The estate agent

My 88-year-old father will move into a home soon, and my brother and I are going to sell the now empty house on his behalf. The house is a detached Victorian villa in a Buckinghamshire market town, with small stables on a driveway and a big garden, but the interior decor is a little faded. Should we sell as it is or take all the furniture out?

GR, by e-mail

First impressions count. It may be a cliché, but in selling houses, it is true. The one thing most buyers lack is imagination: when walking into an empty room, they will be inclined to be negative about the space. So if you can help the buyer to visualise where a bed or an armchair will go, it is best to leave the furniture in place. The idea is to give a sense of scale first, and make it look lived-in second. Make sure the house is clean and tidy, but resist the impulse to paint anything — once you start touching up, other surfaces often look dull.

Ed Mead is a Chelsea-based estate agent with 30 years’ experience; ed-mead.com

The exterminator

Our garden seems to attract wasps. How can I keep them away this summer?

ES, Cambridge

Wasps appear in vast numbers during July and August, just when we want to spend time outside. So how can you deal with them? The wasp trap (from pestfreehome.co.uk,£3.99) is a new twist on the old idea of “sugary water in a jam jar”. It can be placed in the garden to tempt the insects away from wherever you are sitting.

Or try the Waspinator, which resembles a wasps’ nest and can be hung above your picnic. Raiding wasps will think it’s a rival nest and steer clear. You can pick one up at a garden centre or at pestfreehome.co.uk for £9.99.

If the problem persists, watch the wasps’ behaviour. If they are flying in and out of the eaves or into an air brick, the chances are that there is a nest. Don’t even think about dealing with them yourself, especially using a domestic fly spray. To find your nearest professional, look at Yellow Pages or search the postcode-driven directory at bpca.org.uk. Expect to pay £50-£100 per visit.

Richard Strand runs Pest Information Consultancy; pestfreehome.co.uk

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