Property Flaws That Turn Off Buyers

As a listing agent, my job is not to try to make my listings be all things to all people—but I do want it to appeal to enough buyers that I get at least one great offer in a reasonable amount of time for my seller. I also do not want my listings to be the houses that when every buyer and broker sees it, complains about the predictable top 4 property flaws.

Many of the things that make a listing flawed are issues on the seller’s side of the property preparation responsibilities.

Property listings should in showroom display, when it’s being shown, in terms of being clean, staged and clutter-free.

Listed are the top 4 property flaws:

Complaint #1: Odors.

The top odors that turn off buyers are cigarettes, cooking odors and pet odors. Properties that have been well-cleaned, but have noticeable odors, create the concern that they might be permanent and that the buyer might not be able to get rid of them without spending considerable amount of money on cleaning or even removing window and floor coverings.

Complaint #2: Extreme Overpricing.

When overpricing is backed up by sold comps, many buyers and buyer’s brokers will comment on it or inquire about it. What they are less likely to do is actually come out and see the property – especially if they look at the sold & current listings online and after comparing its specs to all the other homes in the area and the price range. Often, homes this obviously overpriced, simply don’t sell, or not until after they’ve had some serious price cuts or have been on the market so long buyers begin to feel confident about making lowball offers.

The goal of placing a house on the market is to sell the home, not test the market.– Sellers want their home to stand out as a property that is not under-priced, but does present a good value for the money – that’s what motivates buyers to schedule a property for a viewing.

Complaint #3: Dirt, Mess, Clutter.

Complaints I hear frequently from buyers are the dirt, messes, piles and personal belongings that buyers find so distracting, when they walk into a home for a viewing or Open House. Messes get in the way of the buyers ability to visualize themselves and their families living in a messy home. When a seller decides to list their home on the market, they should be packing away their personal items and get the property in “model home” showing mode. Packing away items while getting ready for the move, sets their intention to sell into motion.

Complaint #4: Lots of Malfunctioning Items.

 When a home has repair issues such as leaky pipes, stuck drawers & doors, lights switches not working, burned out light bulbs etc, it signals a distressed property to most buyers.

Almost every buyer does the following in every house they tour:

• flick light and fan switches
• open or close window coverings, closet, room and entry doors,
• open and close drawers, cupboards, gates and fences and
• hold the handrails as they walk up and down the stairs.

Here’s what you need to tell Sellers to  fix:

• Leaks,
• repair patches,
• fix broken window coverings
• fix screens

These little fixes are inexpensive to make, so have them completed before the property is listed.

Sellers want to sell their property for the most amount possible, buyers want to buy property for the least amount possible. Sellers need to get into a buyers mindset when they look at their home. How does the seller’s home compare to other properties on the market? What can a seller do to enhance the curb appeal of the property inside & out?