Home Selling Guide: Preparing Your House For Sale: Dining Room

The dining room is often no longer a separate room, with a spate of research showing homeowners increasingly opting to knock down walls to create through-lounge-dining areas and larger kitchens.

Whether your dining room is still a separate room or is part of your kitchen or through-lounge, there are some basic rules to ensure that its appearance can boost the chances of selling a home.

If a dining room is still separate then make sure it is fit for that purpose. Ensure the dining table is not cluttered with the week's newspapers and that the room is clean including the windows.

When it is part of a lounge it often fulfils a number of purposes. Perhaps the dining area is also home to children's toys or a computer and boxes of household bills. If so, ensure it is clutter-free.

If the room has become a graveyard for unwanted furniture then it is time for a clear out.

As with most rooms in the house décor should be kept neutral and plain: unpatterned carpets or flooring can significantly improve a dining room's appearance.