It is important to prepare your home for sale.

Create a Good Impression
Remember that the first impression buyers get of your property will be the one they remember. It is therefore important, when your home is on the market, that lawns are trimmed, hedges are cut, and that the external appearance of your property overall is a tidy one. This includes tidying sheds and garage. Perhaps a couple of trips to the rubbish tip would be helpful.

Present in the Best Light
Buyers generally feel better about a home that lets in plenty of light. Make sure when your property is on the market that you open as many drapes and blinds as possible. If the day turns dull, turn on some lights. The atmosphere of any home can be improved markedly with the addition of good lighting.

Pets and Buyer Don't Always Mix
Prospective buyers will not always be as fond of Rover and Tiddles as you and your family. It is therefore important to ensure that any visit to your home by a buyer is not cut short as a result of leaping or licking pets. Make sure your furry loved ones are out of the way when your home is being shown.

Create Some Space
Show off the spaces in your home by clearing rooms of unnecessary clutter. Some rooms will perhaps look better with less furniture. If this is the case, it may be worth your while putting excess furniture into storage. Also check for clutter in cupboards and wardrobes, these could detract from the overall appeal of your home.

Improve Capital Gain
If you want to increase the value of your home you may have to increase the value through improvements. Kitchens and bathrooms are particularly good areas to improve. Be careful however, not to spend more money than you can justify in your selling price. Remember, to the buyer, cost does not always equal value!

Sweeten the Sales Process
Many people associate strong spicy odours with uncleanness. Eliminate these odours when showing your home, by preventing them in the first place. Avoid cooking cabbage, onions and garlic. You can freshen the kitchen with a lemon through the waste master and sweeten the fridge with some baking soda.

Warm Up Your Buyers
If the weather turns cold be sure that buyers are entering a warm house. Buyers will feel more positive about a house that feels cosy than one that is chilly. Pay special attention to rooms and any areas that are used infrequently by yourself. If you have such rooms, they may be damp or even a little musty. Heating and airing these areas will add to the overall sales appeal of your home.

Dazzle Your Buyers
Two of the most important areas to be inspected by home buyers are the bathroom and kitchen. Make sure, when your home is on the market, that the bathroom and kitchen sparkle with clean surfaces. There are many excellent cleaning products available to remove unsightly water stains. Also be sure to replace any loose grout and repair any dripping taps. This small investment in time and a little money, may pay handsomely with the quicker sale of your home.

Small Repairs, Big Result
Many of the small repairs around your home may take only a little time and perhaps a small expense to rectify. Sticking doors and windows, broken fences and gates, leaking taps and broken tiles will detract from the overall appeal of your home. Buyers could assume the worst about the things they can't see if those they can see are shoddy. Put right, these minor repairs may reward you with a speedier sale.

Let Them Know What You Know
If buyers are able to visualise themselves living in, and enjoying your home, they are close to wanting to buy your home. You can assist with this process by putting in writing those things that you have enjoyed about your home. This could include, the reasons that the house appealed to you in the first place and how it has fulfilled or exceeded your expectations. You should also include how each member of your family has enjoyed living in the house.

Tell Them What You Are Taking
If you have chattels in your home that you intend to take with you when you move, it is advisable to remove them before any buyers see through your house. Buyers will experience a sense of loss if they assume that all the chattels they see are to remain with the house, only to learn later that some will be removed. Better to replace such items. A smoother sales process is almost assured.

Marketing
If you are to get the best price for your home, you must ensure that it is exposed to all the potential buyers. Choice of the right media plan is essential.

The following can be used as a helpful guide:

• Make sure the streetscape and front entrance are tidy and clean.
• Wash your curtains, clean your windows and turn on lights in dark rooms.
• Furniture polish, cut flowers, brewing coffee and home baked cakes make a home smell inviting.
• Fix any obvious faults.
• Everyone loves good storage space so clean out the cupboards well in advance to make yours more appealing.
• Clear away the clutter.