If you recently sold your house, you will need to move quickly to pack up your belongings and relocate to a new address. In addition, you probably will want to clean your house as much as possible prior to a homebuyer's final walk-through.

Fortunately, there are many quick, easy ways to clean a home before you move, including:

1. Straighten Up Your Home While You Pack

Home cleaning can be a long, arduous process, particularly for those who wait until the last minute to perform various home cleaning tasks. If you clean up after yourself while you prepare for your upcoming move, you can avoid the stress of completing extensive home cleaning right before moving day.

Wiping down home countertops, walls and ceilings usually is a great idea. By doing so, you can keep these spots clean while you plan for your move.

Also, don't forget to empty the attic and basement and remove dirt, dust and debris from these areas. This will ensure you can clean these areas once and for all before moving day arrives.

2. Remove All Clutter from Your Home

There is no reason to let clutter slow you down as you prepare for an upcoming move. Instead, clear out clutter immediately, and you can clean your home and reduce the number of items that you'll need to move to your new address.

Today, there are several ways to get rid of clutter. In many instances, you can sell excess items as part of a yard sale or online. Or, you can always donate these items to local charities or give them to friends or family members.

Regardless of what you decide to do with clutter, it is essential to remove clutter from your house as soon as you can. That way, you can cut down on clutter and increase the likelihood of a quick, seamless moving day experience.

3. Hire a Cleaning Company

Cleaning a home from top to bottom can be a lot of work. Plus, if you're already allocating significant amounts of time to packing for an upcoming move, you may lack the necessary time and energy to improve your house's interior and exterior.

Many home cleaning companies are available in cities and towns nationwide. These businesses employ friendly, highly trained professionals who are happy to help you clean your residence prior to moving day.

If you plan to hire a home cleaning company, don't wait to contact this business. Because the longer you wait to book a home cleaning company, the more likely it becomes that this business won't be able to accommodate your cleaning needs before you move.

Lastly, if you need help finding a cleaning company in your area, you can always consult with a real estate agent. This housing market professional can help you sell a home, as well as connect you with first-rate cleaning companies in any area, at any time.

Use the aforementioned tips, and you should have no trouble cleaning your house in the days leading up to your move.

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Real estate investing is a powerful way to build wealth, as investors can take advantage of rent payments, appreciation, tax deductions and leverage. Additionally, there are lots of properties to invest in. If you’re starting to explore real estate as an investment opportunity, here are five types of properties and why you might invest in each.

Single-Family Houses: Starter Investments

Many individuals first get into real estate investing with single-family homes. There are many of these for sale, and they tend to cost less than the other property types mentioned here. Whether you want to flip properties or rent them out, a single-family home lets you get into real estate at an affordable price and you can learn a lot from owning just one house.

Small Multi-Family Houses: Greater Cash Flow

Small multi-family houses are a natural step after owning a single-family home, for multi-family properties offer better cash flow while still remaining manageable. Many landlords who invest in small multi-family buildings that have two to five units manage these properties themselves (although you can always outsource to a property management company as well).

Apartment Complexes: Significant Income Potential

If you have the necessary financial resources, apartment complexes offer even greater income potential than small multi-family homes. The more units a complex has, the more people pay rent and the greater the potential revenue. Of course, this increased potential comes with additional challenges. Expect to maintain amenities and answer regular service calls if you get a sizeable apartment complex.

Vacation Homes: Dual-Purpose Income Properties

With the advent of peer-to-peer online platforms, vacation homes have become an increasingly popular type of investment property. These include lake houses, ski houses and ranches, as well as apartments and townhomes in cities that have regular short-term visitors. In short, anywhere there’s a campground or hotel, a vacation home might be viable.

Vacation homes are unique in that they focus on short-term rentals rather than long-term leases. While this means the place must be cleaned between each reservation, it also gives you the flexibility to block off times when friends or family want to use the place.

Commercial Properties: Sizeable Investment Potential

An alternative to residential properties, you can also invest in commercial properties. You may have to be an accredited investor (earn $250,000 annually or have a $1 million net worth) to get into commercial real estate. If you’re able to, though, these properties offer diversity and significant long-term potential.

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If the thought of getting a mortgage and being in that much debt is stopping you from buying a home, plan to pay it off. Here’s how you can do it in just five to 10 years.

• Live well below your means. If you can keep your mortgage payment to below twenty percent of your take-home pay, you’re on your way. That means that instead of buying a larger house in an upscale community, buy the nicest one you can in the neighborhood you can afford. When you do this, you’ll not only save on the payment but your energy and maintenance costs will be lower, as well.
• Take a 15-year mortgage. Instead of the typical 30-year loan, opt for the 15-year choice. Your payments will be slightly higher, but they won’t be double. Use an online mortgage calculator to see the difference in the payment. You’ll be surprised at how much more affordable cutting the loan length in half can be.
• Use an early mortgage pay-off calculator. Try plugging in different payment amounts to see how quickly you can pay it off. Adding as little as $100 extra each month can massively reduce the years to completion.
• This next idea is easy if you get paid weekly or bi-weekly. Instead of making your mortgage payment once a month, pay half of it every two weeks. Using this trick allows you to make an entire extra payment each year, cutting months and years off your mortgage. If you do it to match your bi-weekly payments, you won’t even notice the additional payment out of your household budget.

Your Agent Can Help

When you’re looking for just the right house to put your plan into action, your knowledgeable real estate agent can find you the perfect one. Let them know what you’re trying to accomplish so that they match you to the right house at the right time.

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