Preparing your property

A lick, a spit and a promise?

To sell a home quickly AND for the right price, how do you make it really shine? Getting the buyer to sign on the dotted line could be made easier with a cheap and simple makeover.

The first thing to ensure is that your home is clean and tidy. This may sound very obvious but the less clutter you have lying around, the bigger your home will feel to prospective purchasers.

The other area that people often forget is the outside of their home. A well-kept garden with a few flowers and a tidy lawn will be more impressive than a yard with children's toys and a rusting car in the drive.

Your front door is also important. Flaking paint, loose handles or a scratched foot-plate give a bad first impression. A few minutes spent tidying up the paint-work and securing the handles will give potential buyers a sense of security. Also make sure that your windows are clean and the frames are in a reasonable state of repair. These are things that people look at first and so their importance is magnified.

The smell of your home is more important than you might think. A clean smelling house will be well received by most people. Many buyers will be pleasantly surprised by fresh flowers, but if you are in a hurry then furniture polish sprayed into the air will make your home smell freshly cleaned.

A couple of rolls heating in the oven or some freshly-brewed coffee will also give your house a homely smell.

Having a warm and welcoming feel to your home can influence a buyer's mind. If you have central heating, put it on - and if you have a real fire, then that is sure to be an attention-grabber.

Make sure you have any curtains fully open, and lights on if necessary. Nothing is more off-putting than a dark and dingy house.

Finally, if you have children or other relatives, it could be an idea to get them to make themselves scarce for the duration of the viewing. This is not always possible, but will make you appear that you have more space than you actually have!