I once saw a purchase agreement in which the buyers’ agents asked that the seller clean the home before the closing. I see a lot of homes, and this particular home was cleaner than average. I advised the seller to say no to cleaning the home.
The buyer’s agent said she wanted to make sure the home was clean for her client so she put it in writing.
Putting things in writing is a great idea but what does clean mean? What if the seller cleaned the home but the buyer decided that it wasn’t clean. How would we resolve the situation?
In this case, the buyer will be doing a final walk-through as all buyers should before the closing. If the place is a total mess the buyer would have recourse because the closing can not happen without him.
Even if the seller cleans the house it may not be what the buyer had is mind. I have had real estate agents tell me that clean is a home that has been swept out and vacuum cleaned.
In general, sellers should clean before they leave and most buyers should plan on cleaning before they move in. When putting things in writing they need to be as specific as possible. Sometimes we ask to have carpet shampooed by a professional carpet cleaning company.
Buyers can ask for a professional move-out cleaning.
Lately, I have seen a few offers with requests for licensed contractors to perform services that can be performed by the homeowner. Unlicensed people can perform routine maintenance and cleaning. What kind of a license would a person need to put in new light bulbs or change the furnace filter? Caulking doesn’t require a license yet sometimes home buyers ask that it be done by a licensed contractor.
In the case of caulking, I would probably do it myself or find someone to do it for me after I bought the house.
Be careful out there. If you put it in writing be as specific as possible.
