With all the hassle of estate agents, removal men and packing boxes, when planning on moving house most homeowners will be keen to secure as quick and efficient a sale of their property as possible.

However, if you're on a bit of a budget chances are that major renovations that are supposed to make your home more 'saleable', such as extensions and conversions, are out of the question.

But fear not, as recent research by HSBC has revealed that even small home improvements such as fixing leaky kitchen taps, repairing paint chips and replacing old gates can improve your chances of a quick property sale.

The 2012 HSBC Home Improvement Survey found that 60 per cent of property valuers believed that the number one way to increase a property's chance of selling quickly is just to carry out a simple de-clutter, while 63 per cent thought that repainting or varnishing a front door would help secure a sale.

"Many householders spend the bank holidays on DIY projects to help boost property value and saleability," said Peter Dockar, head of mortgages at HSBC. "However it is often the smaller jobs like painting the front door that can make all the difference when looking for a quick sale."

But if you want to go one step further to increase your chances of a quick sale, homeowners may want to take the advice of Jason Orme, editor at Homebuilding & Renovating magazine, and add some personal touches to their interior, such as colourful cushions or chrome towel radiators.

"I think people like to see a bit of character rather than, to an extent, the bland approach that is obviously favoured by show homes and commercial house builders," he says.

"It is often quite nice to see something that is relatively personal if that can be universally applied. Personal touches actually work pretty well."