MY dad, Martin, told me recently he was selling the family home.

As much as I loved it, I knew the decor wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s been a long time since he has had to sell a house, and tastes have changed, so he asked me for my help to get it sale-ready.

Everyone wants their home to sell quickly, for a huge profit - and it takes more than luck to make this happen.

Letting go of a home you have lived in and loved for many years is hard. But the first step to selling is to detach yourself from memories and emotions before the buyers start (hopefully) pouring in.

Pack up those personal photographs, find a new home for the family heirlooms and banish ALL clutter. (Regular readers will know my feelings about mess and clutter. I wage war on it at the best of times, so when it comes to getting your home ready to sell, I’m feeling particularly brutal.)

Ditch the knick-knacks, tidy up the bookcases and clear your kitchen counters. It will give a much better impression. Patch any holes in the walls, fix leaky taps and doors that don’t close properly and consider painting walls neutral colours. Hot pink is fine if you like that kind of thing, but a buyer might not be able to see past it.

Ensure that the exterior of your home is viewer-ready too - clean up debris from your garden,give your fence a lick of paint and pot some new planters at your door.

Read more: Make your home a cosy autumn retreat

My top tip is to take a step back once it’s all done, and linger at the doorway of each room, imagining how it might look to a prospective buyer.

Good luck!

MUST HAVE BUY:

Once you have the look right, think about the smell - candles, a diffuser or simply some freshly brewed coffee will work well, and keep it subtle. I like this Aroma air diffuser (Amazon £16.99) - gorgeous.

Read more: Glasgow's Mrs Hinch on how to make your bathroom beautiful

CLEANING HACK OF THE WEEK:

If you can’t afford a professional carpet cleaner to spruce up your flooring before your house goes on the market, I swear by this - Dr Beckmann Carpet Cleaner stain remover (Asda, £3.50) The cleaning brush gets deep into the stain, whilst the special oxy-powered formula also eliminates nasty smells.

Cheryl Johnston is on Instagram

@myhomeismyhaven