6 Problems Home Sellers MUST Address to Get an Offer

Home sellers need to understand that decor in a house for sale is a make or break choice.  Some buyers cannot look past poorly decorated homes to see the potential that they have. Others find way more than they bargained for in an open house when they come across something gross or even a bit weird.  

Wit this in mind, home sellers will want to avoid scaring away potential buyers by not fixing any of these six problem areas before a showing.

Pests

No one wants to run across any pests while viewing a home.  Not only are some people scared of bugs or mice they also do not want these pests in a home they could potentially own.  

While it is impossible to anticipate that one spider is going to come out of hiding always spray for pests.  Take care of any known pest problems before attempting to sell and please clean up any obvious signs like giant spider webs hanging from the corners.

Too Much of a Good Thing

People like to collect things.  Some like rocks and others like bugs.  Whatever the collection is do not showcase it during a showing.  

Buyers have not come to the home to look at hundreds of items that a homeowner has slowly been hoarding for years.  They want to look at the house and avoid any creepy collections.

Something Smells…

The smell of a house is so important to buyers.  Any bad smell is going to linger in their minds even after they leave the home.  

Common smells that people want to avoid are smoke and pet odor.  Home buyers that do not own pets and do not smoke do not want to buy a house that is covered in the smell.

Another aspect of this is trying to overcompensate and spray too much air freshener.  If a buyer is choking on how much air freshener is in the air they are not going to have an enjoyable experience.  They will also wonder why it took so much air freshener to cover up the smells in the house.

Problem Pets

Pets are a big problem in many homes, starting with leaving them in the house for showings.  Pets become agitated and growl, bark, hiss, or even bite strangers if they feel like they are under attack.  Home sellers must avoid the stress and bring pets with when leaving the house.

Home sellers will also want to be aware that everything that pets leave behind is off-putting to some buyers, as well.  Pet hair, pet smell, and even the many toys or accessories for pets make it all too obvious that a pet lives there.

Even a tidy homeowner may have a slight smell in their home they are not aware of. In most instances, there is usually a little-hidden pet hair on the furniture.  Try to keep the house as clean as possible.

Light it Up

No one wants to walk through a dark and dreary home.  That is why one of the best steps home sellers can do is take down those heavy curtains and let natural light flow through the rooms.  Any room that has access to a window should utilize that wonderful light. The more light coming in the bigger the space is going to feel.

Personal Items

Home sellers should always take out the personal items.  This includes any pictures of the family. Look on the fridge, in the bedrooms, and always in the living room.  These pictures only remind buyers that someone else lives in the house. They are seeing it not as a new home for themselves but as an invasion of space of another family.  

Prepping to sell a house is necessary to get offers.  Even though the house may be a wonderful buy, if there are other problems in the home buyers may still avoid making an offer.  Anything that screams that the house is dirty or not well maintained is going to turn a buyer off. Simply super clean and pack away personal belongings to really ‘wow’ buyers.