5 tips for helping sell your property

When the time comes that you need to put your property up for sale, you want to ensure that yours is one that stands out above the rest.

So your urbanization is looking good the lawns are cut and the pool looks inviting, your property has been well maintained, painted and cleared of weeds and clutter. But what about the interior, have you done everything you can to impress the potential buyer.

1. Firstly and the most obvious, make sure your home is bright and shiny clean. Everything, rugs, curtains, bed throws and furniture all need to be spotless before a potential buyer's visit, so whether it's a trip to the dry cleaners or a visit to the cleaning product aisle in your local supermarket, you need to blitz the house from top to bottom.

Don't neglect the floors, in most Spanish properties we have either marble or tiled floors, so if they are looking a little stained or dull, it would be worth looking to hire a floor cleaning/polishing company to bring them back to life, it is unbelievable what a difference this will make to the room.

No one enjoys cleaning but do remember once everything has been cleaned, it is so much easier to keep on top of it for all future visits.

1. If you have items that need repair, fix them! The client isn't looking for problems; he wants to fulfill his dream.

1. Now remember a potential buyer wants to be able to see himself living in your property. He must be able to create an image of the house as if it were already his. For him to do this you need to de-clutter, store away personal items like family photos, and keep the decoration as neutral as possible. In winter months, air the house before a visit and put the heating on or light a fire. In summer months open the doors and windows and make the terraces look attractive.

1. So your property is spotlessly clean, that's a good start, but there are bad smells that you want to get rid of and good smells you want to introduce.

Bad smells: don´t cook on the day of the visit, even with the extractor fan on full power, the smell of your yummy breakfast or lunch will linger. If your property suffers from smells of damp, get someone to locate the problem and solve it. If you have pets, including birds, they give off a smell as does their food and bedding, so make sure your pets and bedding etc. are out of the house well before the buyer's visit.

Good smells: following research it has been proven that the best smells to have are simple, recognizable scents such as citrus. You want someone to walk in and want to stay in your house, so you want (the scent) not to be overbearing, but familiar. You want it to encourage revisiting. Typical suggestions are Orange, Lemon, Pine, Basil, Cedar, Vanilla and Cinnamon.

1. An important factor is to also not overprice your property, look around the area at prices of other properties, for sale or those that have sold. If it is priced correctly then this will encourage potential buyers to come.

Use a professional agent, likes ourselves, Golf Sun Spanish Properties. Not just to advertise but to help sell your property. We know the surrounding areas, we know the properties, and we know all the things a potential buyer is likely to ask.

If you follow these simple tips, that buyer is sure to be waiting round the corner.