Washing a House Before You List It for Sale
Buyers see the outside first, in person and in the listing photos. What the National Association of Realtors found about curb appeal, and how to time a wash before photos and showings.
The short answer
If you are listing soon, book the wash before the listing photos, not after. In the National Association of Realtors' 2023 Remodeling Impact Report, 92% of agents said they have suggested sellers improve curb appeal before listing, and 97% said curb appeal matters in attracting a buyer. A clean house, drive and walk is the cheapest part of that.
What agents tell sellers
The National Association of Realtors’ 2023 Remodeling Impact Report on outdoor features asked its members about curb appeal (NAR Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features):
- 92% of Realtors said they have suggested sellers improve their curb appeal before listing a home.
- 97% said curb appeal is important in attracting a buyer: 75% very important, 22% somewhat important.
Most curb appeal advice is about landscaping, doors and paint. Washing is a first step that makes the rest show, and it changes how the outside looks in photos.
What to wash, in order of what buyers see
- The driveway and front walk. It is the first thing in the street view photo and the path to the front door. Oil spots and tire marks are covered in oil stains and tire marks.
- The front of the house. Green film on siding is easy to see in photos, especially on a north or shaded front. See green film on siding.
- The roof, if it shows streaks from the street. Black streaks on a shingle roof are covered in black streaks on a Louisville roof.
- The back deck or patio, which will be in the yard photos.
Timing it
- Before photos. Listing photos stay up for the whole listing. Book the wash so it is done, and dry, before the photographer comes.
- Around pollen. If you list in spring, tree pollen can coat a clean house again within weeks. Kentucky tree pollen runs from as early as February to about mid June (Family Allergy and Asthma), so a wash close to photo day matters more then.
- Before painting, if you are painting. Wash, let it dry, then paint. See washing before painting.
How we handle it
We wash siding with a low pressure soft wash and a professional grade cleaning solution, and use high pressure cold water with a degreaser on concrete and asphalt drives. Weekend hours, 8 to 8, make it easier to fit a wash in around a listing date. Tell us the photo date when you ask for a quote.
What cleaning will not fix
A wash makes a house look cared for, but it will not fix peeling paint, rot, a worn roof or cracked concrete, and a buyer's inspector will still find those. Washing also cannot make a stained or failing surface new; old oil and rust stains can lighten rather than disappear.
Want it looked at?
Free estimate, a same day response, and the price before we start.