You’d think once we’ve cleared everything out of a deceased estate, that’s job done. House is empty, ready to sell, right? Not quite.
Thing is, when all the furniture and belongings are gone, suddenly you notice how grotty the outside looks. Driveways that were half-covered by cars and garden equipment are now fully visible – complete with oil stains and years of grime.
Common issue across Melbourne’s outer suburbs. After clearance, families often realise how bad the external surfaces look compared to the now-clean interior. Concrete driveways stained with oil and grime, brick walls gone dark, pavers covered in moss and algae.
Real estate photographers have limited options with badly stained exteriors. Hard to make dirty surfaces look appealing in listing photos.
Melbourne weather doesn’t help exterior surfaces either. The wet winters encourage moss and algae growth, while summer heat bakes stains into concrete. When someone’s been unwell or elderly, external maintenance often gets left.
Families are usually focused on getting the house cleared and sold as quickly as possible. Fair enough too – it’s stressful dealing with estates. But then the agent mentions that external presentation might be holding back the sale price and suddenly it’s another thing to organise.
Problem is most clearance companies like us don’t do pressure cleaning. Different equipment, different expertise. We stick to what we know.
To avoid any conflicts of interest when discussing services outside our wheelhouse, we typically point families toward specialists in other areas. Companies like Pressure Cleaning Perth handle the external restoration side – driveways, limestone, pool areas, that sort of thing.
Makes sense to do it after clearance anyway. No risk of getting furniture or belongings dirty, and you can properly assess what needs attention once everything’s out of the way.
Just wish more families knew to factor it into their timeline. Saves having the property sit on the market longer than necessary.
