Eight weeks to sale: preparing your home without overspending

Sellers often assume they need to renovate. In practice, buyers respond far more to a home that feels clean, bright and looked after than to new fittings they would have chosen differently.

Eight weeks is enough time to do this properly if you plan it in order.

Weeks eight to five: fix and declutter

Start with the repairs you have been ignoring: dripping taps, loose handles, cracked tiles, blown bulbs. Buyers read small faults as evidence of bigger ones. Then clear out. Pack away half your belongings, especially from kitchen benches and wardrobes, because storage that looks full suggests there is not enough of it.

Weeks four to two: refresh

Fresh neutral paint in the busiest rooms gives the best return for the money. Deep clean the windows, grout and carpets. Outside, tidy the entrance, because the first ten seconds of an inspection set the tone for the rest.

The final fortnight: present

Book photography for a bright day, and let the photographer see the home with every light on. Good images decide whether a buyer ever walks through the door. Finally, agree your price guide with your agent using recent comparable sales, not the number you hope for.