No matter what happens with any economic or political influence – making improvements to your home to get it ready for a sale will always boost your chances of getting the best possible price. So, what can you do to add value?

This year

Give your décor a facelift – if you don’t have a lot of time before viewings start then there are some simple things you can do to add value without too much effort. Painting the property is one of the easiest ways to make a big difference. Repainting, curtains, washing windows, getting carpets professionally cleaned and repainting the front door will also impress buyers.

Create a show home – you don’t have to go to extremes but it’s important to depersonalise your home as much as you can to allow a potential buyer to see themselves living there. That means going for a minimal look while you’re trying to sell the house. If necessary, invest in some storage so that your home is decluttered and calm.

Your garden is important too – it’s not just the aesthetics of the bedroom and the facilities of the kitchen that buyers look at but also the outside areas. If your garden has seen better days it’s fairly simple to get it up to scratch. Mow the lawn, weed the beds and throw out any garden furniture that is rusted or broken.

Park somewhere else – if you have buyers coming to view the property then give them your parking space. They’ll get a feel for what it would be like to live in the property and you can avoid them arriving hot and bothered because they couldn’t find anywhere to park.

Next year

Convert the loft – if you have the time to do some serious value adding improvements, converting the loft is one to consider. It essentially adds an additional room to your home and that can push the price up by around 12%.

Pave over the front garden – whether this is a good idea depends on where you live. For example, it may offer no value to a cottage in the country but for an urban home it’s a huge bonus. If you pave over the garden then you’re creating a private parking space. That could add anything up to £50,000 to the value of your property.

Re-do the kitchen – property experts like Phil Spencer of Location, Location, Location say that the kitchen is the number one room when it comes to impact on sale value. Natural and practical design will add the most to the value of the property overall, as opposed to a very striking bespoke look. If you can create a modern, up to date kitchen with broad appeal then you can boost the sale price by 5%.

Update the entrance – the front of the property makes the first impression so anything you can do to improve it will make a difference. Replace windows, repaint the outside, install a new door or just give the brickwork a really good clean.