Hi!
We’re trying to sell our home, because we’re moving away from Melbourne, and we’re having some issues, which lower the price of the property. Most of the rooms are either covered with tiles or laminate, and all of it is looking pretty nice, except for the kitchen. The tiles in there are heavily stained. Even though I clean quite often, the tiles are covered in unpleasant black stains, which seem to be stuck in there forever. I already tried a few cleaning products, I tried soaking it for hours, but nothing seems to work. My only option left is pressure cleaning or something, I don’t know. It usually wouldn’t bother me, if it wasn’t that the realtor told me this would have a negative impact on the price we want for the house. I already looked into some companies which claim they can take care of the problem, but so far I found only two in my price range – http://www.paulstilecleaningmelbourne.com.au/ and http://www.tilerescue.com.au/ but I’m still not sure which one to choose. So, my question is, do any of you think the stained floor tiles would be such an issue when selling the house? And if anyone has any insights on cleaning companies, which can take care of heavily stained tiles, I would really appreciate it also. I’m adding a picture of the floor, so you can have a better idea of the kind of damage. Thanks in advance for any help!
Hi Savannah,
I agree with the Realtor. Certainly, if the other rooms look good, then the kitchen floors will “stand out” even more. And the major problem I see is in the buyer’s mind :-
e.g. “Ooohh – look at those tiles – they look quite dirty. I don’t know how much it would cost to clean them, or (horrors) replace them !! Could be $5000 or more to replace them. What would it cost to have them cleaned – CAN they even BE cleaned? Better allow $5000 off the price, or just look for another house that doesn’t need fixing”Re the tile cleaners, I am not Melbourne based, so can’t recommend anyone. But, my thoughts would be to talk about any guarantees they might put on their work, the type of cleaning they might need to do in your case, any risks, etc. Have them come over and show you what they can do, and/or have them direct you to where they might be doing someone else’s tile cleaning so you can see results before you engage them. If they are a reputable group, I am sure they will be only too happy to show you their expertise.
Benny
Thanks a lot for the reply! Well, I guess the realtor wasn’t lying after all. Good to know :) I think too that it stands out from the rest of the house a lot, but I don’t feel like replacing the whole floor just to sell it afterwards. But you’re right, potential buyers will be repelled by it, so I need to do something about it. I will follow your advice to ask for guarantees from the cleaning companies. But I guess most of them have to give those, otherwise nobody would book them. One of the places even offered me a free assessment, so maybe I’ll take advantage of it. :)
Cool, Savannah – do drop in to tell us all how it goes !! Good luck,
Benny
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. If you don't have an account, you can register here.
