Our forms mention broom clean, but I think the home should be spotless to the best of the sellers' abilities.

I advise sellers to leave it as they would like to receive it.  That's assuming the seller likes a clean house.

Broom clean, or cleaner.

Professional help.

Broom swept clean is all that is typically expected. But I often write into a contract that home be professionally cleaned, including carpets, prior to closing. I don't really remember the last time a seller left a messy, dirty home behind.

Paul, our contract appears to be similiar to yours and we have had the same problems what the seller considers to be clean may not be the buyer's idea of clean.  The main concern is leaving "junk" items behind and almost all the buyers we have had draw the line there and insist that sellers remove their junk and debris out of the yard, garage, basement, attic, etc.

Paul - I would have to agree with Larry Johnston and John Juarez. Things have gotten a lot better in the last 2-3 years, but from 2008 to 2012, many homes were left in very bad condition because owners just didn't care and buyers were getting some great deals.

The contracts from Virginia and North Carolina both require that the seller leave it in "broom-swept" condition. I am sure that there is a bit a latitude to the definition...

Most of our contract say that the buyer gets occupancy on the day of closing, therefore the Seller needs to be moved out before closing.  That's why we have a walkthrough.  We have had several things that needed to be taken care of before we would close.  It needs to be acceptable to the buyer.

I usually write "professional cleaning" into the contract. But when working with buyers I do caution them that a professional cleaning doesn't always mean everything will be to a white-glove standard.

Very clean. If they have to hire help then do it. A buyer shouldn't have to come in and see dirt on things like ceiling fans, baseboards, window ledges, etc. In my opinion this should be part of regular house cleaning.

Broom swept and all debri hauled away.

Paul Henderson I suggest them to clean it completely - if possible, use maid services to complete the task.

Our standard contract says the property shall be maintained in substantially the same condition as the date of acceptance and all debris and personal property shall be removed by close of escrow.

That leaves a lot up in the air for interpretation by the parties involved.

I tell my sellers to leave the house as they would like to find it if they were the buyers.

A professional cleaning is a great closing gift whether you are representing sellers or buyers.

I spell it out in the contract.  That way there is no excuses

Depending on the area, some sellers can not afford to have a professional cleaning service come in.  I have seen immaculate houses as well as messy homes, too.  There is no guarantee what the home will look like, but I do ask the seller to leave it as clean as possible.  

Broom swept is typical Paul Henderson  but a professional cleaning is the norm for high end homes here. I should clarify and state half a million and up for the record.

The Maine state contract specifies broom clean.  I make a point of explaining broom clean.  In a worst case, I paid for a house cleaner and told my seller it was their closing gift.

they should leave the home they way they would expect if they were buying the home , clean not filthy; thnaks this is a great question

I guess it would be nice if they at least didn't leave a lot of trash behind.  And, you know that the buyers are doing a walk through before closing normally.  Do you want them to think you had so little respect for the buyers that they would leave filth behind?  Chief Cook would be one to hire a cleaning service, for sure!

In commercial real estate, we called it broom clean condition.  On the last home we had, I had a commercial cleaning company clean it.  I just like to leave things that way.  A