What are your top tips for selling a home? - £300 voucher to be won

Someone I know has just put their large, immaculate six bedroomed house on the market, put in an offer on another house which has been accepted, handed the keys of their home to the estate agent, shoved their dogs in the boot of the car and gone to a rented cottage in Cornwall until it's all over.

That's the way to do it!

Check the estate agents details meticulously. We nearly didn't view a house we later bought because in the details sent out two of the bedrooms were so small. The only reason we realised it was wrong was because we fitted the upstairs over the downstairs and there was space to spare. We realised that the smallest bedroom's measurements had been applied twice and that the third bedroom was in fact a good-sized double.

I have had the same problems with sales details when we were selling, found wrong measurements and erroneous descriptions in them and had them changed.

After that, relax, I am by nature tidy and the house is always in good decorative order inside and out.

At the end of the day it is down to the personal taste of the buyer, They want wood floors, you have carpets, they walk away. Sooner or later a potential buyer will turn up looking for a carpeted house. At the other end of the scale there are people like us who are serial house renovators, and are looking for an untidy run down house to do up.

I might add that as a house hunter, I am not bothered about how the house looks. If it is immaculate, the price will reflect this. Something less perfect is a better buy.

I look at the house details, room layout and size and whether both are what I am looking for. Decor, tidyness and all the rest are immaterial.

DD bought an immaculate house because it was the only one on the market that met her very specific requirements. Within days of moving in she had ripped up the carpets in some rooms, started redecorating, and generally removing all signs of the original immaculate decoration because however beautiful the condition was, it was the reverse of her taste.

Kerb appeal. Make the front outside particularly attractive and well kept. All paintwork and windows clean. Make the house welcoming so you can get people over the threshold.

Inside neutral and clean, warm and no dogs around. Garden interesting and well kept.

Sell a lifestyle.

I do not believe that first impressions count. For me it is about location, everything else can be changed. A dirty or badly decorated house would not put me off.

A tidy front garden is a must ( as is your immediate neighbours- offer to do it for them if they've let it go a bit!) as no one wants to live in a street where people are seen not to care for their property and garden. Tackle any exterior paint work too as first impressions count for a lot. Try and arrange viewings at the sunniest part of the day too if some of your rooms are a bit dark and light neutral walls make rooms look a bit bigger. If a lot of work needs doing to the house then be prepared to negotiate on price a bit.

Showing the house yourself so you can answer questions from potential buyers with using your local knowledge.

The last house I sold it turned out my remark about the old earth bank sea wall just up the road being an ideal place for running, was what struck a chord with the new buyers. They were keen marathon runners.

When looking at houses for sale I was impressed by the people who had obviously put fresh bedding on the beds. Crisp duvet covers told a lot about the owners.

Declutter, repaint and view from buyers point of view

Clear away all family photos and personal clutter.Set the scene in every room, neutral colours, clean carpets, no animal odours or food bowls.
A vase of fresh flowers on the dining table, wooden surfaces polished.Outside, a clean or newly painted front door, a swept path, a tidy garden.
But.... the main thing is to not say too much to potential buyers, allow them space to look around.

First impressions are everything, so make sure any garden space is looking good - both at the front of the house and the back (employ the services of a gardener if necessary). And declutter the house - if your home is overflowing with unnecessary items, sell them or put them in storage. Keep your house looking good - and feeling homely - for when potential buyers are looking around.

Location location. We recently bought a neglected and clearly unloved house which had been empty and for sale for over a year in a great location in a lovely village.

The house was in a terrible state with leaky roof, mouldy windows, lethal electrics etc. Nothing special, 70's box.

We were going to rip it all out anyway and renovate to our taste so if it had been in good condition we'd have been paying for someone else's taste. We got a bargain no one else seemed to want. They will be surprised when we're finished because already it's unrecognisable and very soon it will soon look lovely.

On the other hand, to sell our house we concentrated on presentation, outside and in. Clean, clean, tidy and clean again. Banish clutter. Neutral décor with a flash of eclectic taste perhaps in picture, ornaments, cushions etc to liven things up (to avoid drab and boring). Ours sold in less than 2 weeks once we'd seen the neglected house we wanted.

Happy to say I will never be moving again and at last I can decorate / furnish / live in my house the way I want to live, without a care for future saleability. First time ever.

Location is important because it is one thing which can't be changed but the things which are within the control of the vendor are cleanliness and tidiness.

Also, try and avoid having the place smelling of food or pets when prospective purchasers come to view the property.

Neutral decor is probably a good idea.

Kerb appeal - with many people, first impressions count.

Declutter, makes the house look bigger. As a buyer either fix something or leave it as normal, the price will reflect it. One house I looked at tried to hide a hole in the drive by having the car parked at a really odd angle. The house was well priced and the hole was not serious. But it does make you very suspicious .

Take advantage of paid storage to conceal all those things that you have been meaning to get rid of or asking your adult children to collect. Make sure everywhere – ceilings, tops of doors, tops of kitchen wall units and picture rails included – are spotless. Dry-clean or wash curtains. Weed the garden and mow the lawn. Depersonalise and leave the agent to handle the inspection.

I've bought and sold many times over the years and I've always followed the kind of advice provided here, especially re. keeping your house clean, tidy and fresh smelling.
Ultimately though, the top three priorities for me have been location, price, good neighbours.
By way of illustration....
We once viewed two houses in the same location, one we had done our homework on and liked.
The couple who owned the first house had followed all the usual advice to the letter: their house was spotless, crisp white bedding, freshly painted throughout, soft lighting, flowers in every room, the smell of freshly brewed coffee, very little in the way of personal stuff like photos, garden immaculate. When asked about their own plans, they weren't forthcoming. Nor did they offer any information about local amenities etc. As we took our leave, we spotted the next door neighbour at her window but she darted back when she realized that she'd been seen.
The second owners were a couple with three young children, dog, cat, guinea pigs. Fairly chaotic and untidy, with general clutter everywhere: children's art work, family photos etc. The back garden full of children playing: toys, swing, trampoline etc. - all supervised by a neighbour, who greeted us with a smile and chatted away with advice and information about schools etc.
The two houses were identical in terms of overall size, layout, rooms etc. The second was on the market for £25,000 less than the first and, like us, the couple wanted to move during the school holidays.
We bought the second house. We never regretted it

Interview several estate agents before deciding who should do the selling; be realistic about the market you are most likely to sell to and employ an agent accordingly. There's no point in paying the fees of an upmarket national company who will send out colour brochures etc if your most likely buyer is going to be a developer

If you are presenting your house as one which needs nothing major doing to it rather than a doer-upper (and people seem to be after one or the other) make it look as immaculate as you can. We have bought both over the years. I agree that location is key but if someone is buying a house that clearly needs modernising then they won't be put off by decor or clutter. If they are buying one because they think they can move straight in and won't need to do anything then making it look its best and getting rid of very personal decor or lots of bits and pieces can really help

But I agree with previous poster - making it look like a happy home is more important than making it perfect.

Get as much money as you can LOL

Ditto what others have said about tidy front garden and general cleanliness, but think about the back garden too. When we were helping our son buy his first place we viewed one with him where the owner's dog had done it's business in the back yard and they hadn't attempted to clear it up. Yuk! Don't know if they ever sold it!

I don’t know about selling Purple Bricks, but I do know that being unable to make a convenient viewing appointment through your website was a major factor in deciding not buying a flat you were advertising!

It’s still on the market...........

Before viewing most people look on Internet and at agents details. Ensure the agent displays good photos showing your house to best advantage, in bright light. Make them redo if unhappy. Don't overvalue, most buyers are savvy about price these days. As others have said, clean clean clean, no off putting smells, no personal stuff, store it and declutter, repaint if necessary, repair broken fittings, tidy front garden, and if dull scatter a few pots with bright plants. After viewing if you are interested, visit at different times of the day (or night), we've had some surprises in the past! If neighbours are pleasant let viewers know - if buying try and glean info about the neighbours. I agree location is usually key, but if you sell your neighbourhood's assets people may be swayed. Other than that, it's just luck

Wish mine would sell only been up a couple of months followed ll the tips but still awaiting a buyer.?