a guide to the 5 most overlooked steps for selling your home

A Guide to The 5 Most Overlooked Steps for Selling Your Home at the Best Price – FAST! 1A Guide to The 5 Most Overlooked Steps for Selling Your Home at the Best Price – FAST!

will cost you more than you think!

If you want to know what you can do NOW to sell your home for the best possible price FAST, please read this guide. You just may discover the perfect solution…

What you don’t know about

Selling Your Home

2 A Guide to The 5 Most Overlooked Steps for Selling Your Home at the Best Price – FAST!

We understand you hate this.

You hate everything there is about selling your home. From the thought of dozens of people tramping through your home, poking through your drawers and closets to the endless hours of nitpicking negotiations and low-ball crazy offers.

Sadly, selling your home is an expensive, complicated and often-times, time-consuming process. But it doesn’t have to be…

Our goal here at Squeegee Squad, is to give you the best information we can about how to get your home sold quickly for the best possible price. If you received our booklet from your Real Estate Agent, it’s because they know our recommendations truly do make a difference in selling your home.

Ultimately, a “Buyer-Friendly” house is a great investment for you, your family and your home.

Studies confirm that with improved curb appeal, a house price can increase up to 17%, and significantly decrease the time it takes to sell. And isn’t this your goal when selling your home?

With the exception of the next page, this guide is not about us, but about you. And if you decide to purchase services from us, we will be delighted that you trust us enough to let us into your home.

But if not, we hope you will follow these steps to make your home “Buyer Friendly” so you can get your home sold FAST at the best possible price.

All of us at Squeegee Squad wish you swift success in selling your home at a great price!

Foreward

“Beauty awakens the soul to act.”

-Dante Alighieri

3A Guide to The 5 Most Overlooked Steps for Selling Your Home at the Best Price – FAST!

Hi! I’m Steven Kirkpatrick, owner of Commendable Cleaning Company, home of Squeegee Squad of Southeast Virginia. If you’re reading this guide, you probably heard about Squeegee Squad, but I’d love to share a little bit of our story and why I don’t fit the bill of a typical owner of a window cleaning and home exterior cleaning business.

I served as an Executive Officer of U.S. Trust Company (now part of Bank of America), where I successfully managed the Real Estate Division for over 20 years. Our team was responsible for managing and selling real estate owned in our client’s trust and estate accounts. I worked mostly on high-end residential properties, and was an expert at creating “curb appeal” that would enable us to sell properties quickly at top prices. I also learned that “curb appeal” is only the beginning of a showcase home, and it’s the details that can make a huge difference in the mind of the prospective buyer.

My wife, Susan, owned and operated a real estate

development and sales company in Northern New Mexico for 30 years. She personally worked with hundreds of property owners. For ten years straight her office was listed as one of the Top 10 companies in the United Country Real Estate franchise and she attained the #1 position in 2006.

We apply these life lessons at Squeegee Squad, where we make houses radiate with “pride of ownership” that tells buyers that your house has been well cared for and lovingly maintained.

We and all our staff strive to give you superior “White-Glove Service” in everything we do for you. You have our word!

I am honored that you are taking to the time to read our guide.

To your Selling Success,

Steven Kirkpatrick

About Us

Who is Squeegee Squad?


Contents:Introduction:

A Story ........................................................................5

What’s Wrong with the House? ............................7

Curb Appeal:

Is Your Home in Tip Top Shape? ...........................8

First Impressions Count ..........................................9

Do Your Photos Tell the Truth? ............................10

While the Realtor is Unlocking Your Door ........ 11

The Facts:

Can You Afford NOT to Do This? ........................ 12

Important Facts Revealed ..................................... 14

What No One is Telling You ................................. 16

Squeegee Squad: Yes, Buyers will Fall in Love with Your Home .... 18

Hey, what happened with Ted? .......................... 20

Don’t Just Take Our Word For It ......................... 22


Ted had to sell his house FAST.

The company he worked for offered him a higher salary in another position – out of state. But the company was not paying for his move. Ted had to sell his home quickly or the threat of paying two mortgages was in his very near future.

Ted didn’t worry about it, though. His home was in an upscale neighborhood in a great part of town. He just knew when his “For Sale” sign went up, he’d have buyers knocking on his door. Ted was confident that he’d get a quick sale at his asking price.

A month went by and there were no offers while the house down the street was snapped up in a matter of days. All the while, Ted and his family still had to maintain the home for possible showings, start making two house payments, and worst of all; he and his family had to put their life plans on hold.

Ted and his family were getting sick and tired of having dozens of total strangers tramping through their home poking through their cabinets and closets only to leave negative comments about their home.

So, what was Ted’s problem?

A Story Introduction


My Home went from “Yuk!” to “Wow!” in just one day.

“Squeegee Squad is a great company. We hired them to

clean our windows, screened-in porch, and the outside

of our house before putting it on the market. I was

very impressed for lots of reasons. First, they are very

professional – clean cut, polite, courteous, and careful.

Not only that, but the work they do is first rate; my

screened-in porch was a dirty mildewed mess and I was

worried it would turn off prospective buyers. Squeegee

Squad cleaned it so well it looked almost new – I was

really amazed – it went from “Yuk!” to “Wow!” in just

one day. The window and screen cleaning was also

superb – they even cleaned a big irrigation rust stain off

my garage window (and window frame) to the point

where it looked completely new. Just a few hours after

Squeegee Squad finished, my real estate agent showed

the house to a prospective buyer. The same prospect

came back two days later and made an offer that

exceeded our expectations,

and we closed within six

weeks. I can say for certain

that Squeegee Squad helped

us sell our house faster, and

at a better price than we

expected.”

-Frank Ittle formerly of Harbour View in Suffolk, VA now living in Atlanta

Then, there was Frank. Frank and his family were in the same situation as Ted – they had to sell their home fast so they could start their new lives in Atlanta. But when they listed their Virginia home for sale, it sold in a matter of days at the price they were asking.

So what did Frank do differently from Ted?


Susan and I retired from our successful real estate careers a few years ago to start a new life here in Hampton Roads. Over the span of our careers, we personally saw homes sit and stagnate on the market without showings or offers. And the longer a home sits on the market, the more it is stigmatized.

When a home is listed for sale too long, buyers start thinking “What’s wrong with that house?” and “Why hasn’t it sold?” But worst of all, we’ve heard the seller’s frustration, their worries and, their hopelessness of ever selling their home.

When sellers reject the idea of getting their home ready to go on the market, they suffer financial penalties usually in the form of a lower selling price. The seller then feels “insulted” at the lower price offered but they wind up taking it because it turned out to be the only offer!

Susan recalls one seller who refused to make basic repairs and cosmetic improvements.

Wouldn’t you like to know the most overlooked solution for selling your home FAST?

“After a long time on the market, we finally got an offer $25,000 below the asking price. Obviously, this mistake cost those sellers a lot of time and money, not to mention a bunch of stress.” Can you really afford to do that?

In our story, Ted refused to make his house “Buyer-Friendly”. Most likely, his real estate agent warned him that if he failed to get his home “show quality” ready, it would just sit on the market.

Susan says that sellers seem to think all they have to do is put a “For Sale” sign up and that will be enough. But buyers see right through that. In today’s market, buyers are reluctant to take on a “project” especially if there are houses available that don’t need much work.

Buyers are only thinking about how fast they can unload the moving truck, put their dishes in the cabinet and get on with their lives. They don’t want to think of the additional work they have to do to get a home up to their standards and ready to live in.

8

They don’t believe it will make any difference. Like Ted, they think their home will sell itself and any money spent is a wasted investment. Ted just didn’t believe clean windows and doors would make a difference.

They just don’t see the problems. It’s difficult to tell sellers that their homes “don’t show well”. Ted’s siding was covered with algae and his roof was really stained. He just didn’t think it was a big deal.

They don’t think they can afford it. Remember the low-ball offer $25,000 below the asking price? That is a whole lot more money than a $1,000 cleaning investment.

Why Do Sellers Refuse to Get Their Home in Tip-Top Shape?

Curb Appeal

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“Squeegee Squad expertly cleaned the exterior of my house, driveway, and walkways. The Squad arrived right on time and got right to work. I had a very large job for them considering the exterior of my home was black

with mold and mildew as well as my driveway and walkways. I was so surprised when I

returned home to see what looked like a different house. I could not believe just

how fresh and new it looked. I have been embarrassed to have people over for so long and now I have a home that is clean and am proud of. I am a huge fan. The Squad was very professional and thorough.”

~ Richard Farnsworth, Smithfield

A Guide to The 5 Most Overlooked Steps for Selling Your Home at the Best Price – FAST! 9

First impressions are extraordinarily powerful, and your home is no exception. When buyers approach it for the first time, it must strike them as clean, inviting and well maintained. According to Realtor Magazine, buyers make a snap judgment even before they step out of the car. A negative first impression is hard to overcome no matter how nice the home is inside. On the other hand, when a home is cleaned and cared for on the outside, buyers can be so positively affected that once they’re inside, they are less critical of an outdated kitchen or a small bathroom.

In real estate, we call this first impression “curb appeal.” Good curb appeal creates an emotional desire in the buyer to own your home and enjoy the lifestyle and status it represents.

First Impressions Count!

“Squeegee Squad cleaned windows, inside and out, including screens, and skylights, cleaned fireplace glass, vacuumed garage ceiling and walls, and cleaned floor, garage windows and blinds, pressure washed driveway and sidewalk, removed mold and mildew from dormer, front porch and all trim, and pressure washed deck.

Beautiful job! I couldn’t be happier! The deck turned out to be quite a challenge (after much neglect) but they did a fine job. The whole team was very professional and obviously took much pride in their work -- and it showed! I will definitely be using Squeegee Squad again. Thanks for a job well done.”

~ Janet Shields, Smithfield


How do prospective buyers first become aware of your home? Usually they start searching on the internet or, their Realtor sends them home listing links from the multiple listing service.

Pictures immediately put the buyer on alert about the condition of the rest of the home. Buyers look at the big picture when shopping online but they look at everything up close when they arrive at your home.

And if a buyer sees that the pictures of the home don’t match the real thing, they feel duped and usually walk away from the property.

Remember, buyers are really picky. If you want to get the best price possible for your home – and sell it fast – you must do all you can to have your home look its best.

Do the online photographs of your home tell the truth?


Do buyers see frightening pictures of the pine trees growing out of your gutters or of those nasty black streaks on your roof? If a buyer isn’t excited about a home after seeing it online, they won’t want to see it in person.

When buyers approach your home in their car, does your driveway, with its grimy patches and rust stains remind them of a downtown, bus station parking lot?

Are your windows dull and coated with a grey residue left behind by overflowing dirty gutters, or blowing dirt, pollen, sand, and sea salt?

Are your door frames, sills and sliding door tracks crusty with grime, dead bugs and old leaves?

Are your front steps, bricks, patios, deck furniture and fences thick with an infestation of mildew or algae, affectionately known in Virginia as green slime?

Do buyers immediately think “abandoned haunted house” from the copious covering of the dusty, sticky mass of cobwebs, spider poop, and dead bugs on your light fixtures, eaves and door frames?

4.5.

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Sounds pretty grim, right? It doesn’t have to be….

While the Realtor is unlocking your door, can the buyers find a critical reason to eliminate your home?


Your entryway must be super clean and free of clutter. Neat, trimmed plants with contrasting color adds to strong curb appeal. A clean exterior - from siding to windows to driveways and sidewalks - can immediately entice or repel a prospective buyer.

Remove any cobwebs, and wasp nests and sweep away all traces of dirt, leaves, debris, dead insects, spider poop, etc. from your front porch. Clean your light fixtures and replace your bulbs with incandescent or high quality LED bulbs (compact fluorescent bulbs give off a poor quality light – remember the lighting in the last “fitting room” you were in!) Be sure your windows, not just the glass, but the frames and gaskets

Look at these statistics:

In a 2012 study conducted by Texas Tech University, a team of economists examined the impacts of improvement in exterior house conditions and landscape quality on residential property values. Results confirmed that with improved curb appeal, house price can increase up to 17%, and significantly decrease the time it takes to sell. Putting the best face on your home gives a lasting impression that motivates buyers to take that first step toward choosing your home.

If you plan to put your home on the market, or simply want it to look its best, here are our

5 most overlooked ‘yet easy to do’ steps for Selling Your Home at the Best Possible Price – FAST!

Do these five steps and you are well on your way to creating strong “curb appeal” that will ensure your home makes a positive first impression so you get it sold fast:

Can You Afford NOT To Do This?

The Facts

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as well, are sparkling clean. Repair cracked windows, replace missing caulk from around frames and repair torn screens or remove them completely. Wipe down your front door and polish your door hardware.

Your roof is the first thing prospective buyers see when arriving at your home! Yet most homeowners never think about cleaning their roof. Those ugly, black streaks on your shingles ruin the beauty of your roof and a dirty roof signals to buyers possible structural problems in the roof because of poor maintenance. Roof fungus and bacteria are two of the main causes of roof discoloration. Spores of these organisms are often carried by the wind and deposited on roofs. Once these spores find a good place to settle, they begin to multiply by eating your roof. As a homeowner in Virginia, you should always do regular roof maintenance, including cleaning to eradicate any infestations of mold and bacteria growth. Regular maintenance retains the beauty and extends the life of your roof.

If your exterior paint is in good shape, a soft wash (low-pressure with chemical cleaning) system makes it look almost new and provides a quick facelift. Soft wash systems work spectacularly well on removing that green slime from brick and vinyl-sided homes, too.

Pressure washing gives a fresh look to concrete and aggregate surfaces of your walkways and driveways; soft wash systems remove moss and algae from patios and decks; hand detail cleaning removes stains from gutters, railings, columns, window sills, door frames and outdoor deck furniture.

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5.

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Do these 5 simple steps to give your house “model-home” curb appeal for that “show-quality” look and feel, and buyers will beat a path to your door. That’s because there’s nothing like moving into a home that’s ready to go, free of the need for initial touch ups and the “ghosts of owners past”!


According to 1,000 agents surveyed by the real estate website HomeGain.com*, these highly recommended presale improvements listed below generate the best return on investment as measured by a higher selling price. A cleaning cost of $1,000 can bring a 354% Return on Your Cleaning Investment. Your sparkling home gets you the best sales price within the time-frame that meets your needs.

Important Fact About Selling Your Home Revealed By The Experts

Clean all windows, frames, windowsills, doors and doorsills (not just the glass!) inside & out

Make sure all windows open easily (Clean & Lubricate Casement Mechanisms)

Clean screens, sliding screen doors and slider tracks. Remove Mildew from frames, too!

Clean light fixtures, inside & out, including ceiling fans and chandeliers

Replace florescent bulbs with clear incandescent bulbs

Lighten, Brighten & Clean:Clean shutters and blinds

Clean your front porch, portico or entryway – This is where “first impressions” really sink in!

Clean and polish Fireplace Glass

Clean and restore clear glass shower doors and shower enclosures.

Clean Garage – remove oil stains from floors, vacuum floors, walls, and even ceiling to remove cobwebs, dust and dead insects

Recommended Presale Improvements


* Information obtained from HomeGain’s Home Sale Maximizer™ Guide

Clean window frames and sills

Clean and unclog gutters

Clean roof (remove debris and algae growth – those ugly black streaks!)

Clean decks and patios including any furniture

Clean siding and exterior walls removing all green slime and mildew

Clean Garage Doors

Landscapes and Exterior Surfaces:

Remove moss, weeds and stains from brick steps, patios, walkways and driveway

Remove Insects, wasp nests and spider webs from your home

Clean fences

Clean mailbox

Clean awnings


You still have a life to live while you are selling your home. Children still have homework and soccer, jobs and careers still demand your time. Do you really have the time available to spend cleaning the outside of your home? How many Saturday afternoons do you have to spare?

With just one simple phone call to Squeegee Squad, you can have your entire home – windows, roof, deck, driveway, furniture and fixtures completely clean! We’ll even get rid of all the green slime that’s built up over the years.

Squeegee Squad’s Signature “House Beautiful Spa Service” gives you all the Realtor® pre-sale recommendations With our unique “home detailing” process, your home’s windows and exterior surfaces receive an extremely thorough and methodical cleaning that restores your home to its original “show quality” beauty.

Watch in amazement as the “Squad” removes years of built up grime, mildew, green slime, cobwebs, nasty spider poop and more from your home’s gorgeous windows, roof and exterior surfaces using good old-fashioned elbow grease applied with tender-loving care, expert cleaning techniques and the right combination of our special eco-friendly detergents. Your home will absolutely sparkle in the Southeast Virginia sunshine!

The Undeniable Truth About Selling Your Home That No One Is Telling You “Squeegee Squad cleaned

windows inside & out in our two story home. Vacuumed drapes in two rooms cleaned two very large chandeliers. They reviewed the job, made suggestions, gave us a price (pleased us), performed as he said he would! We could not be happier!”

~ JA Shirley, Suffolk


“I recently purchased a home that was neglected by the previous owner. The windows were really overdue for cleaning. Besides the years of accumulated dirt, grime, and paint, they actually had some blue-green algae growing on them! There was dust, caked on dirt on the sills and dead bugs in the tracks and on the seals. And Squeegee Squad cleaned it all… They went to town making my house beautiful again. They even fixed the window I couldn’t get to open. I received a beautiful “Thank You” gift when they were finished! Now my windows look stunning and they sparkle in the daylight! My whole house is brighter! I can’t wait until my sister visits so she can see how wonderful my house really is! Thank you, Steven, for making me proud of my home again!

-Elvira Flynn, Suffolk, VA


• Storm window cleaning

• Hard water stain removal (the white stain that you can’t clean – but we can!)

• Detailed cleaning of window frames, sills and even window seals and gaskets

• Screens wet washed and wiped dry

• Repair torn and damaged screens

• Casement window mechanisms cleaned & lubricated

• Superb “White Glove” cleaning of all windows –inside and out!

What we can do to help buyers fall in love with your home:

Window Washing Services:

Soft Washing Services (Low Pressure Cleaning and Hand Washing):

• Mildew and green slime removal from vinyl, brick and painted surfaces

• Mildew and dirt cleanup of gutter exteriors, channels, downspouts, soffits, eaves, and trim, window frames, entryway, garage doors, etc.

• Bacteria stains (ugly black streaks) cleaned from your roof

SqueegeeSquad


Pressure Washing Services:

Gutter Cleaning Services:

Additional “Spa” Service available for your home:

• Patios and steps

• Decks and fences

• Chimneys

• Driveways & walkways

• Preperation for painting / finishing

• Outdoor furniture cleaning

• Awning cleaning

• Interior and exterior light fixture cleaning including chandeliers and ceiling fans

• Fireplace glass restoration

• Shower door glass restoration

• Window caulking

• Rust stain removal

• Chalk and calcite stain removal from brick

• Insect, wasp nest and spider web removal

• Debris removed and gutters flushed clean

• Downspouts unclogged

• Gutter whitening

• Installation of gutter guards (micromesh stainless steel)


Hey, what happened with Ted?

When Ted read all the negative comments prospective buyers were saying about his home, he finally came around and made the investment to clean and repair his home. He took his house off the market while Ted completed his “to-do” list. After $2,500 in cleaning, updates, and repairs, he put his home back on the market at his original asking price. In three days he received three great offers!

Ted applied his newly learned lesson while shopping for his new home. He found the perfect home and moved right in!

But don’t just take our word for it…

“Squeegee Squad Soft washed and hand

washed all gutters, soffits and trim; remove

branches and pine needles from roof; per

carbonate washed the boat dock; bleach &

scrub vinyl deck fence / rails and Trex deck,

including steps; clean interior / exterior of

outdoor light fixtures; clean exterior of all

windows.

From speaking to their professional office

staff for scheduling, to having the owner

personally come out to give us an estimate,

to the actual completion of the work - it

was an amazingly wonderful experience and

company to do business with. The workers

were courteous and very much hard-working

from the start to the finish of both very hot

days. Owner was on-site to make sure that

everything was done as quoted. They were

able to make our Trex deck look new again.

The soffits, which we could have never

reached to clean, also looked like new!

There was no way possible that we could

have gotten on our roof to clean off years of

accumulated pine needles. But, they did it!

The total experience was so great that I’ve

already passed out 6 of their business cards

to co-workers and friends. From now on, I

will only call on Squeegee Squad to take

care of my home, deck and dock!”

~ Kathy Taylor, Suffolk


Observations About My Home


Don’t just take our word for it!

“Squeegee Squad Power washed my driveway, sidewalks, and patio. Wow!!! Just as the VAL Pak brochure stated. During consultation and inspection, Steven was very professional. After I told him what services I needed, he proceeded to explain how he would accomplish the job. He never pressured me to sign up for any additional services his company could perform. On the contrary, during the consultation, he freely gave me tips on how to do certain jobs myself. On the proposal sheet, he put in writing a list of suggestions that I should do because I intend to sell my house in the near future. From the day of consultation and inspection, until the cleaning day, Suze kept me informed via e-mails. Steven and his squad team performed the power cleaning in a very quick and efficient operation. They even power cleaned the wood on a flower stand which was not on the contract. After completion, Steven presented me with a small gift package from the Squeegee Squad. A first, in all my life when dealing with a service contractor. Thanks, Steven and Suze, for an outstanding job. I highly recommend Squeegee Squad to my family and friends.”

~ Roy Coulliette, Suffolk VA


“Squeegee Squad cleaned all windows inside and outside - scrubbed and cleaned all screens, cleaned deck, and chairs, took mildew off deck door and vinyl, cleaned out the garbage disposable where the bugs were coming from. Everything went terrific. Steven is extremely knowledgeable, thorough, and precise. Everything that I needed to be done was taken care of and then some. When everything was finished I couldn’t believe that Steven had put back the screens! The clarity of the view was so clear you couldn’t even tell the screens were back on. I was very happy with the service and have all intentions of making recommendations to my friends. Thank you for all you did. It was greatly appreciated. You are number one in my book and wouldn’t hesitate to call you back again.”

~ Rosalie Brown, Suffolk VA

The ONLY Hampton Roads cleaning company with a complete “Home-Detailing” exterior cleaning service guaranteed to instantly restore the sparkle and original “like-new” beauty to your home.

Increase the value of your property

Get your entire home spotless with only one company

Restore your house to its original “show-quality” condition

All services backed by our Triple Money Back “White Glove Service” Guarantee!

757-255-4400 7077 Crittenden Road Suffolk, VA 23432 www.SqueegeeSquadSEVA.com

a guide to the 5 most overlooked steps for selling your home

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