It’s that time of year again to break out of the winter blues and into the colors of spring!  Spring cleaning is more than just dusting and planting flowers.  You can use this time to de-clutter and organize your home, especially if you are in the market to sell it.   At Smith and Associates Real Estate, we have collected several spring cleaning tips from our agents and clients to help make this an easy process!

BG Holmberg is a veteran Tampa real estate agent who recently sold a home to the first buyer that viewed his listing.  Some of his spring cleaning tips that helped sell the Tampa home included painting the pool deck, pressure washing the wood fence and removing overgrown flower beds and replacing it with sod.

St. Pete real estate agent Tia Hockensmith knows the importance of making your outdoor living space just as inviting as your indoor living space.  Fill up container planters with vibrant annuals and freshen flower beds with new mulch. Make a great first impression with a great front porch by replacing your tired welcome mat and consider a new color for your front door. You might even enjoy your own homecoming each day!

Spring cleaning on the inside of a home needs the same amount of detail as the outside.  When selling Tampa real estate, one of our associates, Carrie Smith, suggests getting the boxes and items stored in the garage off the floor and onto shelves inside storage containers.  For a small investment, it can add a great deal of appeal to potential buyers, especially those who used to have basements.  Closets systems can also add a great deal of appeal to buyers.

Laura Blackwell had the owners of her listing at 948 Lake Placido Court organize their walk-in pantry.  Both the owners and Laura feel that this made a big difference. Not only did they get rid of food items that were expired but they found many duplicate items.  It now showcases the size of the walk-in pantry and appeals to buyers that are looking for storage space in the kitchen.

Isabel Caruso, who has been selling St. Pete real estate for many years, offers a great household cleaning tip for owners thinking about selling their home.  A solution of 3 cups water, 1 cup vodka and 25-30 drops of eucalyptus oil will help rid your home of dust mites.  Lightly mist the areas and let it air dry.  If you have scuffs on walls or doors, water marks, hard water stains, try the sponge product called Magic Erasers.  They are very effective and can save you a lot of time and effort on cleaning.

Last, if you have a busy work and family life and don’t have the time to clean, hire a cleaning service.  Let them do the heavy spring cleaning chores like moving furniture and cleaning all windows inside and out.  This might help kick start your spring cleaning and motivate you to take care of other chores.  A clean, de-cluttered home will you’re your home for sale a lot more attractive to prospective buyers!