Sell your home in 24 hours

Trying to sell your house is an increasingly cut-throat business. So if you want to sell fast, you need to make your property irresistible. Forget full-scale renovations; make some vital improvements in just 24 hours.

Estate agents currently have an average of 322 buyers on their books and an average of 68 houses available for sale. The odds may be in your favour but shifting homes is taking longer, an average of 17.7 weeks between instruction and exchange of contracts. And no-one wants to languish on the market for months and miss out on a potential purchase. Try these tricks to speed things up.

1. Boost your kerb appeal

"The outside is the first thing your viewer will notice," says Peter Bolton King of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA). Spend an afternoon or so on those maintenance jobs such as flaking paintwork, mowing the lawn and cutting back foliage. Keep bins and children's toys out of sight. Think cascading hanging baskets or smart potted plants - beat the elements with artificial plants. Give your garden a little TLC

2. Tart up your threshold

A distinguished front door will make your viewers' all-important first entrance more impressive. Check out the range of front door paints at Farrow & Ball - they call their rich Carriage Green 'front door dark green'. Replace tired knobs and knockers at Snobs Knobs. Worried about evening viewings? Solar lighting kits generate all their own power and are wireless. Try CMS Gardens or The Natural Store.

3. Create space

Mirrors are a great way to make home feel more spacious and are especially useful in hallways where you can manipulate the perception of space by reflecting light and colour.

4. Streamline your windows

The beauty of ruched, pelmeted and elaborate boudoir-style curtains are so often in the eye of the beholder. Besides, they often eat into a room and compromise space.Roman blinds have wider appeal and make a room roomier. Choose from a wide selection of ready-made blinds.

5. Get into the closet

A clear, spartan master bedroom can be a good selling point, according to the NAEA. "The more spacious and relaxing it is, the more it will appear to potential buyers," says the NAEA. So clear the floorspace, rethink your bedding - crisp, cool, smart throws - all the trimmings, and invest in some good storage pieces. Read our guide on how to clear clutter. A tidy space means a tidy brain.

6. Make straight thy path

Same-shade flooring or carpets in neutral colours give the impression of space flowing from one room to another. Bright, distracting colours and rugs are no-nos. Replacing tired carpets and flooring may reap benefits - order your carpet in advance and the job of laying should be done in a day. Try neutral carpets or natural rugs.

7. Refresh the bathroom

Clean it; rid it of clutter and unsightly paraphernalia; bin worn towels and rails, and clear rows of unappealing products. Instead, splash out on quality, matching towels, sleek towel rails and pretty glass bottles. Decant shampoos and lotions into uniform containers. Less is usually more with bathrooms, but a tasteful flourish may clinch the deal.

8. Watch your back

"The back of the house is arguably more important than the front," says Peter Bolton King, "as this is where the most work is likely to lie. People often don't have time to spend on gardening, so create some low-maintenance ideas." Decking, paving and woodchips may be too laborious so focus on weeding and a thorough tidy up, then cheat with shrubs in containers, new bamboo or reed fencing. Smart new garden furniture may be an outlay, but you'll be taking it with you.

9. Intoxicate them

Baked bread? Brewing coffee? Just too transparent, they'll get suspicious. Imbue the air with the fragrance of fresh flowers instead - and you'll make the viewing a more pleasurable experience. Go for eye-catching displays and you may upstage some tired features too. Try hyacinths - experts say their scent boosts mood and fosters positive feelings.

10. De-personalise

Put yourself in the shoes of the buyer. They want to imagine moving in without remembering previous residents. Make this easier for them by hiding your personal belongings, especially any collections or unique hobbies. Doing this will help you prepare for the big move yourself.

Looking for more renovating tips? Get advice from the experts on where to spend and where to save.
When you're ready to sell, do it yourself and save on pricey estate agent fees.
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