EP 43 - The Undesirables - a podcast by Brian Cook And Kindra Cox

On Episode 43 of The Brian and Kindra Show, they discussed the undesirable home features that put off home buyers. 

One of the greatest distractors when showing or viewing a home is clutter. When a home buyer is viewing a property, having clutter around detracts from the appeal of the property and draws the eye elsewhere. Simplify everything. Keep it clean and tidy. 

Next up, is a damp, moldy smell. Oftentimes basements smell musty. Be sure to keep air circulating via dehumidifier or fans. When home buyers smell dampness, they immediately think mold. This is also a problem with bathrooms. Bathrooms can smell damp or like mildew, which isn’t pleasant. Ventilation is a must!

Dark rooms make a showing dreary. There are a variety of lightbulbs with different wattages and temperatures. In multi-bulb fixtures, make sure you have the same color of light throughout the fixture. Bright lights make a room warm and inviting. This is even more important in rooms that have minimal windows/exterior lighting. 

Cracking in the walls can create a huge concern for buyers and keep them from moving forward with an offer on your property. Although cracks aren’t always structural, they are off-putting to buyers. It’s important to pay attention to any crack, big or small. If you have a way to fix the little cracks indoors or outside on brick, there are ways to seal and rectify the issue. If the problem is structural, you should fix it and make sure it’s disclosed. 

Curb appeal is a term that is tossed about frequently because it is so important!  When buyers pull-up to a house, the first thing they see is the home exterior and yard. If the paint doesn’t match or it’s a strong color, it might detour buyers for no reason other than that. Plant shrubs and make the exterior of the property look good.  Overgrown gardens can be a negative to buyers as well.   Keep everything nice and trimmed so that it doesn’t look like a daunting task to maintain to the buyer. Landscaping can be very overwhelming to buyers! Also check to make sure your fencing is in good condition.  

Garish (bright & showy) decorations can be a distraction to buyers in the same way that clutter can.  It can be a challenge for a buyer to visualize the items that they find ‘homey’ in your property if the decor is too loud.  Tame down anything overly eye-catching. You want the home buyers to focus on the property, not your decorations. 

Home odors can be very difficult to overcome. This is tricky as scents and smells are subjective. Make sure there aren’t any overwhelming scents, good or bad, in the house. Pet odors and strong food odors are often viewed negatively. Even strong essential oils or candles can be noted as unpleasant to some buyers.   

Brian and Kindra hope these tips have been helpful to you. As always, if you have any questions or need help, please feel free to reach out to your local real estate professional.

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