When it comes to selling your home, the process can be difficult enough without the added issues of actively turning buyers off. These things may sound like common sense, but all too often they are overlooked or forgotten about.

So, here at Walton Estates we thought it would be a good idea to list out what, in our opinion, are the top five turn offs for prospective property buyers.

NUMBER 1 – CLEANLINESS

Perhaps the biggest, most commonly referenced turn off for any potential buyer is the cleanliness of the property they’re viewing. Top of that list is the bathrooms. If the toilets, sinks, showers etc are dirty, grimy or otherwise unclean this is seen as a strong indicator of the level of cleanliness the rest of the house is likely to be in.

The personal hygiene of the owner or owner’s is immediately called into question. This then makes the buyer question how clean the floors, kitchen and bedrooms are. This is highly off-putting and has regularly been cited as the reason buyers have ruled out a property.

NUMBER 2 – EXTREME OVERPRICING

Buyers don’t like to feel that they’re being insulted. They also don’t want to feel like they’re going to have to haggle on a price that is unrealistically high.

If they see a property listed for an unreasonable price, they’re usually so turned off they won’t even entertain the prospect of looking at it. They’ll discount it out of hand and that’s the end of that. You will then be limited by the number of viewings and possibly the number of offers you receive.

NUMBER 3 – DECEPTIVE PHOTOS OR DESCRIPTIONS

It will be incredibly hard to trick someone into buying your home. Just because you’ve had photos taken from angles that flatter the rooms or otherwise give an unrealistic perception of what your property looks like, that will all be undermined when they come to see it.

It again speaks to the feeling of being insulted or duped. Buyer’s find that a real turn off. So, make sure your photos accurately reflect the truth of your home.

NUMBER 4 – BAD PHOTOS OR LACK OF PHOTOS

Almost as bad as deceptive photos, coming in at number four, are bad photos. Dark, dingey, poorly staged, cluttered or messy photographs are another major turn off.

You want to show off your house in the best possible light, make it appealing, bright, open, welcoming and homely. It needs to attract buyers to it, it needs to look like a nice place to live. Remember, people are almost always going to first view your property online, the only thing they have to go on is the photography and if that isn’t right, they’re looking elsewhere.

NUMBER 5 – GARDEN & EXTERIOR

If your property has a garden, this is another vital factor to get right. Humans have a connection with the outdoors and love a nicely kept garden. It doesn’t have to be professionally landscaped, but it really should be at least neatly mowed and free of weeds and overgrown beds.

Whether you have a garden or not, the exterior of the property will be very important. If the windows need a good clean or replacing, if roofing is looking drab and in need of repair or if the outer walls are thick with moss or other dirt, this will also put potentially interested buyers off very quickly indeed.

If you would like to find out more about marketing and selling your property effectively, contact Walton Estates today.