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Top Ten Tips for Property Presentation

You need to present your home so that it will appeal to the broadest possible buying audience. The trick is to remove your personality from the equation and to ensure that they can imagine themselves living there as soon as they walk in

• Tip One: Kerbside appeal is a potential buyers first contact so ensure that the garden is neat and tidy, gates open and close easily and that windows are shining clean. A few scented plant pots strategically placed by the front door create a sense of homeliness and wellbeing.
  
  
• Tip Two: Clear the clutter. Clutter easily becomes too familiar and we get used to having it around. It makes rooms look smaller and untidy. Tidy away most family photos and books. Remove the childrens drawings from the kitchen doors etc. Be ruthless and use this time to get rid of unwanted items.
  
  
• Tip Three: Elbow grease can add more value to your house than almost anything else. Clean, clean and clean some more. The kitchen and bathroom are the two most important rooms, but don't stop there. Dust every surface, ornament and lampshade you possess.
  
  
• Tip Four: Make sure all entrances are uncluttered, warm and welcoming. Make sure the doors open properly and aren't hampered by a row of coats or muddy boots. Check that furniture doesn't stop any of the internal doors from opening or shutting properly.
  
  
• Tip Five: A carpet that is dark or heavily patterned dominates a room and makes it seem smaller. Replace carpets that are old and worn with light colours keeping continuity in all the rooms. This may seem an unnecessary expense, but it will lift the appearance and create a flow between the rooms and your potential buyers won't be imagining the extra cost of replacing the carpet themselves.
  
  
• Tip Six: Paint walls in light, neutral colours to allow potential buyers to envisage their own style. You can introduce splashes of colour with rugs, cushions, throws, table runners and flowers.
  
  
• Tip Seven: Ensure that every room has a clear function and purpose. Ensure that the dining room is presented as just that and not a child’s play room, office or littered with games. A third bedroom could be a bedroom, a study or a dressing room, but not all three at once.
  
  
• Tip Eight: A carefully positioned large mirror can make a world of difference to a dark entrance hall. It will add space and maximise the available light. Ensure that it is hung at eye level.
  
  
• Tip Nine: Finish off all the little jobs you started but never got time to finish and if you do not have the time get someone in who does. Broken window catches, peeling wallpaper or half-finished shelves convey an air of neglect and signal to a potential buyer that there may be other, more significant aspects of the house that have been left undone.
  
  
• Tip Ten: Remove all pets before viewings. Get rid of pet hair too - brush and vacuum until you're sure it's gone.

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