Last week it finally felt as though we could say goodbye to one of the soggiest winters on record. The sun even made several welcome appearances and a host of plants in our garden began to emerge from hibernation, sending fresh green shoots up through the brown earth.

Just down the lane from us alongside the banks of the canal the blossom on the blackthorn is particularly spectacular this year – there are always some winners, whatever the weather.

I always find myself skipping around at this time of year, Easter heralds the start of the busiest time of the year for me with would-be sellers wanting to leap from the starting blocks and get on the move. I’ll be fielding a multitude of questions - top of the list will be value, closely followed by costs, next the nitty gritty of what to do with the clutter then how best to present the garden, which is sure to look sorry for itself after five months of neglect.

We tackled clutter in this column last week so very hopefully anyone on the move who read it got the message – get shot! So on to the garden. It’s the first impression a potential buyer will get and you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression! For those unsure of where to start, top of the list are the lawns - they are the centrepieces, as soon as it’s dry enough, mow them and trim the edges.

If the fencing’s shoddy, fix or replace it and trim any hedges. If you grow your own, dig over the vegetable patch, trim overgrown shrubs, fork over the borders, then sweep the paths. If you’re short on colour, nip over to Monkton Elm or Otter Nurseries for some spring flowering plants then pop them in and make your garden smile again.

If your garden smiles – so will your buyer. Get stuck in!

Chris Willey is an Independent Property Appraiser and welcomes sale related enquiries on Taunton 01823 412661.