Give every room a purpose

Most of us have that one room, usually the smallest bedroom, that just seems to end up housing all the ‘junk’ we haven’t yet found homes for. Whatever room it is, have a furniture shuffle, maybe throw out some of that stuff you haven’t used in a year or purchase some low-cost storage solutions to create a new home for it. Turn the space in to a useable room that the viewer can picture themselves in, as opposed to looking through a door to a mountain of stuff that makes the room appear smaller than it actually it.

Fact: most viewers are unable to see past ‘stuff’, so remove as much ‘stuff’ from their line of vision as you can.

Undecorate

Over the years, we all collect things that become sentimental. We display our kids drawings on the fridge, have numerous photographs on show, ornamental gifts that we keep on windowsills or shelves...

Now is the time to be ruthless and box them all up. The aim is to give your property that ‘show-home’ feel of being as unlived in and clutter free as possible. This allows your potential buyer to visualise the space with their own belongings. The more they can visualise themselves living there, the larger the property’s worth increases in their eyes.

Take on the to-do list

Any homeowner will tell you that there is a never-ending list of tasks that need doing, from mowing the lawn to fixing door handles. Maybe there’s scuffs on the skirting boards you’ve been meaning to get rid of or the kitchen tap has an annoying drop that needs fixing.

Whatever it is, book out a day at the weekend, get the kids looked after and bosh out those jobs. Getting them done can have a surprising amount of impact on perceived value.