We all know that things like dated kitchens, funky wallpaper, or lack of an on-suite bathroom can turn away buyers from a home. Each family or individual has their own taste and specific needs for the living space they’re going to call home. Let’s face it, your home can’t be all things to all people. But sometimes there are things present in a home that disturb or “creep out” buyers who might have otherwise liked the house. If you’re thinking of selling, consider addressing these issues before putting your home on the market. Although “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” you need to remember that these beholders are the ones ready to spend money on a very big purchase.
1. Live animals. Not everyone loves pets as much as you do. Even if they do love animals, they might not love yours, as hard as it is to believe. An animal running loose in a home can be distracting for some buyers, especially an energetic pet. And if there’s danger of getting bitten or jumped on, the situation could turn bad quickly. Snakes, tarantulas, and other not-for-the-faint-of-heart pets can be especially creepy for some, even if they are securely contained. The best advice is to have someone look after your pet outside of the house during showings. Lots of people choose to cage their animals, which can work fine in some cases, but a noisy animal during a showing can still alter the emotional connection that a buyer forms when viewing your home.
2. Sports memorabilia. You might figure plenty of buyers coming through your home share your love for the local teams or your own alma mater. Sharing spirit for a certain team could definitely help create the warm fuzzies for some buyers, but what if it has the opposite effect? The allegiance to particular teams can fuel strong emotions. Buyers might be from a different town or maybe they attended a rival school. And if your memorabilia includes insulting statements about a buyer’s team, that could bode even worse for your sale. You’ve probably heard that “depersonalizing” your home is the way to go when selling so that people can imagine themselves there rather than you. This depersonalization includes putting away the sports memorabilia, or at least toning it way down.
3. Nude décor. The tastefulness of what kind of nudity exists in paintings, posters, and sculptures could be argued as a matter of opinion. The fact remains that some people are just plain turned off by it for a variety of reasons. No matter how much your circle of friends or family likes your artwork, you’re probably better off tucking it out of sight for showings. Your goal is to sell your house at a neat profit, not to win approval of your art.
4. Mounted animal skins or heads. Hanging up stuffed animals that were once living is a polarizing interest. Depending on where one lives, many people aren’t accustomed to the look of animal heads or bodies mounted on walls that they may eventually own and decorate themselves. It’s just one of those things that you can’t depend on people liking or seeing past if it’s not their thing. Put them away for the time being. Something as easy as a décor change shouldn’t stand in the way of selling your house.
5. Drugs and drug paraphernalia. Even though some states are relaxing laws on marijuana, it’s still illegal in most states. Any evidence of drug use (including marijuana’s signature smell) could prove to be a big turn off for certain buyers. With the presence of any illegal drugs, some buyers might wonder what kind of other illegal activity has taken place in the home. This isn’t rocket science. Don’t advertise drug use in the home you’re selling.
6. Bad odors. It seems obvious that bad odors turn off a lot of buyers. But sometimes you’ve become so used to a certain odor that you don’t notice it anymore. Or you only notice it for a second when you enter and then you forget about it. Buyers are not so forgiving when it comes to odors. Even if they like your house, they may move it lower on their short list because of the bad smell. Home odors can be present from a variety of sources such as cigarette smoke, certain types of cooking, mold, pet waste, dirty carpeting, or food that a toddler hid under the couch. Find friends or neighbors to walk through your home and see if they detect any odors that you’re not noticing. Find the source and take care of it so that your home isn’t bypassed for smelliness.
Focus on showing your home as a product that needs to be sold rather than the emotional attachment it may be to you. You want to appeal to the broadest market possible. It’s usually only a mild inconvenience to change things for the sake of not turning off buyers, so remember to keep your end goal in mind: Selling your house.