KIRSTIE’S TEN HOME- SELLING COMMANDMENTS

YOU’RE moving because you’ve outgrown your home but you need to remember how you felt when you moved in. Fall back in love. Think what you want to do to the place – other people will probably want that, too. And follow my ten commandments...

1 DON’T BE GREEDY Ask the estate agent the ceiling price for your street. Nothing you do – short of adding a Royal baby in your front room – is going to add ten per cent if it’s above the ceiling price. 2 CLEAN UP

Get out the hoover. Don’t use air fresheners. Loads of people, including me, find them really toxic. Smell is important. And here’s a handy tip: just open a window. Fresh air works.

3 DECLUTTER

Anything you intend to chuck out when you move, chuck it before it’s even valued. Don’t assume the estate agent has the vision to see through all your clutter.

4 DEPERSONALISE

Signs with little ditties about life, a bright pink bathroom set and a family picture wall might be your thing but you want buyers to see themselves in your home, not you.

5 FIND BALANCE

If the whole place is faded and jaded, then doing up the bathroom alone isn’t going to add value – in fact it’ll make the other rooms look even worse. But do fix things that need fixing…

6 DO THE DIY

Don’t leave half-finished DIY jobs. Take a good look around, or ask a friend. If people view the house when it’s scruffy, you’re literally knocking £5,000 of its value right there.

7 SHOP NOW

A shiny new toaster, nice new towels in the bathroom, a new bedspread... these things add sparkle. Big-ticket items, such as sofas and beds, however, may get damaged in the move.

8 KEEP YOUR COOL

If you’re desperate to sell, don’t let on – even to your agent, who will tell buyers. You don’t want to be in a weak negotiating position.

9 DON’T BLOW IT ON A KITCHEN

It is almost irrelevant how much you spend on your kitchen. A £40,000 kitchen does not automatically add £40,000 to the value of your house. Layout and functionality is key.

10 PLAY YOUR PERCENTAGES

Big families like eat-in kitchens with bi-fold doors opening on to the garden – they can cost from £2,500 but on an average semi or detached house can add about ten per cent to the value.