Dressing your home for sale is a fine balancing act. It’s got to have enough personality that buyers warm to it, but not so much that they can’t imagine what it’d look like when they live there.

And it’s not just losing a sale you risk. A poorly presented home could end up costing you money. A Barclays Mortgages’ poll found that 44% of buyers would try to force down the asking price by between 10% and 20% if a property lacked kerb appeal.

Modernity is also important - in the current competitive property market, houses with interiors that haven’t been changed for 10 years are now considered unmodernised. Immaculate, newly refurbished homes will always be ‘best in class’, so it’s important to make sure your house is spruced up and looking its best before it goes on the market.

Here are a few ways to make sure your house has that ‘show home’ look…

Pack away anything unnecessary

The single most important thing to do is declutter, especially if you are downsizing and have been in your home for 20 years plus.

An untidy room could knock off as much as £8,000 of the value, according to a study carried out by ING Direct. And while you may well love your limited edition Banksy print or the colourful rug you bought when travelling through India, they’re not to everyone’s taste.

Clear the worktops and all the surfaces and tidy away as many of your belongings as you can – photograph frames, whilst sentimental to you, can be very distracting for potential buyers so keep trinkets and ornaments to a minimum.

But, your rooms shouldn’t look bare. Display a few books on your shelves and some tasteful vases with flowers on your coffee table. Hang one of two pieces of art – especially on the larger walls otherwise they’ll look empty.

Give it a lick of paint

Painting your home – certainly on the inside, in the principal rooms - is definitely worth the time and expense if you can spare it.

Once you’ve stripped back to the basics, you’ll be better able to see what condition your walls are in. Paint over anywhere the paint is damaged or faded. It’s also worth pulling out sofas, side units and beds – you’ll probably find a dark mark behind them. Give this a clean and a lick of paint.

If you’ve got any rooms that have been decorated in bright or dark colours you might want to consider toning them down. The thought of having to give a bright red room 4 to 5 coats of paint could be enough to put someone off buying your home.

Fresh paint on the exterior of a property can also have an uplifting effect and can really give a façade a new lease of life. Painting the front door makes a great first impression.

Give it some colour

While overall a neutral look is advised, you can add colour to highlight certain areas. Yellow has been proven to be one of the more pleasing tones when buying a home – maybe because it suggests summer and cleanliness.

Use yellow flowers on your dining table to showcase the area, or give the spare bedroom some brightly coloured cushions to show its potential. Flowers are also a great way of providing the home with a nice aroma – but avoid overpowering smells that could put the buyer off. Think subtle lavender or rose scents instead of powerful lilies.

Light and mirrors

For areas in your home that have dark corners or lack natural light, try playing with the position of lamps and mirrors. Place mirrors to catch natural light and disperse it around a room to create the impression that a room is bigger than it is.

Many buyers make up their mind within seconds of entering a home. Although they’ll eventually realise a room isn’t as big or bright as you’ve made it out to be, they’ll have convinced themselves it’s the right property for them by that point.

Hire a cleaner

You might think your home is clean, but it’s not. Not as clean as a buyer would like anyway. Rightmove found that dirty kitchens and bathrooms are the biggest turn-offs when it comes to buying a house.

It’s worth getting in a professional – they can give your carpets a new lease of life, will make bathrooms sparkle and transform your kitchen so all the appliances look like they were installed yesterday. The buyer will obviously know that your home isn’t brand new, but you’ve got to try and create the impression that it is.