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Tips to Help You Prepare your House for Sale

Mirrors
A mirror hung opposite a focal point such as a fireplace or window, can double its effectiveness by providing a view of the feature from several vantage points.

Fireplace
This is a key feature in most living rooms. Invest in a quality fire or surround if yours is looking tired.

Chimney Breast
Add character by using a paint effect. Mask off a section of wall and paint it in a contrasting shade. Add a fire surround, or shelf at mantel height

Arrange Furniture
In a living room, place your sofa and a pair of chairs in an L shape around a coffee table to create a feeling of intimacy.
In a smaller space, try a pair of sofas on either side of the table at a right angle to a fireplace.
Any protruding corners are best suited to having a plant placed in front of them according to Feng Shui.

Central Feature
Position a coffee table in the centre of a room; add flowers, or a runner to draw attention to it.

Alcoves
Try painting a plain alcove in a contrasting colour to the rest of the room, or a deeper shade than the other walls.
Install downlighters in the ceiling above the alcoves which will make the area more dramatic at night.

Windows
Play down small windows with neat blinds that tone in with your wall colour.
Bays or large windows can produce a stunning effect.
Using individual blinds for each window section looks very smart.

Wallpaper
To make a low ceiling appear higher try hanging vertical striped wallpaper.

Dado Rail
Initially introduced to stop chair back rubbing against the wall - These should be positioned at waist height.

Picture Rail
These are usually between 300-500mm below the ceiling. Use a contrasting colour above the picture rail

Doorknobs / Cupboard Handles / Light Switches
Replace with period or designer versions
Try round or cut glass knobs
Replace any damaged or non matching sets

Bathroom
Try adding tongue and groove panelling up to dado height to add a coastal or country feel.

Textured Walls or Ceilings
These two are a useful way of disguising any irregularities in your walls or ceilings. They can also appear very dated.

High Ceilings
Enhance this characteristic even more by painting them a lighter shade of your wall colour.

Beamed Ceilings
Can visually lower the height of any ceiling - To avoid this problem paint the dark beams the same shade as the ceiling, which will create a more streamlined, modern approach.

Clutter
Ensure toys are all put away.
Dirty clothes to be in the laundry bin, or washed, ironed and put away.
Newspapers and letters should be tidied away.

Radiators
Tired radiators should be replaced or covered.

Living Rooms
A long narrow living room can be split in to zones. Use a sofa to divide the zones up.
As long as all the colours are of the same scheme it will blend together.
To visually shorten a long room, paint the wall at one end a deeper shade, it will make the room feel less like corridor.
Pale shades and cool colours will help a wall to recede; whilst deep, or warm, tones will make it appear to advance.
Flowers or plants make a great secondary focus for a room.
Arrange your furniture, so it’s great wherever you sit.

Halls and Landings
Reintroduce character into a period home with patterned floor tiles.
New floors or runners can add a new lease of life
If a hall has several rooms leading off, a new runner can visually link them all together.
Choose a colour that picks up the colours in all the rooms to aid continuity.

Lighting
Ensure all lights are clean and working.
Update old outdated lights with bright new modern, or chandelier style lights.

Furniture
If furniture is tired try covering with a new throw. This can aid the colour scheme within the room and brighten up the tired furniture.

Bathroom
Give your bathroom the wow factor.
Introduce a new basin. Try the new glass style ones readily available.
Introduce white tiles, chrome accessories, clean up tired dirty grout.
Buy a new bath panel.
Replace those old taps with bright shiny new chrome style one’s.

Kitchen
Tired, dirty old kitchens can turn a buyer off straight away.
Repaint kitchen units with mdf and melamine paint
Handles need to be new.
Clean up any tiles and replace cracked ones. Paint over ugly tiles with one coat tile paint
Ensure the floor is clean, with no stains
Empty the rubbish bin
Clean the oven and hob
If the boiler is in the kitchen, hide it behind some units the same as the rest
Box in unsightly pipe work with mdf to detract it from your room’s features. Paint it the same colour as the room

Doors
Re-hang any badly fitting doors, so they swing inwards to give viewers a full view of the room.
If several doors are within one room, ensure you keep consistency of style. Ensure all handles are the same
If internal doors are not required for privacy, consider removing them to give the room a more open plan feel.
Make a feature of internal doors. Try using frosted glass window film, which will introduce privacy but ensure light flows through.

Outside
If the house has wooden windows make sure the paint is not hanging off. A quick coat of gloss paint helps with first impressions.
If the house has double-glazing make sure it has been washed - window sills, both inside and out need to washed regularly.
Ensure the grass is kept cut. If the children play on it sprinkle some seed around to encourage growth.
Place some hanging baskets at the front of the house to add a splash of colour. Make sure they are kept alive.
Hide all outdoor toys, make sure that people see the garden and not a play area.
Weed the garden - try and make sure the flowers can be seen and not hidden by overgrowth.
All sheds and fences to be kept looking good - painted, roof felt intact and windows clean.

Garage
If the house has a garage use it, put the car inside to show it can be used for what it was built for.