When you realize the prices that homes in your neighborhood are selling for, you may realize that you have a lot of equity built up in your home. This is especially true of homeowners in the UK, where the prices of homes have been consistently rising over the past few years. As a homeowner, you could be sitting on a sizeable nest egg if you were to sell your home with the profit you could make. You could pay off your mortgage and have enough money left over to make a down payment on another home or be able to do quite a bit of traveling. Many homeowners have decided to sell to cash in on their investments and downgrade to a smaller property when their children have grown and left home. However, there are factors that you have to take into consideration when selling your home because you have to view it through the eyes of a potential buyer.

You should start by disassociating yourself from your home. Walk through it as if you were a buyer rather than a seller. To prepare your home for sale, you have to depersonalize it for showing. This means you should try to reduce the number of personal mementos and pictures you have around the home. You want the buyer to imagine his/her own photos or artwork on the walls or on the fireplace.

Think about the amazing amount of junk you have accumulated during your years of living in the house. Buyers who come to see the home don’t want to see clutter. They will have a difficult time seeing past this and imagining themselves living here. Sort through everything you have to distinguish the old from the new. If you don’t use it and it hasn’t any monetary value, the best thing to do is to throw it out. Make sure your kitchen counter is clean and if necessary place essential items in a box in a closet. Try not to have any knickknacks around the house. You can think of it as preliminary packing because you will have to pack it all up anyway when you sell the home.

Buyers will look in closets and open cabinet doors. You should try to have the things inside arranged neatly. When buyers see that you are organized they will also have the feeling that they won’t have much cleaning to do after you move out and they take possession of the home. If you know that you have too much furniture in some rooms but you don’t have anywhere to store it, you can rent a storage unit. Then you have the furniture ready for another place when you do sell. You can also have a flea market and sell off some of your used furniture especially if you plan to move to a smaller property where you will have even less space.

If there are any window coverings that you want to keep, remove them before you show the house. When a buyer looks through the home, if there are window coverings, they will be included in the sale. So if you remove them first, the buyer will not insist on them being part of the sale agreement. This also includes such things as removable rugs on the floor or a fireplace.

The next step in making sure your house is ready to put on the market is to make any necessary repairs that may turn off potential buyers. This includes replacing any cracked or broken tiles, making sure any holes in the walls are repaired properly, there are no leaky faucets or cabinet doors that don’t close properly. Neutral colors work best because the dcor you choose may not be in the same taste as the buyer. You can repaint the walls a neutral color. Remember that what was in fashion when you moved into the home may not still be in fashion now, such as flowery wallpaper. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to remove any wallpaper and paint the walls.

The house must be sparkling clean before potential buyers come to call. Prepare a checklist of things you need to do and then check them off when they are completed. Wash the windows, dust all the furniture, wash the floors, make sure there are fresh towels in the bathroom and that the beds are made. You should not have any clothing lying around the bedrooms. Put everything in the drawers or hang it in the closet so that the rooms look neat and tidy.

Once you’ve carefully scrutinized, repaired and cleaned the interior of the home, then its time to tackle the exterior. Make sure that all the doors open and close properly and that the outside of the home is clean and tidy. If there is any peeling paint on the windowsills, scrape it off and repaint. Trim the brush or hedge around the lawn and make sure the lawn is mowed.

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We all know that tea leaves make a great brew for drinking both hot and cold, with or without milk or sugar. Some prefer lemon in their tea, or a chai massala. Here are a few uses for tea:

1. The first tip is one I often used with my children when they lost a tooth. If you have had a tooth pulled or a child has lost a tooth to stop bleeding, place i a dry clean tea-bag. Bite down gently. It will stop the bleeding and form a clot.

2. An astringent/skin toner: The tannin in tea makes an excellent astringent. Simply wipe a wet tea bag over your face.

3. Razor Burn: Tea bag will relieve the pain!

4. Cure canker sores: Place a wet tea-bag directly over the canker sore for several minutes. The tannin in the tea will draw out the moisture and dry it so that it will heal.

5. Infected cut: Soak a tea bag in cool water and place it over the site of injection to relieve the pain

6. Foot deodorizer: Boil a quart of water and add 6 tea-bags. Let it steep for about 15 minutes, and then let it cool completely. Pour it into a bucket and soak your feet in it for about 20-30 minutes. After this dry your feet completely and dont wash or rinse them. The tannin in tea will close your pores, which will prevent further perspiration and it kills the bacteria which causes the odor. Also soak your tennis shoes in this tea mixture to help remove and stop the odor.

Tea is a great natural remedy for soothing sore throats, helping to loosen coughs, and terrific for upset stomachs.

7. Puffy eyes: Dip two tea bags in hot boiling water, quickly remove, allow them to cool completely then squeeze out excess water them out and apply them to your eyes for about 20 minutes. This also works if you use a used tea bag.

8. Hair rinse: Wash your hair with a cup of herbal tea after shampooing to make the hair silky and shiny

9. Ease the pain of minor burns: Allow boiled tea to cool completely and then apply it straight onto a minor burn including sunburns. The tea will act as an analgesic and relieve the pain. Do not use tea that contains honey, lemon, or milk, sugar or cream, as these may aggravate the burn.

10. Plant Fertilizer: Sprinkle tea leaves in your garden or around your plants. They work as an excellent fertilizer, and roses seem to thrive with them.

11. Tea in composting: I use used tea and also leftover tea in my compost bin as it accelerates the decomposition and creates an acid rich compost.

12. Dye fabric: Muslin fabric, or most natural fibers can be tea stained to appear aged. Brew tea same as you would to drink, or stronger for more colour, soak fabric in liquid until it appears a bit darker than you would like the fabric to be. Even soaking overnight will give a stronger colour. Black tea gives the darkest hue. Keep in mind that it will lighten as it dries. Finished items can also be tea stained in the same manner. An old blouse, or a piece of embroidery, or just about anything you can think of, can be aged in this way.

13. Make the wood shine: Clean wood furniture or wood floors with a soft cloth dipped in a freshly prepared tea to add shine to them. I alternate moppings of my teakwood kitchen floor with strong tea and white vinegar.

14. Cleaning mirrors: Dip a soft cloth into a tea solution and clean the mirrors for extra shine.

15. Potpourri: Dry tea leaves out of a teabag make a wonderful potpourri. Just dump in small dishes and place all around the home. Makes for a light, natural scent. You can add oils to the leaves if you desire.

16. Dish Detergent: Have a caked on grease cooking pan? Drop a tea bag into it and allow to soak over night. The acid in the tea helps to break down the caked on grease.

17. Tea Marbled Eggs: Infuse boiling water with tea leaves to give eggs a marbled appearance on the whites when hard boiled. Prior to the final minutes of cooking, the eggshells are slightly cracked, thus allowing the teas to seep through and create this magical marbled effect; either green or black teas are great for this. Spices are often added to this mixture for Son-In-Law Eggs.

18. Rubs: Dried leaves can add crunch and flavor for rubs to coat fish, meat or poultry or to be used as a garnish, particularly young green or white tea leaves. Smoked teas lend a deep, dark smokiness to poultry and seafood. I like using Russian Caravan or Lapsang Souchong for an extra special taste to infuse foods with a smoky quality.

19. Braising liquid: Brewed tea can be used as a braising liquid, or as a seasoning for marinades. As the base for a sauce, fruit juices gain depth of flavor with the addition of tea. A small handful of tea leaves adds an herbaceous flavor and a golden glow to cream sauces.

20. Tea in baking: Add tea to a cake or shortbread for a special taste. Melt butter with tea leaves in it, allow to stand for a few minutes and then sieve out the leaves. Chill the butter to firm and proceed with your favorite recipe for icings or cakes.

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