commonly ignored when it comes to carpeted and wooden surfaces, where it can be less obvious than on linoleum or some hard surfaces. Having a thorough clean, with antibacterial agents and a professional service, such as from Penn State, will help you to ensure that the property is completely clean for sale throughout the visible areas of the house.

Creeping mold

Underneath the veneer of the house can be the lurking menace of mold. As the CDC notes, mold is extremely common across the USA and its housing stock, but particularly in the more humid states. Mold is an insidious threat to the home and create problems in the home that include, but are not limited to:

• Health problems in living spaces;
• Dampness in the walls that can cause wallpaper and paint to flake;
• Offensive and musty smells;
• Damage to furniture and fittings.

In the long-term, mold can cause serious structural damage, including the collapse of ceilings and walls. It really is an issue that needs to be aggressively tackled to prevent it getting out of control. That’s true whether it’s a home without prior mold problems, or one that has been tackling them for years. Understanding the different signs and stages of mold is key to getting ahead of them.

Stages of mold

Early on, mold will be indicated by dark splotches on the wall. They may seem like rusting or flaking spots, and will lighten with a touch of bleach. This can nod to a deeper growth, or can be superficial. Either way, it needs to be assessed in more detail.

As mold grows more, it will start to destroy the surfaces it grows on. Mold can devour up any substrate that it grows on, and will cause the total breakdown of that material, even solid foundations such as brick, concrete and other stones. It will appear as large black patches on the wall, and will require total removal.

Early remediation, through the use of services like Penn Jersey, will provide the assurance you need to know that mold is completely at bay in the home. This includes the use of agents to entirely kill growth and then to secure the materials in the home against future growth. Regular cleaning from this point out can keep your house in a great position for sale.

Tick off all of those points and your home will be in the best possible state for sale. That will see it fly off the listings in record time, and will net you a greater profit to boot. Putting your home in a great state for the next owner is respectful, and it’s common sense, too.