Football flags flying from bedroom windows, parked cars or visible rubbish bins – what would turn you off viewing a property?
Well, even if it is none of the above, there are plenty of other hidden home horrors that often have would-be buyers running a mile. We’ve made a list of the top five property turn-offs for buyers!
1. Grime and dirt
Quite possibly the biggest turn off for any home buyer is a dirty house – especially bathrooms and kitchens! No buyer will want to see last night’s spaghetti stuck to plates in the sink. That’s a given. But make the effort and ensure tiles and grout are clean, carpets look pristine and white goods are, well, white!
2. Bad odours
Unsurprisingly, 56% of people are put off by a lot of odours, including those caused by pets, cigarettes and food. Some pet owners mistakenly believe pet smells to which they’ve become accustomed help make their abode homey. Nothing could be further from the truth. Make your home smell fresh and inviting – some people advise the smell of baking bread (but who’s got the time!?) Some pleasant plug-ins or reed diffusers will do just the trick.
3. Sellers who show you around
It makes the buyer uncomfortable, so they can’t view the property properly. Buyers might not feel comfortable expressing their true opinions of the property in fear of offending the seller and may hold back burning questions on their mind. If you’re thinking of trying to save a bit of money by carrying out viewings yourself, our advice is don’t. Otherwise, you could be waiting a lot longer for your property to sell on the market.
4. Damp
A huge 70% of people said that they wouldn’t consider buying a house if there were any damp patches or stained walls. Damp can often be very expensive to fix and can also indicate other problems with a house, such as a leaking roof or gutter, so it is not a surprise that this topped the list of turn-offs.
5. Some unavoidable features
Sometimes buyers will be put off by certain features that are unavoidable. For example, more than half of the people in the survey said they could not live somewhere that had a shared driveway. 1 in 10 vendors have them, so they are relatively common. Buyers also often avoid shared garden, and a lack of parking.
