As well as a house and apartment cleaning service, those other thorny little tasks such as cleaning a greaseencrusted oven are something of a speciality.

Minor repair jobs (electrical and plumbing) can also be tackled, as well as window cleaning, gutter cleaning, garage and attic clearance, patio and driveway pressurewasher cleaning and garden clearance.

They will take the headache out of arranging other related services too, such as linking sellers with a reliable skip hire company, and advising on recycling options.

Minimum charge 50 for two hours cleaning; allow a minimum of 300 for a full house clean.

Painting Professional painters generally charge per room so for a three-bed house you could expect to pay 2,500 to 3,000, inclusive of paint. Doing it yourself is infinitely cheaper of course . . . allow up to 600 for paint for a threebed. Seek advice from professional paint stores . . .

MRCB Paints (01-679 8755), Cornmarket, Dublin 8 has a vast range of brands. There are clever touches that won't cost the earth but create impact, says Colortrend's Barbara Mellerick.

"Maybe consider painting a feature wall area in either a kitchen or sitting room . . . such as the chimney breast . . .

choosing a complementary colour to existing wall colours." For your nearest Colortrend store log on to www. colortrend. ie.

Skip hire A1 WASTE (01-486 4400) offer a range of skip sizes:

the mini (cost 140) is ideal for DIY and general home use; the midi costs 200. The one most households want for the job is the standard skip which costs 235.

Certain hazardous materials cannot be deposited in skips, such as old microwaves, gas cylinders or liquids including old paints.

Check with your local council regarding where these materials can be deposited. Your nearest 'bring' centre will accept awkward items such as old mattresses, etc for a small fee. If you have unwanted furniture that is in perfect condition, log on to www.DublinWaste. ie and advertise your items on the free trade site. Or check out Oxfam, Francis Street, Dublin 8 . . . its branch will collect items but stress that they must be in perfect condition.

Expert advice Architect Eva Byrne's interior planning consultation service also includes advising clients who are considering selling. Along with advice on how best to clean and de-clutter, she will suggest whether money should be spent on redecorating.

"Stand back and look at the house from the outside. . . what will that all-important first impression be like? Small touches like painting the front door may give the whole house a huge lift.

"I am never averse to the old trick of painting over everything. This freshens the whole place up, gets over any potential purchaser's possible aversion to particular colours and allows the spaces to speak for themselves. It even works with flock wallpaper.

"Remove all excess furniture and keep decorative touches (especially ornaments) to a minimum.

A bunch of fresh flowers is the only accessory required.

Banish your dog and cat to the boarding kennels for the duration too."

A two-hour consultation fee costs 300. Email info@evabyrne. com for more information.

Property staging In a nutshell, this is hiring furniture, paintings and accessories to transform home to interior-designmagazine standard. The aim is to increase the selling price by anything from 5% to 10%.

Flanagans of Buncrana (01-288 0218) offer this specialist service for a range of properties, from small apartments to grand period villas.

Prices vary considerably, but a recent example is of a small, hard- to-sell apartment which sold after being transformed by hiring a new bed, console table and classy art works . . . the hire of which cost 2,500.

Gardening Hiring the services of a professional gardener can work wonders.

Larry Boland of Goldenbridge Landscaping (www. goldenbridgelandscaping. com; 087-298 5394) says a neat, caredfor front garden creates a good impression, while buyers now look on a back garden as an extra room, somewhere to dine on warmer days, and this potential should always be emphasised.

"If it's in a mess, it can be off-putting for buyers.

They will immediately calculate what it will cost to have put right and deduct that from the asking price."

Price depends on the cost factor involved on removing any initial waste from the garden.

As a guide for gardening labour, allow from 160 per day.