Prepare your home for sale

Four quick wins to make before you put your property on the market:

1. Declutter

Buyers can often struggle to see past heaps of furniture and personal items, and they can make rooms feel small. Consider renting some external storage space to house items until you move. But try to strike a balance – remember people often buy into a lifestyle. Try and show them your home life at its best.

2. A fresh lick of paint

Try to step back and look at your home objectively. Right now, selling your house – and not your attachment to a particular wallpaper design – is the priority. Consider if areas can be tidied up by a quick lick of paint. Don’t go overboard though – it’s good for property’s to show some personality, rather than feeling like empty white boxes. A splash of colour to one feature wall can be really effective.

3. First impressions count

Buyers will often drive past a property to rate its curb appeal before they express any interest. Tidy up the garden or driveway, clean the windows, and give the front door a spruce with some fresh paint.

4. Fix, fix, fix

Small outstanding repairs can be easy to ignore when you see them every day, but when a buyer comes to look around your property they can make the place look really tired. Look around every room in your house, make a list of quick-fixes and get them sorted.