We’re assuming you’re going to an estate agent or similar to help you sell your home, and their advice is invaluable. However, you can steal a march on them with some well established home-selling principles:

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1.       Identify who will buy your house

‘Staging’ your home is an industry term for making it look appealing to the right buyer. It doesn’t necessarily mean that will be the person who buys it. One of my homes, town centre, was ideal for young professionals but bought by a young family.

Having the buyer in mind will help you decide more easily about what to have on show, and what NOT, when potential buyers come, and be less personalised - buyers can visualise their home, not yours.

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2.       Read through this list of tips and create a to do list.

And act on it!

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3.       Fix what needs fixing

Get on top of basic maintenance, and fix that doorbell that doesn’t ring, that cracked tile in the kitchen etc. These little things tell visitors you’re not on top of it – if that’s what they can see, what horrors are hidden?

Paint where it’s most needed. Wherever possible, to help the sale,.walls should be neutral to create space and a clean feel – cream, beige, white.

Fix lighting and replace bulbs. Make sure each room looks lovely with the lighting it has.

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4.       Declutter and depersonalise

Pack away really personal items and make the spaces as neutral as possible – people will be wanting to see how their things will fit into the space.

Make it easy by only leaving out a few things aimed to appeal to the buyer you have in mind, and feel homely.

Declutter genuinely! If you’re moving, you only want to pay to move things you really want or love, so now’s a great time to really declutter and pack away belongings, perhaps even selling some things to help with the inevitable costs of moving.

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5.       Clean thoroughly

Aim for a deep clean now (after the repairs and any painting are done.) You’ll still need to clean again before people visit, but a good deep clean, perhaps by a professional firm, will make it easy to stay on top of.

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6.       Ahead of visits: by prospective buyers

·         Clean and tidy

·         Resist the urge to cook fresh bread, brew coffee, burn incense – these smells may be evocative to some but send others running.  Better to simply smell clean by emptying bins, making sure the garden’s clear of pet poops etc – go for neutral on smells as well as paint colours.

·         If you have pets, consider taking them out or boarding them for the day. Dogs have a doggy smell, and some people are afraid of them. Cats love to make a beeline for people who don’t like them. Parrots are notorious for blurting out those phrases the kids thought it was funny to teach them. Need we go on?

Always remember that easyStorage is here to help you store things away to keep your space clear and decluttered. You can obtain a no-obligation quote, day or night, on our website (There’s even a handy space guide). We collect, we drop your things back. As it says on the label: easy!