What are your top tips for selling a home? - £300 voucher to be won

I think that first impressions (however subliminal) are crucial.
Have a clean, well-presented house, both inside and out. No clutter. Make sure its warm, and brew a coffee before hand so that smell fills the house.

the house needs to be the height of cleanliness

Make sure you tidy up BEFORE the estate agent comes round to take photographs - I see a lot of adverts with clutter in the pictures!

Be patient and make sure it is not only in the best condition possible but also priced fairly. We sold our house earlier this year and we had viewings every week for the first few months but no offers. We then found out that people were being put off by a slightly damaged flooring in the kitchen and although this seemed minor to us, there were several similar properties for sale at the same price. We replaced the section of flooring for around £150 and then dropped our asking price slightly and it sold for the new price a week later.

Make sure property is well maintained both outside & inside, declutter & also have a fresh smell of homemaking when anybody calls.

First impressions really do count. So it's important to have a clean and tidy front garden / driveway and clean doors, windows etc. The potential buyer will instinctively think this is a well looked after home and have positive vibes straight away.

Paint it through out with neutral colours, have plenty of flowers and fragrances in the rooms

De-personalise your home, hiding family photos and personal items including anything considered 'novelty'. Keep the rooms de-cluttered, clean, fresh smelling and as light and neutral as possible. Mirrored panels are great for bringing extra light in the room and giving the illusion of more space

De-clutter, neutral colours, tidy up the front of the house, keep the gardens tidy!

Don't be tempted to sell if the chain breaks. We were told we would be in a better position with cash to spend, but house prices went up by 100% in a year in our area, and we almost had to buy the same house in a worse area for more money.

I always prefer to see a tidy clean home as I think the owners have taken a pride in their house so it will have been probably have been maintained well. Part of the kerb appeal is clean windows!

If the printed details are good enough I will know immediately if it is what I want and as soon as I step inside the front door I know whether this is the one for me. Just a gut feeling each time and I've never been proved wrong. I would rather see a house 'lived in' than see a show house.

Best tip I ever got was: "Clean as though the Queen is coming". You'll be surprised at how much people will overlook if a house smells and looks clean and fresh!

clean and tidy inside and out,and bake a cake it makes the house feel like a home

Let someone else do it for you.

A tidy and clean home without clutter - can always put it in storage until it has been sold.

Decorations neutral shades which will make rooms look clean and larger.

Gardens neat and well cared for with freshly mowed lawns.

A nice aroma of coffee or fresh bread can make a home more appealing.

Good lighting to enable the property to look bright.

I think it's better to let the estate agent show people round (rather than doing it yourself). People will (usually) be polite to the owner but they'll say what they really think to the estate agent and if the agent is any good, they'll be able to answer them and perhaps allay their worries (eg: if they say the kitchen's too small, the estate agent might suggest knocking a wall through).

I sometimes think that it really doesn't matter what you do or, do not do, to a house when you are selling it. One house hunter will drive past your house and love it, another hate it and potential buyers will reject it for the silliest of reasons. They do not like the curtains or the garden is an odd shape.

Remember, unless you are extraordinarily lucky the majority of viewers will not like your house, no matter what you do to it, but eventually one will appear who likes it and is in a position to proceed.

The factors that really decide whether houses sell or not are things completely out of your control, like the availability of mortgages, how strict the building societies/ banks etc are about buyers ability to support a specific size of mortgage. Political uncertainty like Brexit will discourage buyers as will fears of unemployment or rising interest rates.

If mortgage money is readily available and people are confident about their jobs etc, there are more buyers than sellers, prices rise and a buyer will buy anything just to get a foot on the ladder, and any house will sell.

All this is beyond the sellers control. Just put the house on the market, have a quick tidy round before the photos are taken and then live normally.

Do viewings yourself, greet viewers like guests and if they seem genuinely interested try to get them to sit and chat, before making excuse to leave the room for a few minutes.

Don't be tempted to go with the agent that gives you the highest valuation. Sometimes this is just to tempt you onto their books and then the house will hang around and not sell. Check the market values out by looking at similar properties in the area yourself first.

Let someone impartial show you home off, buyers can ask honest questions and talk openly about the pros and cons so go away with a clear idea if it suits them.

Well, you cannot please all the people all the time, so for me, the best thing to do is decide what your home offers most, space, garden, annexe, large kitchen etc and then market around that theme. If you have a fantastic large garden make sure your home is shown at the right time of day for lighting, Show this would benefit people with children, with dogs, people who love the garden, people who cannot get out much, narrow the market and emphasise the best qualities, don't try and be all things to all people.

Make sure the front of the property is clean and tidy. So many people (including us) do a drive-by before viewing a property.

Years ago, we had trouble selling our house because the previous owners had wood panelled all the downstairs areas. We just didn't have the money to rip it out before selling.
Our house was spotless and well looked after, but the panelling put people off.
I think it's It's better to have neutral tones and not have lots of clutter.
However, what looks perfect when viewing and might be hiding a lot of problems. Our daughter bought a lovely flat in a Victorian building, beautifully decorated. When we got an electrician to check the wiring, it turned out to be a firetrap, full of dodgy wiring!

Definitely make your house sparkle as much as you can. Clean and tidy is good, but even if there are a few toys lying around that won't matter if your house appears clean, bright and well looked after. Clean the windows and open the blinds/curtains to maximise the light. Bathrooms should be sparkling and make sure the toilet seat is never left up - especially in the estate agent's photos, as it looks awful. View your agent's photos and make sure they look good and if the weather is dull get them re-done as soon as the sun is shining as this makes a huge difference. Hide the bins and things like doggy bones and cat bowls - never have half-eaten pet food on display. Your house should smell clean and fresh, but be careful with air fresheners. I am asthmatic and have had to walk out of some houses as the freshener smell is so overpowering. Never stay in when you have a viewing, it puts people off, but if they want a second viewing you can ask if they want you to be there, or if they have any questions. If there is something you know most people want and your house doesn't have (e.g. a shower in the bathroom) get a written quote to get this done. Make sure your agent knows the best features of your house - they might not be aware, for example, that there is a short cut to the primary school that means you can avoid the main roads, or that there's a huge park just through that walkway in the hedge opposite. These are things that could swing the right buyer round to your house instead of another.