You work sooooo hard to make sure your home looks clean, crisp and move in ready for your prospective buyers/renters to view. But a common mistake many people make is looking at all the big stuff (painting, landscaping, appliances, etc.) and miss the small things that can scream out at your buyers/renters. Walk through your home and take the time to look up, look down and take a good look all around. Then get our your cleaning supplies or paint brush and let those finishing touches now yell out this home really is move in ready!

• Look Up: Bathroom Ceiling Vents. These hold on to so much dust that once you take it down and look at it, you’ll wonder how you were ever breathing at all.  It’s simple to take down, wash and put back up. But make sure you also take the time to clean the vent fan and around it before replacing the cover. If the cover shows any kind of rust or discoloring, pick up a new one. Cost is low, return is high!
• Look Up: Remove all bugs and dust from ceiling light fixtures. Take down and wash it thoroughly. Then clean around the bulb area before replacing the fixture cover.
• Look Up: Walk through every room with a long mop or swiffer type product and look at the corners or all ceilings and along wood beams for cobwebs. Takes only a moment to remove yet leaves a lasting impression.
• Look Up: Ceiling Fan Blades are notorious for accumulating a tremendous amount of dust which, if left long enough, will be able to be seen or felt as it falls from the blade when they turn on the fan to see if it works.
• Look Up and Down: Ceiling/Wall/Floor Heating Vent or Cold Air Returns: Just like the bathroom vent cover, because of the blowing air and dust that circulates, these also hold onto a lot of dust. The tendency is to use a swiffer or broom and just brush off the dust but since the vent themselves have dust in them, that fresh, clean appearance won’t last long. Take the extra time to remove the vent covers, wash or wipe them down thoroughly. Then use your vacuum hose to clean out the vent itself.
• Look All Around: Stand outside your front, back and side entries. These areas, especially if you have light fixture, accumulate a bunch of cobwebs and bugs. Use a shop vac or wet cloth/mop to clean all around the entryway. Remove the light cover and clean the area and cover thoroughly.
• Look All Around: Take the time to clean your windows on the inside and out. Nothing makes a room look dirtier than sun shining through a dirty, streak, dust filled window. On the other hand, a sunbeam flowing through a clean window is inspiring!

These are just some ideas to help you get an idea what you still need to do. Some of these tasks can seem tedious but in the end a few things will result: If you’ve had allergies you may see an improvement due to the reduction in dust; your home will feel cleaner, look cleaner and present a better and hopefully lasting impression!