BRITONS intending to sell-up over the coming year are spending an average of £2,016 in the next three months to get their houses up to scratch.

This figure is up 20 per cent from three months ago (£1,683) according to the latest findings from Alliance & Leicester's movingimproving index.

While the spotlight is firmly on house prices and the reported escalating cost of buying, the expenses involved in selling a property may be overlooked or neglected.

With the average cost of selling a £100,000 house estimated to be around £4,000, a further £2,000 spent on home improvements to get the property to a saleable standard represents a large extra cost to those selling their homes.

Across the nation, Britons are intending to spend an average of £1,239 on DIY over the months leading up to Christmas.

The average amount being spent by all homeowners has increased by 11 per cent from £1,119 in July.

For the first time in the two-year history of the A&L movingimproving Index, DIY dipped over the spring and summer months as Britons packed up for their holidays.

A&L's quarterly movingimproving index asked a GB representative sample of 4,000 people how much they intend to spend on DIY over the next three months and which projects they are intending to carry out.

Key findings include:

Britons intend to spend an average of £1,239 sprucing their houses up in the months leading up to Christmas. This figure has increased by 11 per cent since July 2002 as Britons settle in for a winter of painting and decorating.

Britons intending to sell their homes within the next year will be spending an average of £2,016 over the next three months.

This group is more likely than the average Briton to be installing a new kitchen (12 per cent v eight per cent) or a new bathroom (nine per cent v seven per cent) over the same period.

People in their 30s are intending to spend the most on DIY over the coming three months (£1,522).

This contrasts with those in their 60s who only intend to spend an average of £741.