1. De-clutter your home

While Christmas might seem like it was an age away, clutter in properties usually increases after the festive season. Before you start talking to estate agents about putting your home on the market, try to clear away as much as you can. So, that means storing away things like toys, shoes, bathroom products and kitchen appliances that you do not use every day. Buyers need to visualise their own things in your home, and it can be difficult to look past a mountain of clutter. From an estate agent’s point of view, clearing away clutter before they take marketing photographs of your property is a must.

2. De-personalise your home – but not too much

Most pieces such as this one will tell you to completely de-personalise your property of family pictures, kids’ drawings, and ornaments before you open the door to potential buyers. While this is true to an extent, buyers do want to see that a property is lived in and cared for. And if there are no pictures of you and your family around, your property could come across as cold and un-loved. Remove the majority of personal items if your property is full of them but leave a few well-chosen pictures around to show you really have feelings for your home and love living there.

3. Give your décor a lift

One thing it can be worth de-personalising is your décor. We have all got different tastes and if your chosen paint is a few shades brighter than most buyers’, they might be put off. White or off-white is usually a good place to start when re-painting walls, but do not be afraid to leave a little colour on feature walls as you do not want your property to come across as sterile.

4. Clean, clean, clean !!

And we do not mean a quick run around with a duster and a vacuum, either. While you might think you could eat your dinner off almost any surface in your home, the truth is dirt and grime have a funny way of staying put. The best way to present your property to buyers is after a deep clean by a professional cleaning company. They will get to the areas you cannot reach and will have the equipment to breathe new life into things like carpets and shower screens. Yes, it is an expense, but it is worth it.

5. Sort the garden out

Winter is the worst time for a garden – particularly a winter like this one where wind and rain from storms like Ciara and Dennis has left a lasting imprint on properties everywhere. With March and April looking, dare we say it, a little brighter, that’s the time to step outside and give your garden a spruce up. Buyers will unquestionably be put off by an overgrown or unkempt outdoor space, so take a jet wash to your patios and cut back hedges, trees, and your lawn. Doing all this will allow your buyers to see the kind of work required to maintain your garden as much as it will enable them to see themselves sat outside with a glass of wine on a warm summer’s evening