Ten Points To Check When Presenting Your Home

1. Appeal to the senses, primarily sight is the biggest one, so get rid of the clutter and make your home into a magazine spread. OK, so you don't have to go overboard and you still want that homely feeling.

2. Smell. This sense is always overlooked. The dog, the cat, the python, whatever it may be, please use some air freshener and/or fresh air to rid that smell.

3. Make repairs. It's obvious, but we gotta tell you, it's all too common to have a faulty hinge, loose door knob or dints in the wall that get noticed by the buyers. As an agent you despise it when one buyer points it out and other buyers hear it and murmur in agreement!

4. Wash and clean. Cleaning the windows makes a massive difference, as does shampooing the carpets, waxing the floors, cobwebs - get rid of and make the street appeal exactly that - appealing!

5. Outside. Taking it further, you want the lawn mown, the hedges trimmed, the common property vacuumed and the building clear of debris. Get on top of your body corporate if the common areas are no good.

6. Hide or lock your expensive goods. Enough said really.

7. Let there be light. Open up curtains, wash the windows (as mentioned before) and clean the sky light. People love the light/northerly aspect and if possible show your home when the natural embers of the sun are at its most prominent. If you have a dark room or house, consider a lick of paint in light colours to brighten things up.

8. Towels, mats and rugs. Why? As after the inspection you don't want to be left with the dirt, smudges and water dripping through your house. This comes with the territory in showcasing your home, you just have to grin and bear it.

9. Cleaning out the closets. People are nosey and people will open your doors. Make sure they are clean and tidy and showcase what spacious storage you have! You don't want to appear that you have simply stuffed all your belongings away, if necessary, hire a storage unit for 1 month to ease the pain, or better yet do a spring clean!

10. Your agent. Make sure their shoes are polished, their hair is tidied, they are groomed well and dare I say it, their breath is palpable. There is a fellow real estate agent out there in my area that is renowned for his stench; your agent should be big enough to handle the criticism! Tic Tacs are your (and their!) best friend at this stage.