Selling your existing home

It's a fact of life that right when you're in the thick of the building process you may also have to face up to the equally complex process of selling your existing house. Here are some tips that can help...

As an over-riding principle you are trying to create an environment in which potential buyers can imagine themselves living.  It can help to create an image of the ideal buyer and position the house to suit them. Talk to your real estate agent about this and re-position your home to suit. This can be as big a job as you are prepared to make it.  For example, a spare bedroom that you use as a junk-room might be better set up as an office. Clearing out a cluttered shed could help to reposition it as a potential work shop or studio space.

Consider what you can do to make rooms seem more spacious. If you have large pieces of furniture that clutter rooms, think about shifting them out. Lighten dark areas with mirrors.

Try to approach your home with a fresh eye. Go to other people's open homes and look at the way they are presenting them. Of course people don't really live in homes that are that tidy!

Cull all cluttered shelves and surfaces. Keep personal memorabilia and family photos to a minimum. (if you don't have attractive photos – borrow your good looking friends!)

Clean all the windows. Prune trees to let in more light.
Mow the lawns. Trim the hedge, replace the rusty guttering.
Waterblast pathways, decks and courtyards. Only waterblast paintwork if it's going to stand up to it, unless you're planning to repaint.

Get rid of pot plants indoors and out that have gone past their use-by date.

Fresh flowers inside the house are nice, but don't go overboard – it needs to look natural, not like a funeral parlour!

If you have animals make sure there's no sign of them – eg; cat hair, scratch marks on the doors, dog bowls at the back door.
Get rid of any mould in the bathroom and anywhere else in the house.

If a room is musty, don't try to cover it with air-freshener – open a window.

Think about traffic flow through the house – arrange furniture to direct people to the view if there is one.

Get packing! People will look in cupboards and wardrobes. If it looks cluttered they will wonder if there's enough storage space.
Fix all the little bits that need fixing, but don't necessarily redecorate. Your taste may be the exact opposite of your potential buyer.

Get the fridge magnets and school notices off your fridge.

Clean the oven, the fridge and the range hood.
Pin posters over the unsightly marks on your children's bedroom walls.

Cover stained or worn patches of carpet with rugs.
Remember, this isn't cheating – it's only what you would do to make your house look great for any special occasion.