- You don't get a second chance to make a first impression. A freshly painted front door is a great place to start.
- Keep things tidy! A confident buyer sweeps into a room. An unconvinced buyer has to sweep through it!
- In winter, have lights on during the day time. You would be amazed how many people don't do this during a viewing.
- Draw back the curtains and embrace the light. In summer, natural light can liven a place up and give a feeling of freshness and cleanliness. So, draw back those curtains and open those windows.
- Fresh air in, damp smells out; make use of 'plug-ins' or scented candles especially if your home has pets.
- In vacant properties, always try and leave some key items of furniture behind to give the place a lived in feeling.
- If a buyer sits down in a property, it's likely they feel at home, possibly even thinking of putting in an offer. This is a great sign, so for this reason, make sure there's space round sofas and armchairs so viewers don't have to step over coffee tables and magazines to get to them.
- Peeling paint on a window, or a garden gate hanging off its hinges suggests that work needs to be done on the property. This can really erode a buyers' confidence and give them ammunition to negotiate harder on the price.
- If you have a garden, make sure your property is as tidy on the outside as it now is on the inside. If you don't love your home, it is difficult to expect a would be purchaser to.
- In winter, if you have a fireplace, make sure you use it! Everybody loves that feeling of sitting by the crackling fire.
- To a nervous buyer, a simple damp stain could conjure images of an impending major leakage. Get it fixed and painted over.
