Selling Your Home? Increase Your Home Sales with Exterior Cleaning!
Think about the exterior surfaces of a home for a second.
Depending on where you live (let’s say, Northern Virginia) homes around you will expierence the weather elements of four full seasons.
- Winter – snow, ice, strong winds, cold weather
- Spring – rain, sun, damp conditions
- Summer – hot, steamy, storms and humidity
- Fall – cool weather and the occasional thunderstorm
All this to point out one thing – the exterior of your home endures quite a bit of weather to protect the interior!
Luckily wind resistance shingles, hardy siding, and windows that are properly installed assist in making sure the above-mentioned weather doesn’t enter your home. However, there is something that is overlooked at times:
The appearance of your exterior home.
And if you have plans on selling your home this spring, investing in a quick home wash isn’t a bad idea!
Give your home curb appeal!
Whether you’re an agent looking to list a home or you’re a homeowner kicking around the idea of selling your home, there are ways to make your home stand out.
Some will touch up the exterior paint or perhaps redesign the landscaping, however in all the number one goal is to add curb appeal the minute a prospective buyer shows up. Typically, the first thing a potential buyer will see is the front door – but from that moment onward, their eyes can go anywhere.
And if there is visible mildew, roof stains, or just a dirty looking home – your home might give off the WRONG first look… an old house!
This is why first impressions are vital and adding curb appeal is rule #1 to increase the chances of a quicker home sale!
Benefits of Exterior Home Washing
1. Curb Appeal
The aforementioned benefit of having the exterior surfaces of your home cleaned is pretty straight forward – it adds to your curb appeal.
Similar to a new haircut, a clean car, or even vacuumed carpets – a home wash or roof wash (just two types of cleaning we will cover later) will make your home stand out. Instead of a dull and dingy look, a fresh wash adds some sparkle.
For example, a roof was will make your existing roof look almost brand new. If you have mildew or organic build-up on your siding, a soft wash will remove that and restore the siding to looking brand new.
The ultimate result – a house that looks newer, which means a better resale potential and…
2. Increased Home Value
Replacing your roof will add to your home value, but it will also hurt your wallet. The same goes for new siding which can cost thousands.
That being said, if you simply have your house pressured washed and roof washed, for example, you give the appearance of a newer home and thus you increase your home’s value.
And if you’re considering putting your house on the market, the listing price can go up when it looks new. While an exterior house wash may not increase your home’s value by let’s say $10,000.
The cost of an average house wash (less than $600 on average) is significantly cheaper than new siding ($10,000 and up).
3. Preventive Maintenance
The actual act of cleaning the exterior surfaces of your home actually serves you in the long run by completing preventive maintenance. Here is what we mean…
A home wash provides you with the opportunity to:
- Find potential home issues such as missing shingles or siding
- Discover cracks in the sealing around windows and doors
- Inspect the foundation for issues
- Clogged gutters
- Cracked pipe collars
- Identify potential problem spots
Almost like a free exterior home inspection, by completing a home cleaning service, you can identify potential problems before they occur.
A missing shingle is an easy fix. On the other hand, a missing shingle that goes unnoticed can lead to a roof leak which could mean damage to more than just your roof! While this might be an extreme example, believe it or not, when it comes to the outside of your home and weather – small problems can turn into big problems in a hurry.
Just look at building or house that is unoccupied. In a matter of months, the signs of wear and tear are obvious because of the lack of routine maintenance.
While pressure washing your house or giving your roof an organic wash might not fix the problem (if they exist) you can identify them!
This leads to our final point if you’re looking to increase your home sale value. What service should you have completed?
Recommended Exterior Home Washing Services
In order, if you’re considering testing the real estate waters by listing your home, consider the following exterior cleaning services:
- Home soft wash
- Roof wash
- Gutter inspection & cleaning
Depending on the size and square footage of your home, a combination of all three services is readily affordable (If you use this link and let us know you’re interested in all three we offer a bundle coupon of 10% off).
Here is a short description of each:
Soft Wash & Pressure Washing:
We then use a soft wash home cleaning technique the idea is to gently remove all the organic matter and soap blends (that we apply) to restore your home to its original state. This leaves your home looking great and even smelling really good.
Pressure washing is a combination of warm water and pressurized water to rinse the sides of a home without damaging the existing building material.
Read more about home washing here.
Roof Washing
Your roof is one of those things that goes unnoticed until there is something to notice (if that makes sense).
For example, a gray roof with dark stains is very noticeable or a few shingles missing. However, when you implement a roof wash to your home, you’re able to add a “Brand New” look to your roof.
The process is very simple, quick, and efficient, yet highly effective!
Read more about Roof Washing here.
Gutter Cleaning
The process is pretty simple when it comes to your gutters:
- There are sticks, leaves, and buildup in your gutters
- There is not
If there isn’t anything to clean, we don’t clean your gutters. In the event there is a build-up of any kind, we clean your gutters to prevent clogs which can lead to bigger issues.
The integrity of your gutter system is very imperative, keeping them clean is vital and very inexpensive!
Read more about Gutter Cleaning here.
Final Take on Selling Your Home
Something simple like power washing your deck (we don’t recommend doing this yourself) is a quick way to make your house look good before you sell it.
Painting and sealing the exterior trim, cleaning your roof and trimming your hedges while adding a fresh layer of mulch will all increase your home’s curb appeal.
So if you’re a real estate agent or a homeowner who is looking to list a home, be sure to explore getting the house’s exterior cleaned so it can sell higher and quicker!
~Tyler Bunch
Bright Exterior Cleaning