Top 4 “Easy-to-Fix” Issues That Turn Off Potential Buyers
If you’re planning to sell your Louisville home then you obviously want to get top dollar for it.
The problem is that it’s? not in your budget to spend thousands to get your house in tip top condition, or maybe you just don’t want to put any money into a house that you’re selling.
Fortunately, there are some things that you can do on your own that can make a huge impact on how fast your home sells for and for how much.
In my time as an Louisville Home Inspector, I’ve heard the same complaints from buyers over and over. Here’s a list of the top complaints that I hear from potential buyers.
1-Funky Paint Colors– Coming in at number one is the “paint complaint”. Even though it’s a relatively easy fix, paint color can be a huge turn off for buyers. Most buyers just want to move their stuff in and be done with it. Unless the buyer is looking for a fixer-upper, they don’t want to have to deal with breaking out the paint rollers and painting the house they just closed on. ?Sellers will have a much better chance at getting top dollar for their house if they paint over the dark blue kitchen and burgundy living room that they once thought was a great idea. Paint color is not only one of the easiest things to change but it’s also one of the least expensive repairs that a seller can do.
2-Un-maintained Landscaping– Believe it or not, even overgrown landscaping can cause a potential buyer to take one look from the street and just keep on driving. With the average buyer it comes down to “the perception is the reality” and first impressions start with curb appeal.?Many people are just not able to see past certain things and as simple as it is to trim up those trees and shrubs, most buyers just don’t want to deal with it.
If you want to sell your house sooner than later, then get out there and start trimming, raking and mowing. It doesn’t cost anything but time and a little time and hard work. Don’t have a potential buyer “make like a tree and leave”? just because of some poorly maintained landscaping.
3-Clutter and Dirt- There’s nothing worse than bringing a client into a dirty house that they can barely walk around in. Oversized furniture or too much furniture can send buyers running out the door. Clutter can make a house look much smaller than it actually is and if the house is dirty on top of that, then this will almost guarantee that you will lose whatever potential buyer sees it in this condition.
The advice that I hear agents give to their sellers, even if it’s an Louisville?short sale ,
- start throwing out anything that they can
- consider moving any oversized furniture to a storage or at least the garage
- clean, clean and clean some more
Cleaning and de-cluttering a house will give it an entirely different and much more pleasant feeling to a buyer doing a walk through. I’ve actually had clients change their mind about selling once they’ve seen what their home looks like after de-cluttering and cleaning it.
4-Mirrored walls, paneling and wallpaper- The seventy’s and eighty’s were a great time but the party’s over now and it’s time to bring your house into the new millennium. You don’t want a potential buyer to feel like they’ve stepped into a time machine when they see your house. Get rid of those large mirrors on the walls along with the flower patterned wall paper and that ugly paneling. it’s relatively easy to do and totally worth the effort. Oh, and if? there are any disco balls around, you should toss them to.
The moral of this story is that some time and hard work can go a long way when you want to sell your home for the highest dollar amount possible.
Special thanks toi our guest blogger, John Conde, Orlando Realty Consultants.
