WITH a hardening market it is vital to ensure that your home stands out from the rest to achieve a sale as recent studies show that it takes on average eight minutes for house hunters to decide whether or not to buy.

That means that you have less than 10 minutes to impress so the initial opinion has to be good says Richard Mace Director of Hunters in Dursley.

Certain things may be out of your control, however, there is lots you can do to show your home to its full potential.

Create kerb appeal by tidying your front garden, sweep paths and pick up any litter, trim bushes and shrubs and plant some flowers or pots adding some colour.

Wash down the front door and polish any door furniture and remove posts or leaflets from the entrance porch.

Buy a new doormat and touch up any poor paintwork that may detract buyers.

The entrance hallway is the gateway to your home so freshen up decoration if needed and pull back curtains to allow as much light in as possible.

Open windows to allow fresh air to flow through driving cooking or pet odours away.

If you are smokers remove ash trays and avoid smoking indoors prior to viewings.

Consider having your carpets cleaned before marketing and clean windows, worktops, bathrooms and WCs.

A good agent will point out obvious areas of concern and advise you on how to present your home to maximise impact and value.

Consider the best time to conduct viewings.

How busy is the road at certain times and when is the sun at the best aspect to show gardens off at their best and move vehicles off the drive so that buyers can easily park their car.

Ensure that the Estate Agents particulars accurately describe the features and fairly represent the property.

Homebuyers confirm irritation at agents particulars that do not accurately reflect the state of the home for sale.

At Hunters we have adopted 3D floor plans giving buyers a better understanding of the general layout and size of the property prior to viewing.

30 per cent of homebuyers say that they would welcome the opportunity to see the layout of the rooms to see how their furniture would fit in the space.

It really is worth spending some time to present your home ready for sale.

Remove unnecessary clutter and make an extra effort to impress buyers by making a good first impression.

For more advice on getting your home ready for sale call 01453 542395.