In the spring, fancy lightly turns to... selling the house

In the second of a series of regular articles, estate agent Trevor Cooper takes a closer look at Guernsey property. This week, how to make the right impression on a potential buyer.

ALFRED, Lord Tennyson was not thinking of estate agents when he wrote, 'In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love' – and neither could William Wordsworth have been seriously house hunting when he 'wandered lonely as a cloud'. For what is typically the busiest time of the year in the housing market is upon us.

A primal, inherent urge compels people to start spring cleaning, from which the impulse to move house during springtide is also said to derive, prompted no doubt by the advent of change.

But before we all dance hand-in-hand around the fairy ring at Pleinmont, how can people with properties to sell take advantage of this fervour? Houses usually look their best when the weather is kind during spring, but peeling paint and weedy paths still have to be attended to if home owners hope to make a sale. Even roses around the door will not impress a building surveyor if the fragrant flowers are hiding subsidence cracks.

Look at all those property programmes on television and most houses are immaculate, although I wager that has more to do with the property being featured on TV than it being offered for sale.

This is far more than just being house proud. This is preparation for probably the biggest financial transaction of your life so far.

At the risk of puzzling the neighbours, walk up to your property and stop at the gate. Look at your house as if you were seeing it for the very first time. Really study it – much more than when you have just put up the Christmas lights – and imagine what potential buyers will see when gazing upon it for the first time. How long have you been meaning to move that cracked flowerpot with the withered bay tree beside the front door? Has the gravel gone onto the grass, or is the grass growing through the gravel? Roll up the hose reel and put the dustbins out of sight. The Manchester United sticker in the bedroom window should go (as much as that pains me to say) and political posters as April 18th draws near are a particular indiscretion, but that applies regardless of selling your house.

I jest, of course, but let the point be made.

The first thing I look at with any house is the roof. Chimneys and chimney flashings can involve major work but slipped slates or tiles often need little more than pushing back and, whilst I personally like the algae growing on my roof tiles, there is no doubt the roof would look better if pressure cleaned; yes, if necessary, even consider having the roof pressure cleaned.

There are always exceptions and a superb location will outweigh condition or presentation on the tick-box list. But the majority of properties will be measured against others in a similar situation and, contrary to popular belief, there are surprisingly few buyers who will look past or take on problems – they may say they will, they may believe they want to, but realistically they don't, at least, not without a big discount in the price. Even on a lesser scale, first impressions count more than they should and the presentation of your property is of paramount importance.

I fully understand there are people who cannot or will not spend any money when selling a property but most of us can at least tidy the garden, wash down the paintwork or uPVC, clean the windows and sweep the path. The tradition of polishing front door steps has faded but the principle still holds true.

The rear garden can be the deciding factor for many potential buyers so, be it a back yard or something grander, keep it tidy and make an attractive focal point to catch the eye. It need only be a pleasant corner to sit in or three or four flowering pots grouped together, but it will make a subliminal difference.

It is difficult to improve on the exterior of a flat or an apartment. In those cases, the communal hall must feel welcoming. It may not be your responsibility or your turn as a joint owner to look after the communal areas, but take it upon yourself to do so while your flat is for sale. Leave courtesy notes under the doors of the other flats explaining what you are doing and you might be surprised by the support you get from your fellow flat dwellers.

This, of course, is just the beginning as the stakes are raised beyond the front door. How do you make the best impression within the purported 15 seconds it takes prospective buyers to decide whether they like your property?

Fresh cut flowers, baking bread and brewing coffee are blatantly cliched but the theory is good. The first essential rule is de-clutter. Some people seem to have an aversion to de-cluttering as they might for colonic irrigation. Unload coats from the backs of doors, store shoes away, clear the fridge door of postcards and school paintings, halve the number of family photographs and carefully box all those special mementoes out of sight (I find a skip is most effective).

People viewing a property often feel they are intruding and it is not helpful to be surrounded by the extremely personal belongings of the people who live there. Vacuum cleaners and ironing boards on view and saucepans piled on kitchen worktops indicate a lack of storage space. Use subtle air fresheners to add ambience and never, ever, leave out cat food during viewings.

The question about redecorating before putting a house on the market has as many answers as there are different circumstances. But this is not about complete or even partial refurbishment. This is simply working with what is already there and even the most old fashioned property can have plenty of appeal if presented in a clean and tidy, uncluttered fashion.

I have selected two properties at random from estate agents' websites illustrating good market presentation. One is Willow Cottage, which is currently under offer having been on the market for £369,000, and the other is Mon Sejour, also in the Vale and currently on the market at £469,000. Both properties are extremely neat and chosen for no other reason than at first sight, in the words of William Wordsworth, 'my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils'.