10 Biggest Turnoffs for Potential Home Buyers

It doesn’t take much to lose potential home buyers. They may walk into a home, or even drive by a house, and be completely turned off from buying it. These turnoffs for home buyers could mean you don’t get top dollar. They can also keep people from noticing the amazing things about your home.

“I’ve seen quite a few things over the years that are big turnoffs,” says Judy Delen. She is a home stager and the founder of Seattle House & Home (also known as Delen Staging & Design) in Seattle. She also is a real estate broker with Compass.

As a home stager and interior designer, Delen tries to enhance interior living spaces for the best possible first impression. She uses the newest interior design trends with stylish furnishings to let buyers focus on the home’s best features.

As a real estate broker, she sees the mistakes home sellers make at open houses and private showings.

Here are her top 10 turnoffs for home buyers, with what you can do about each before you list your house:

Click to see today’s rates.

An overgrown yard

This is the first thing a prospective buyer sees when they arrive, she says. To get top dollar, a homeowner needs to clean up the front yard and add a colorful planter to the porch. That gives the home curb appeal that appeals to someone’s emotions.

After all, people want to imagine themselves driving up to this house after a long day of work and feeling relaxed.

Disgusting and muddy front door and mat

This is one of the next things a buyer sees and steps on. Put out a new, clean door mat for open houses and showings.

The front door should be free of cobwebs, dust and chipped paint. You might even think about painting it a cheery, bright color that attracts the eye. As a result, buyers can easily remember it as the house with the colorful door.

Odors, one of the biggest turnoffs for home buyers

Every house has a smell. But Delen says pet urine, cigarettes, strong food smells, litter box and hamster cages can be too overwhelming for any buyer.

“No one wants to enter a home they are considering buying and get hit with the smell of wet dog or cat urine,” she says. “Carpets should be professionally cleaned and deodorized. Pets need to be off site for open houses.”

Clutter everywhere

From papers to dishes to laundry to toys, put all the clutter away. Countertops should be almost bare, and closets and cupboards should be organized and tidy. Potential buyers will be opening up those doors. So, you don’t want things falling out at them.

If you have clutter, it clues them in that there isn’t enough storage in the house. It’s easy to buy baskets and other containers to neatly store things in.

Crazy paint colors

Bright fuchsia living rooms and startling lime green in the kitchen just don’t entice too many buyers touring a home. Instead, Delen says, sellers should repaint rooms in more neutral colors.

Check current mortgage rates.

Broken door hinges, ripped carpets, torn upholstery, nasty looking blinds or curtains

Don’t leave these jobs to a buyer, because they want to see move-in ready homes. So, replace and repair these items before an open house. That way, buyers will notice the beauty of your big kitchen or the bright light shining through the clean windows.

Weird furniture layout

Furnish each room for its original intended use. For example, if you’re trying to sell a three bedroom home and you use the third bedroom as an office, that’s ok.

“But if the dining room is now the office, it will not photograph very well and will distract buyers,” Delen explains. “Call a stager to help with editing rooms, re-arranging furniture, re-hanging art, and bringing in additional furniture to enhance what is already in the home.”

Family photographs everywhere

One of a stager’s first tips is to take down as many family photos as possible. A good real estate agent will tell you the same.

“This helps neutralize the feel of the home and lets a potential buyer more easily imagine themselves living there,” she says. “Leaving a few photos is fine, but you should probably take down the gallery wall of baby pictures and wedding pictures.”

Plus, once you take them down, you might realize you have to repaint that wall because of the markings.

Old and dated light fixtures that home buyers see as turnoffs

Replacing light fixtures doesn’t have to be expensive. Consider changing outdated ones for more current options. Go to the big box stores for bargains that are still modern and shine a new brightness on your home.

Putting in new light bulbs can also give your rooms more lightness, especially if your showings are during evening hours. Buying a few more lamps for certain rooms can also help.

Dirty windows, the turnoffs sellers forget and home buyers notice

“This is often a forgotten area of the house, but clean windows can make a big difference,” Delen says. “Have the windows professionally cleaned inside and outside. Clean windows let more light in and make the home shine, sometimes literally.”

Click to check today’s mortgage rates.