Once you have decided to put your house up for sale, there are a number of things you have to do before leaving. This is because the house has to leave a good impression on potential buyers who come by to view it. Leaving a good impression will increase the chances of your house being sold, and buyers will be more willing to pay the price you request.

Therefore, you’ll have to make an effort to prepare the property to be the best it can be:

1. Clean every nook and cranny from dust and grime. Bring out your vacuum and mop, and get cracking to cover every inch of the house. Don’t neglect that hard to reach places either.

2. Remove all the excess furniture by selling it away or donating it to your local charity. Nobody wants to see a house where there’s hardly space to move around.

3. Trim your garden by cutting the grass and overgrown plants. Sweep up dead leaves and dispose of dead plants.

4. Repaint your walls in a neutral colour. This means the interior and exterior shouldn’t have loud abnormal colours that are bound to rub buyers the wrong way.

5. Track down any part of your house that may be emitting an unpleasant smell and try to get to the bottom of it and repair it immediately. Do not try to cover the smell with a lot of air freshener.

6. Any broken fixtures like lighting, fans, switches and doorknobs should be repaired before the house receives buyer viewings.

7. Do small ‘renovations’ like changing the bathroom sink and replacing outdated kitchen cabinets with newer ones.

8. Any cracks on the wall should be patched up professionally and painted over.

9. Replace any rusty pipes that are visible and above ground.

10. For any type of flooring, you may want to consider mopping them and then polishing them with some wax.

11. Wash any curtains you may have hung up. Grey and dusty curtains give the wrong impression about a house.

12. Make sure you clean the toilet before you leave. No buyer wants to see moldy walls, stained toilet seats or hair in your drainage hole.

13. If your entrance looks old and boring, you can try to repaint the doors and adding some small decorations like potted plants or a windchime.

Above all, your house should look welcoming, and should attract people to make it their future home.