Once you've decided to put your home on the market, if you spend a little time getting it ready to sell, it will attract more viewings, encourage a quick sale and get you the best possible price – it’s well worth taking the time to prepare your home properly! To help you, we've put together a list of the top things you should do before getting in the photographer.

Items you’ve accumulated over the years, which may now fill up every nook and cranny in your home make it look considerably smaller in the photos (and on the viewings). These items need to go into storage or be cleared out. This makes your home look neat and tidy, but it also makes it seem much bigger and more valuable.

Put things away or in storage, give them to charity or even bin them if needs be, just make sure that they're gone before you invite people to view your home. This also applies to any professionals which may need to visit the property for surveys/valuations.

Potential buyers need to be able to envisage what the property would look like if they were living there and if it looks clean, open and well maintained, this makes it easier for them.

Giving your property a fresh lick of neutral paint will do the world of good. Your home will seem lighter, brighter and bigger as a result. The neutral colours will allow viewers to easily imagine how they would adapt each room. You may really love ‘in your face’ colours and that’s great, but not everyone does and little things can really put people off. Buyers tend to look for “that vibe” when buying homes. Surveys have previously shown that around 50% of buyers can only envisage what is right in front of them – so give yourself the best chance of impressing 100% of the buyers that come through your door!

One more thing… if you decide to touch up the paintwork, make sure that you get an exact match for the paint first. There is nothing worse than touching up the hallway, just to find that the colour is different after you start. This becomes a very big and very tiresome job if you must then repaint the whole hallway due to the colours being different.

Kerb appeal doesn’t get anywhere near as much focus as it should when you’re selling a property. A lot of people will drive/walk by the property before deciding whether or not they want to book a viewing and some buyers will even book a viewing, then routinely cancel before seeing the interior after doing a quick drive by. It’s important that the exterior of your property is just as well maintained as the interior and you have deliberately made it look as good as possible.

No prospective buyer wants to walk into a home and see cracks in the wall, broken door handles, cracked tiles and threadbare carpets. Many prospective buyers want to move into their new home without having much to do. But more importantly than this, completing the little maintenance jobs before showing people around shows buyers that you have taken very good care of the property during your ownership, it gives buyers more confidence in the quality of the property and usually results in better offers being submitted. Notably, if viewings are taking place during the winter months, then burnt-out bulbs and a cold house are a disaster too. It gets darker and colder earlier in the day… if a few bulbs don’t work and the heating isn’t on, it means that buyers are being shown around a dark, cold house. Statistics have shown that people tend to see dark and cold homes as less desirable. There is even a tendency to associate cold homes with damp, this is despite none actually being present and is why our standard procedure is to always have all of the lights on when taking photos. We also advise switching the heating on before showing buyers around your home.

Ensure that all blinds and curtains are open, so that they let in as much natural light as possible. A bright and airy room looks bigger and is more inviting.

A well-presented kitchen can add a lot of value to your property, it’s one of the more valuable aspects considered when valuing the property. So before putting your house up for sale, take a look and see if you’re making the most of your kitchen space.

Touching up grouting, cleaning appliances and even adding in a few upgrades such as a new surface or spray-painting cupboards can add some serious value to the total worth of the property.

A well-designed garden can add a great deal of value. It should feel like an extra space for entertaining or relaxing, rather than just an expanse of overgrown grass. It's essential to trim the lawn and its borders, clear and clean pathways/patio areas and cut back any overgrown trees or bushes, particularly if they block direct sunlight from entering the property.

If you have a pet, make sure they are confined to one room (such as a utility room or the garden) or leave them with a friend where possible. Where we are conducting viewings (almost always), we advise clients to take the pets out for a nice relaxing walk or go visit family while we conduct the viewing. Animals can detract attention away from your property and potential buyers may be allergic. We genuinely love pets, but some people are terrified of animals and if pets are present during viewings, they can get so nervous, that all they want to do is leave the property as soon as possible.

This might seem like a bit of an odd one, but funky smells are one of the first things a prospective buyer will notice. We tend to become desensitised to familiar smells too, but our consultants will always be honest with you if this is a problem. It’s a common problem and the good news is that this problem is generally easy to fix. Open the windows, let in some fresh air and give everywhere a deep clean. Make the most of good quality diffusers too. Once the property has had a deep clean, the pets have had a bath and some carefully positioned scents are placed around the place, your home will smell like a beautiful meadow and buyers will walk in with a smile on their face – you only get one chance to make a good first impression, so make it count!

The spare room that you’ve been using as a guest bedroom/office/dumping ground will confuse your potential buyers. Pick a use and roll with it, clearly staging the room to showcase that particular purpose.

A vase of flowers is perfect for drawing attention to a particular feature, such as a fireplace or an attractive dining set. It also brightens up a neutral room with a flash of bright colour.

The most important tip of all. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN! Be sure to pay extra attention to those little nooks and crannies that you may overlook during your weekly chores. Clean skirting boards, polish door handles, dust lampshades and give all light switches a good wipe. Those black bits on the sealant around the bath… get some bleach on them overnight and they’ll clean right up!