{"id":29299,"date":"2026-04-10T04:19:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T11:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=29299"},"modified":"2026-04-10T17:21:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T00:21:50","slug":"how-to-clean-out-a-house-to-sell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-clean-out-a-house-to-sell\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Clean Out Your House to Sell and Increase Its Value by 3%-5%"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you took the time to count every item in the average American household at the rate of one item per second, you would be counting continuously for nearly three and a half days. And if you\u2019re reading this article about how to clean out a house to sell, the home you are looking to declutter<\/a> may have more than 300,000 items<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re selling the home you\u2019ve been in for decades, or are facing an unexpected sale due to the death of a loved one<\/a>, settling assets in a divorce<\/a>, or getting out from underneath a mound of debt, the task of decluttering prior to a sale may feel daunting. But it doesn\u2019t have to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Find a Top Agent For Higher Sale Proceeds<\/h3>\n

Get expert guidance on how to prepare your home for sale. Our data shows that the top 5% of real estate agents sell homes faster and for up to 10% more than average agents. We analyze over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews to determine which agent is best for you based on your needs.<\/p>\n \n

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Welcome to the ultimate guide for cleaning out your house<\/a> before you list it for sale. We\u2019ll break down the process into simple, tried-and-true steps. You\u2019ll receive tips from decluttering and staging expert Joy Metten and real estate veteran Stephanie Nash<\/a>, who sells homes nearly 48% quicker than the average agent in her area.<\/p>\n

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How much value does cleaning and decluttering add to a home?<\/h2>\n

In a recent HomeLight survey of top real estate agents<\/a> nationwide, respondents agreed that deep cleaning and decluttering can add value to your home sale price. Nationally, agents estimated that decluttering could add $11,706.<\/p>\n

In a 2025 survey<\/a>, agents also shared that professional staging can add about $13,477, or about 3.3% of a median-priced $405,300<\/a> home. Agents said in the same survey that including a fresh coat of paint could also add nearly $12,130<\/a> to the home\u2019s resale value.<\/p>\n

Melanie Henderson<\/a>, a top agent in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, with 34 years of experience, warns,\u00a0 \u201cDon’t be too confident that your house will sell without any work put into it. I always recommend staging, professional photos, and preparing your home to look great for showings.\u201d<\/p>\n

The emphasis on painting, cleaning, and decluttering as relatively simple ways to increase resale value has not waned over time, with respondents in previous HomeLight surveys<\/a> echoing the same sentiment.<\/p>\n

Survey participant Laurel Davies<\/a>, a top-selling agent in Sacramento, California<\/a>, also adds that besides newer major systems, roof, and water heater, \u201cfresh paint, flooring, and cleanliness are also extremely important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPut yourself in the buyer\u2019s shoes,\u201d suggests Ashley Lazarian<\/a>, a top Atlanta agent with 21 years of experience. \u201cDoing a deep clean and putting away the clutter can easily get you an additional $20,000 and less time on the market.” For 34% of agents surveyed by HomeLight, a professionally staged home will sell 1-2 weeks faster<\/a> than a non-staged home, while 25% say the difference is as much as 3-4 weeks faster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ultimate guide to how to clean out a house to sell, which can increase your home\u2019s value by 3-5%. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":312,"featured_media":60570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[323,319],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-quick-tips","category-selling-advice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Clean Out Your House to Sell and Boost Its Value<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ultimate guide to how to clean out a house to sell and make it list-ready, which can increase your home\u2019s value by 3-5%.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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