| If you want to sell your house quickly, keep it | | | | schemes by only using light colours like cream, |
| free of junk and don't force your bad taste in | | | | beige, magnolia and white on walls and ceilings. |
| decoration on other people. | | | | 3. Lose the junk: Don't treat the viewing like an |
| That common sense advice works time and time | | | | assault course... buyers don't want to step over |
| again. | | | | old newspapers and slip over dog droppings! Clear |
| They say you're removing the barriers that will | | | | away anything that detracts from the viewing. |
| stop buyers making an offer quickly. | | | | You need to give each of the rooms the feeling |
| The expert tips are: | | | | of spacious living. Remove any over sized |
| 5. Price your home to sell: In the good times | | | | furniture that make the rooms feel claustrophobic. |
| there are plenty of buyers in the market and | | | | 2. Fix your house: Leaking toilets and loose tiles |
| lenders are offering competitive rates. But these | | | | give an impression the house is a high |
| aren't the good times, thanks to recent rate | | | | maintenance nightmare. Fix them. If you don't |
| increases. So do your research. Find out what the | | | | have the time, get a handyman to do it. You will |
| houses in your area are selling for and what they | | | | lose more value on the house than the cost of |
| have sold for in the past. And get several estate | | | | fixing the problems. |
| agents' opinions. | | | | 1. Be ready to move in a short time: Have all your |
| 4. Don't force your bad taste on others: There's a | | | | plans in place. Get quotesfrom removal companies |
| reason TV property shows tell you to neutralise | | | | and short term storage sites. Be prepared to rent |
| the colours. Assume that prospective buyers | | | | a home for a short term so that you are not |
| have no imagination and can't see beyond the | | | | caught in a chain. |
| garish colours. Help them project their own colour | | | | |