Selling your own home can seem like a mission unless you're prepared to get your hands a little dirty. Simple changes and repairs can make the difference between the time it takes to sell and also the price you finally secure.

So here's a quick list of things you can do (and in most cases will cost virtually nothing) to improve your home's chances of selling fast.

Outdoors

1. Mow the Lawn
2. Weed the garden beds
3. Create some Explore-Lust
4. Replace the mailbox
5. Plant some cheap flowering annuals
6. Let your pets have a holiday at the local boarding kennel (So your prospective buyer doesn't have to step in anything as they peruse your house)
7. Repaint or replace your old fence
8. Create a new path or update an old one
9. Add a focal point such as a statue or container plant
10. Remove any rubbish that lays around the garden
11. Hang a bird-cage near an outdoor area
12. Hire some outdoor furniture while you advertise your home
13. Set up a square vegetable garden
14. Remove spiderwebs from the gutters and eaves
15. Clean the windows
16. Hire a pressure washer and hose down the driveway
17. Replace any chipped or damaged paving
18. Trim plants, shrubs and trees
19. Clean the curb directly in front of your home
20. Get a close friend the critique the street appeal of your home
21. Take any rubbish to the dump

Indoors

22. Paint or repaint the walls in neutral colours (it may have worked for you with psychadelic illuminates but it won't work for many others)


23. Fix leaky taps


24. De-clutter the whole house


25. Remove any mould from bathroom tiles


26. De-odorize your home - especially kid's bedrooms and bathrooms


27. Sparingly adorn furniture and walls will family photographs (most agents will tell you to remove all of these
    but they can improve your chances of selling if your target market is families)


28. Make sure the kitchen appears light and fresh


29. Rent some furniture while advertising your home and put your furniture into storage - Unless of course your furniture is modern and appealing


30. Store children's toys in storage boxes


31. Clothes cupboards should be neat and tidy and well organised

Daily Indoor Maintenance

32. Vacuum and/ or sweep the floors


33. Keep towels fresh and neat in bathrooms


34. Clean mirrors so that they sparkle


35. Keep toilet rooms clean and neat


36. Make sure dishes are clean and put away


37. Burn incense candles or use an air freshener


38. Keep freshly cut flowers on he kitchen cupboard

The Shed

39. Find a place for all your tools - otherwise rent a storage shed and stow most of the clutter items there


40. Dispose of unused paint tins and chemical bottles


41. Clean and tidy is the key - remove sawdust (unless it's fresh and looks appealing)


42. Remove oil stains from the floor