Thinking of selling?
Category Newsletter: HeadOffice
Wanting to sell your home faster? Well, here are 10 Tips to avoid when selling your home:
1. Wacky paint colours
Buyers can overlook strange decor choices and picture the house painted white or in tasteful neutrals, but many can't. Furthermore, colour can have a strong effect on mood, both positively and negatively. Don't take the chance.
2. Dirt
Houses for sale should be as near to spotless as you can make it. Particularly in kitchens and bathrooms, grimy grout, stained countertops, dishes in the sink and crunchy floors are definite turn-offs. Do at least a light cleaning before every showing and a more thorough clean each weekend before the open house.
3. Odd smells
If you are a smoker, take it outside while the house is up for sale. In fact, any noticeable odours, whether pets, lingering cooking smells or even heavy perfume, can turn away a potential buyer. Use fabric refresher on upholstery and air fresheners or room scents where needed, but use a light hand.
4. Unkept exterior
Curb appeal makes a very strong impression on a potential buyer, and so does lack of it. Make sure the landscaping is trimmed and the lawn neat, plant a few annuals or cover your flowerbeds with a neat layer of mulch, staying away from the bright red colour and opting for the natural coloured mulch. If the front patio needs painting, paint it. Also, keep the outside of your home as tidy as the interior: remove kids' toys from the backyard, and keep the patio steps swept.
5. Too many pets
It's hard to believe that not everybody loves Fluffy pets as much as you do, but they don't. A dog that comes barking fiercely to the door as soon as you ring the bell, or worse, a whole pack of them, is unnerving. One cat sleeping quietly in a chair might be fine; a noisy (smelly) pet isn't. Try to find temporary homes for your friends, at least while the house is being shown.
6. Wrong-headed renovations
This should be considered at the time of renovation if possible. A toilet off the kitchen; an open-concept renovation that creates a vast, empty space, or an oddly configured hallway or room is viewed by a buyer as money they'll have to spend to put things right. Try to modify your alterations to make them more universal, or better still, avoid wacky renovations in the first place.
7. Dark and dingy interiors
You can't do much about the building two feet beyond your side windows, but you can do a lot to brighten the inside of your house. White or light walls and woodwork is a classic brightener, if you can afford to add windows, they're a good investment in a dark house. Adding more lighting, whether by wiring overhead lights or just installing more lamps, works too. At the very least, keep your windows clean, to let in as much natural light as possible.
8. Horrid Garages
Again, this may or may not be under your control, but a dank, dingy garage, can be off-putting. If you have the option, painting the cement floor can help cheer it up a little. Also, clear out all the junk, right to the walls, so that buyers can see how much space there is -- even if it's only for their own junk.
9. Dirty appliances
Even if the house is generally clean, don't discount the possibility that people will be looking inside the appliances. Keep your fridge clear of old take-out containers and aging leftovers and use the self-clean mode on your oven.
10. Swimming pool
This is perhaps unfair to include a pool as a buyer turn-off, for some people it's a major attraction. But financially, pools rarely make back the money spent on them and can sometimes even lower a home's value. Almost certainly, a pool will cut down the number of potential buyers interested in the house.
Author: Century 21 South Africa
