What are the Biggest Home Buyer Turn-Offs? Top 11 Revealed

What are the Biggest Home Buyer Turn-Offs? Top 11 Revealed

While you will be trying to do everything you can to help your home sell, there are likely to be some things you will be unintentionally doing to put off buyers. You might be offending potential buyers without realizing it and giving them a negative opinion of your home.

To give your home the best chance of selling for the price you want, you should really avoid the following home buyer turn-offs.

Top 11 Things that Turn Buyers Off

Unpleasant Odors

If there is an unpleasant odor in your home, you may not know about it. Since you live in the space all the time, you will have gotten used to the smell. Whether the odor is due to pets, smokers living in the home, or anything else, you should deal with it before you put off potential buyers.

It is often better to ask someone who you can trust to give an honest opinion about any smells in the home. If there is an unpleasant odor, cleaning furniture upholstery, carpets, curtains, and rugs should reduce the problem. Though for some odors, like those caused by cigarette smoke, redecorating the home might be necessary.

To make certain your home smells it’s best when prospective buyers are going to be shown around, you can light some candles, or even do some baking. First impressions are vitally important, and the smell in the home plays a big role.

Kitchens and Bathrooms

These are some of the most important rooms in the home for potential buyers, so if they are not looking their best, it is likely to be putting people off. Make sure these rooms are sparkling clean, with old, worn, or rusty fixtures replaced.

It can also be helpful in these situations to get someone else’s opinion. Perhaps that old stain in the kitchen has been there so long you don’t even notice it anymore, but someone else will.

The home doesn’t have to look brand new either. Buyers will expect wear and tear since the home isn’t brand new. Even if there are issues like this, buyers will overlook them if the home is sparklingly clean.

Playful Pets

If you have cats or dogs in the home during showings, it can put off some buyers. Some people are afraid of dogs, so if your friendly dog comes bounding up to them, it may not be a welcome experience for the potential buyer. And if someone has an allergy, they may be more concerned about that than thinking about living in your home.

If you can, it is better to take any pets out of the home while showings are happening. But if that isn’t possible, you can put them in a carrier during the showing. Also, make sure you put all of their toys, food, and litter out of sight.

Damp Problems

If your home has an issue with damp, perhaps in the basement, you should try to fix the problem. While many buyers won’t be too put off by some signs of damp if it is an easy fix, it’s better to do the repair work yourself.

If there are problems like these that haven’t been fixed, it’s also better to be upfront about them with the buyer. Potential buyers will be less happy to find them later on during a home inspection, where they could be seen as a bigger problem.

Outside Space

Your garden or yard should be looking its best before potential buyers visit. The front yard is going to be one of the first things they see, and if it is untidy, they will start with a bad first impression.

Make sure the lawn is cut, bushes trimmed back, and the weeds removed. You should also get rid of clutter. While some garden furniture is fine, toys, tools, and garbage bags lying around aren’t going to impress prospective buyers.

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Difficult Commutes

The location of your home could be a problem if it means a long or unpleasant commute. Journey times to work are often an important consideration for homebuyers, though making compromises on this is sometimes needed.

If this could be an issue with your property, making potential buyers aware of transportation links and main roads might help. Discuss this with your Realtor so that they can better sell your home to buyers who might face a more difficult commute.

Personal Effects

During a showing, buyers are trying to imagine themselves living in the home, but if there are too many of your personal items this might be difficult. It is often better to put away family photographs and other personal items so that buyers don’t get distracted from imagining themselves living there.

Asking for help from a friend for their opinion can help you see where your home has too much personalization. Though you might not like the idea of removing family photos and other personal items, it is only temporary.

However, removing too much character from the home can also be a problem. While overly personalized items should be avoided, you should try and find neutral items to replace them. Neutral prints or paintings can help to avoid the home feeling sterile. Rugs and cushions can also help appealingly stage the home.

If you need some inspiration for how to stage your home, consider how furniture stores do it. They will place neutral items to complement the furniture that could be owned by anyone.

There Goes the Neighborhood

If you are suffering with unpleasant neighbors, it can make your home difficult to sell. Perhaps there are some noisy kids next door, or a frequently barking dog, but whatever it is, it can be difficult to get around.

If there are times of the day when the problem isn’t there, perhaps your real estate agent will be able to schedule appointments then.

You could also attempt to solve the problem with your neighbor, asking them to deal with the issue. Though this may not necessarily go according to plan, it might be the best way to sell your home.

If that fails, being honest with potential buyers might be the best way forwards. Let your real estate agent know about the issues so that they can forewarn buyers, and perhaps it won’t seem like such a big issue to them.

Don’t Disappoint

If you are placing an ad to help sell your home, you cannot misrepresent the property. While it is easy to exaggerate when you are trying to sell your home, doing so will lead to disappointed potential buyers.

You also shouldn’t gloss over any problems that the home might have. Honesty will be more appreciated than obvious lies. If you are not straightforward in what you say about the home, buyers will feel like they’ve wasted their time.

Eager Real Estate Agents

While you want a Realtor who is pushing to try and find a buyer for your home, they can be too pushy. If the agent is hiding things to make a sale or misrepresenting the home, they could be harming your chances of finding a buyer.

This is something you might not realize is actually happening unless you attend a viewing. If you suspect something like this is happening, you could ask a friend to make an appointment to view your home to find out what is really going on.

When you hire your real estate agent, going with recommendations might help avoid this problem. And meeting the Realtor yourself should help you see whether they are overly eager to get you as a client.

When you meet the Realtor, you can always ask the agency to send you someone else if you don’t get on with them. You also have the option of leaving a questionnaire for visitors to fill out, that way they can alert you to why your home isn’t selling.

Are You the Problem?

If you are in the home during showings, it could be turning off buyers. Visitors to your home might not feel comfortable looking around as they would otherwise. This will particularly be the case if you are following them around the home, trying to be helpful by pointing things out.

The reality is they don’t want your interference, they just want to view the home and make their own decision. It is better to not be present when people are viewing, but if you have to be there, don’t succumb to the temptation to try to sell the home. Be polite but not overly friendly, and you might find they ask you some questions.

Final Thoughts

It is all too easy to do things that will make your home more difficult to sell. Fortunately, solving these problems isn’t too difficult if you know what’s wrong and what to do to correct it.

While it might be difficult to address all of the problems we have highlighted, the more of them you can remove the better. It is better to deal with these problems before your home actually goes on the market, but you shouldn’t worry too much if you haven’t tackled all of these issues before it does.

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If you are getting ready to sell your home it's important to know what the biggest home buyer turn offs are, so you can address them prior to listing. #realestate #homeselling Click to Tweet

About the Author

Top Wellington Realtor, Michelle Gibson, wrote: “What are the Biggest Home Buyer Turn Offs? Top 11 Revealed”

Michelle has been specializing in residential real estate since 2001 throughout Wellington Florida and the surrounding area. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell or rent she will guide you through the entire real estate transaction. If you’re ready to put Michelle’s knowledge and expertise to work for you call or e-mail her today.

Areas of service include Wellington, Lake Worth, Royal Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, Greenacres, and more.

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