A real estate agent’s job entails more than assisting clients with the
nitty-gritty details of buying or selling a home. Good agents
also tour as many homes as possible. Knowing the local inventory gives them an
edge over the competition and provides great value for future buyers
and sellers
because those agents know the market — their product.
Having
toured hundreds of homes through the years, agents have come to loathe certain
sights. They sometimes leave houses wondering whether the seller even knew a
showing was scheduled for that day.
Here are
five huge turnoffs agents and their buyer clients see when touring homes and
how to avoid them:
Pets and
their stuff
Pets bring
so many great things to a family and home. But no potential buyer wants to see
a dirty cat litter box next to the breakfast table or Fido’s bitten,
saliva-filled bone on the sofa in living room.
When your
home is for sale, nobody needs to know that a pet lives there. Potential buyers
who are allergic to dogs or cats will be turned off immediately, and the mere
presence of a pet will send some buyers right out the front door. Have a plan
in place to keep the pet remnants at bay, the home tidy and your pet’s stuff
out of sight. It may seem like a burden, but if you are serious about selling,
this is of utmost importance
.
Toys and
baby supplies
Selling
your home when you have children — especially a newborn — can be trying
and stressful. For the most part, buyers can appreciate that keeping the home
tidy under such circumstances is a challenge, and they are forgiving. But it is
important to make an effort before showing the home.
If
possible, have a toy chest or large closet dedicated to storing your kids’
stuff. Also keep in mind that buyers have a hard time with the more sanitary or
personal items associated with infants. Leaving breast milk, a breast pump or
dirty baby bottles on the kitchen counter could make a buyer feel that the home
isn’t clean or sanitary. If you have a newborn, put a plan in place and allow
20 minutes to store baby items before a showing.
Cluttered
counters and dirty dishes
Kitchens
and bathrooms help sell a home. Most people spend the majority of their time in
the kitchen, and buyers will want to spend some time in yours.
If the
counters are crowded with the blender, coffee maker, toaster oven and other
items, it will appear that there is little counter space, or worse, that your
kitchen lacks cabinet space. And last night’s meatloaf caked onto plates
sitting in the sink is sure to turn buyers off. Clear the countertops and put
away the dishes before leaving home for a showing.
Personal
items and toiletries
Don’t stop
with the kitchen; the same holds true for bathroom countertops as well.
Clean the
toothpaste off the sink and put away your prescriptions, open body lotion
containers, toothbrushes and dirty towels. Buyers want to feel clean in the
bathroom, and although it’s clear that they won’t be the first to use this
bathroom, they don’t need to be reminded that they will be taking over a “used”
bathroom.
Toilet and
toilet seat
Imagine a
serious buyer touring your home. They’ve fallen in love with the chef’s kitchen
and are already planning where they would put the television and how their
sectional couch would fit in the living room. Then, they stumble upon your
bathroom to find the toilet seat up and not clean.
The last
thing anyone wants to see is a dirty toilet, so make sure the toilet seat is
down at all times. Will buyers be scared off otherwise and not move ahead with
an offer? Probably not. But you want them to fall in love with your home, not
be turned off.
Most home
sellers won’t make these mistakes, but for the 20 percent who do, these five
turnoffs could mean the difference between a full-price or lowball offer — or
worse — an offer on a competing property.