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

Don't be tempted to go with the agent that gives you the highest valuation. Sometimes this is just to tempt you onto their books and then the house will hang around and not sell. Check the market values out by looking at similar properties in the area yourself first.

Do viewings yourself, greet viewers like guests and if they seem genuinely interested try to get them to sit and chat, before making excuse to leave the room for a few minutes.

I sometimes think that it really doesn't matter what you do or, do not do, to a house when you are selling it. One house hunter will drive past your house and love it, another hate it and potential buyers will reject it for the silliest of reasons. They do not like the curtains or the garden is an odd shape.

Remember, unless you are extraordinarily lucky the majority of viewers will not like your house, no matter what you do to it, but eventually one will appear who likes it and is in a position to proceed.

The factors that really decide whether houses sell or not are things completely out of your control, like the availability of mortgages, how strict the building societies/ banks etc are about buyers ability to support a specific size of mortgage. Political uncertainty like Brexit will discourage buyers as will fears of unemployment or rising interest rates.

If mortgage money is readily available and people are confident about their jobs etc, there are more buyers than sellers, prices rise and a buyer will buy anything just to get a foot on the ladder, and any house will sell.

All this is beyond the sellers control. Just put the house on the market, have a quick tidy round before the photos are taken and then live normally.

I think it's better to let the estate agent show people round (rather than doing it yourself). People will (usually) be polite to the owner but they'll say what they really think to the estate agent and if the agent is any good, they'll be able to answer them and perhaps allay their worries (eg: if they say the kitchen's too small, the estate agent might suggest knocking a wall through).

A tidy and clean home without clutter - can always put it in storage until it has been sold.

Decorations neutral shades which will make rooms look clean and larger.

Gardens neat and well cared for with freshly mowed lawns.

A nice aroma of coffee or fresh bread can make a home more appealing.

Good lighting to enable the property to look bright.

Let someone else do it for you.

clean and tidy inside and out,and bake a cake it makes the house feel like a home

Best tip I ever got was: "Clean as though the Queen is coming". You'll be surprised at how much people will overlook if a house smells and looks clean and fresh!

If the printed details are good enough I will know immediately if it is what I want and as soon as I step inside the front door I know whether this is the one for me. Just a gut feeling each time and I've never been proved wrong. I would rather see a house 'lived in' than see a show house.

I always prefer to see a tidy clean home as I think the owners have taken a pride in their house so it will have been probably have been maintained well. Part of the kerb appeal is clean windows!

Don't be tempted to sell if the chain breaks. We were told we would be in a better position with cash to spend, but house prices went up by 100% in a year in our area, and we almost had to buy the same house in a worse area for more money.

De-clutter, neutral colours, tidy up the front of the house, keep the gardens tidy!

De-personalise your home, hiding family photos and personal items including anything considered 'novelty'. Keep the rooms de-cluttered, clean, fresh smelling and as light and neutral as possible. Mirrored panels are great for bringing extra light in the room and giving the illusion of more space

Paint it through out with neutral colours, have plenty of flowers and fragrances in the rooms

First impressions really do count. So it's important to have a clean and tidy front garden / driveway and clean doors, windows etc. The potential buyer will instinctively think this is a well looked after home and have positive vibes straight away.

Make sure property is well maintained both outside & inside, declutter & also have a fresh smell of homemaking when anybody calls.

Be patient and make sure it is not only in the best condition possible but also priced fairly. We sold our house earlier this year and we had viewings every week for the first few months but no offers. We then found out that people were being put off by a slightly damaged flooring in the kitchen and although this seemed minor to us, there were several similar properties for sale at the same price. We replaced the section of flooring for around £150 and then dropped our asking price slightly and it sold for the new price a week later.

Make sure you tidy up BEFORE the estate agent comes round to take photographs - I see a lot of adverts with clutter in the pictures!

the house needs to be the height of cleanliness

I think that first impressions (however subliminal) are crucial.
Have a clean, well-presented house, both inside and out. No clutter. Make sure its warm, and brew a coffee before hand so that smell fills the house.

declutter, and get rid of bright/bold colouring and redecorate in neutrals

Choosing the right estate agent is VERY important! You need an estate agent who can give you good value for money but can also use the right techniques to pull the viewers in. When it comes to buyers, you need to be very careful and make sure they are reliable. The best buyers would be first-time buyers or chain-free buyers.

Personally I like to see that a house is a home rather than a show home, but do make sure all rooms are tidy and that the loos are clean. (Speaking from experience of a smelly cloakroom with the seat up displaying unflushed contents...)

It goes without saying I hope that you clean every nook and cranny and don't forget the windows outside, and keep the garden neat and tidy, however inside remember that not everyone wants or likes children or pets so keep pets under control or better still with other family on viewing days and keep the childrens toys and drawings put away tidy until you find a new home.
Bathrooms need to be spotless so deep clean and check all the dripping taps put on display posh products and all your normal everyday use products from Aldi out of sights, good towels on display, the buyers are buying into a lifestyle so tired and worn out is not an option and remember you do get to take them with you.
Bedroom, fresh linen and ironed not looking as if its been on for a week and a room thats tranquil so all clutter put away out of sight.
This is always a good time to declutter as it saves on removal costs and the hassle of packing it all up just to unpack at the other end and then sent it to the charity shop.
Having moved nine times in the last 15 years I can recommend the last one.

Make it as tidy as possible, no clutter and a few fresh flowers won’t hurt