How spotless does house need to be to sell?

In a buoyant market I would say it matters less if the house isn't clean and tidy (not immaculate because in a house with children, that's just unrealistic to sustain), but when the market is tougher it's probably better to get your house presented at its best.

That's not stripped out of all personal items, but simply clean (so it doesn't suggest poor maintenance), in good order (so no curtain poles dangling down for the sake of a missing screw, for example), no stacks of stuff (indicating you don't have enough storage space). With not a lot of time, I'd focus on things like that rather than worrying that the cushions clashed with the throws.

The garden should look relatively neat, so children's toys present are OK, but on top of knee-high grass is not OK. Get rid of any mess like broken pots and dead plants which again, suggest lack of maintenance. You don't have to buy new planted tubs, it's all about it looking presentable, it doesn't have to be perfect.

You'd spend a lot to get the exterior painted and it's not a quick job. If it's really bad, expect the price to reflect that.

It's the same as getting your kids off to school wearing their newest polo shirt on school photos day. And hoping it gets taken before lunchtime...

And yes the car was filled to the brim. Dog beds, bowls and leads. Shoes with no homes. Towels. Laundry baskets. Kitchen bench top clutter. Clothes that didn't quite fit in wardrobes.

Spend £500 on plants to stage.
Spend £500 on cushions, flowers throws
Actually bought some new art and light shades.

Made a huge difference

We've just done it. Took us 6 weeks of weekends and every evening to get it right.
Decluttering
Sorting stuff out and storing.
Weeding garden
Painting bits that looked a bit shabby
Deep cleaning some bits I thought were obvious and where people look; windows, ledges, skirting boards, ceilings, kitchen cupboards
Cleaning the outside of spider webs and general muck

Nothing excessive but just dealing with stuff that made it look a bit grubby and messy. Looked amazing after though.

The houses that look the most appealing are clean, tidy and nicely decorated.

Definitely worth decluttering. I rented a storage unit and filled it. House viewers don't want to be over faced with a crammed house, they'll think it's too small for them. House needs to be clean & tidy for viewings. I would only do viewings on one day, so got house sorted for that day only and got fresh flowers! Some would say you need to pander to what potential buyers want, but I felt that if they are genuine buyers they will accept it.

Judging by the state of the 2 properties I've bought... I'd say it doesn't really matter!

I’ve always bought bungalows and all have been old people selling up with really dated decor but that never put me off.
Actual filth would be off putting to many people I suspect but not just a bit of clutter.
I did pull out of an offer when I found somewhere had vermin though.

I’m in the same position. We want to put ours on the market but we have 11 years of clutter to sort out first!

I’m hoping to get rid of a lot of things but I do think we’ll have to get a temporary storage place.

Started on the kitchen and the hallway the other day. Filled one bin bag and one charity bag! 😳

It took 2 adults over a weekend to sort a 2 bed flat with no kids. My neighbours husband took 2 weeks off work to sort out their already immaculate house - I think that was over kill.

My house was disgusting when we bought it.
Years of dog wee soaked into the floorboards.

All fixed now though! Once the stuff was removed it was pretty much gone. We have our own dogs now though but it will never get like that.

@Moveoverdarlin
A friend sold her house on the £99 "do your own pictures" deal with purplebricks

the house was EXACTLY as she lived in it
total bomb site
but
it sold in 2 days for asking
because it was right place right price
perfect catchment

I know. But the dog will have been on any carpet etc and dog smell can last a long time. I can’t stand them. No thanks. As I said, this will be an unusual and unpopular view!

For the estate agent’s photos it does need to be really tidy. People ogle pictures on Rightmove for ages, deciding whether to book a viewing, whether to make an offer, whether to pull out. If for example I saw a hoover, ironing board or tons of shoes in the pictures, I’d assume there was no storage and would be put off. An unmade bed would be really off putting, dog beds, cat littler, scratching posts in pictures are a no go.

I put tons of stuff in the garage before the estate agent took pictures, I even moved the microwave, laundry baskets, kitchen bin. You want it as decluttered as possible.

And then for viewings I tidied relentlessly. I would try and do as much as you can before the weekend. Few trips to the dump, few bags off to the charity shop etc.

I definitely took it too seriously, and realised when I fell in love with a house that smelled like and was covered in poo upon viewing 🤣 made me wish we hadn't done so much before marketing!!

Indeed

Price and location for many buyers and those that can afford more location, location then price - location is top for these people and they often try to buy a house that others turned away from as they intened to do it up

It's all realtive

It could be covered in shit but at the right price it will sell

You could have a spotless little terraced hose that sells for 50k and the same type of house with the same decor etc but not spotless may sell for the same

It you want the best price and a wider range of buyers, declutter, ensure clean and smoke and animal smell free.

We would never a buy a housre that had a cat in it and real wood floors, ie wood over joists as the cat pee is a nightmare - buyers may air the house and spray stuff so on the short visit you dont note this and they may hide the caat bowls and the cats/ - but move in and if you ar elifke us going to tear it appart and dp it up - the cat stench is hereddos, goes into the joists and stench rises with heat

So if you are targetting those that like clean, clutter free and want to move in an not do hardly anyhting, yes clean it etc. However, it depends on the type of buyers, ie to renovate into flats , to rent out or if they have their own pets they wont mind the smells and may be used to it just like many smokers

If the people viewing want it, they will buy it

• even if there is a random stranger asleep on the sofa
• even if the vendors forgot to do the washing up
• even if there is blood on the walls from an old fight
• even if it smells
• even if rooms are half decorated from years ago

Plus, we all know dog owners' houses can whiff a bit, but that's easily dealt with and will go.

That's bizarre, they won't be leaving the dog or its bed.....

@GlassCaseOfEmotions 😂
I think sometimes people take these house selling programmes too seriously.
It's the location and the price.

I'm in the same situation and I'm literally chucking everything.

When it comes to marketing it, hopefully it will be practically empty bar the essential items.

I have (in the last week on top of working 3 jobs) :

• cleaned windows
• spot cleaned carpet stains
• shoved loadsa stuff in the garage in a bid to look clutter free
• chucked unwanted clothes / toys / books
• cleaned garage door
• painted over scuffs / fingerprints
• cut grass
• been to the tip twice

The list goes on!

Depends on how desperate the buyer is. Personally I will rarely look at a house that is cluttered or grubby because in my experience that’s a good sign that they haven’t kept up with other home maintenance things. However, when I bought in a super competitive market and I needed a house yesterday I was willing to offer on anything of the right size/location and deal with the fallout later, as long as it hadn’t been smoked in or smelled like pets.

I echo this!!

Should have added to my comment; the house we are buying was pure filth on viewing. The owner had very clearly emptied their bowels just prior to the viewing, garden was covered in dog poo, floors and walls filthy, old fake eyelashes stuck to every surface in 1 room, large odd stains on bed sheets, wardrobe door falling off....

We still managed to see the potential!!

Remember, clutter is only superficial.
A survey will show up any genuine problems.

Please don't worry too much. We bought a house from a couple with a small baby and a toddler. There were pants on the bannister, sticky marks on the doors and the kitchen surfaces were cluttered.
We bought the house because of the location and the price. We knew they'd take all the stuff with them!