Asking what puts you off when viewing a house to buy?

[DarkGreen]

We have had our house valued but we are just getting the house ready to sell. Touching it up bits and tidying up.

For context its a 2 bed terraced house on a country lane with no driveway but space on the Road to park outside the house. It is an old house.

What areas and things should we focus on? What would you look for and what would put you off?

Smell! also sense of claustrophobia

Woodchip. I’ve had to strip it out of two houses already and have promised myself never again.

Parking is a big one for me not just for myself but my visitors as well. We shared a drive in our previous house with neighbours and it was a nightmare. We now have a lovely big drive all to our selves with street parking as well.

General maintenance of property - will some things need replacing straight away.

Neighbours - always like to see what neighbouring properties look like so you get a feel on if they are going to be a problem.

Only things which cannot be changed or will be expensive to change. For example, damp, lack of parking, poor access, PROW, structural issues, being listed, restrictive covenants etc.
Smells and decor can be easily dealt with. I always think we're going to clean and gradually repaint everything/rip out what I don't like anyway. Both my MIL and DM were really put off my current house because of the vendors dodgy curtains. It's a triple aspect room, lovely space and so light and airy.....I simply redecorated bought different curtains/blinds that fit.....Same bathroom had a big hole in the wall. But the actual fittings bath, shower, loo we're all brand new and nicely done....Simply fixed hole and re painted. They just couldn't see the potential.

I'd say the garden probably does need weeding and mow the lawn. Tidy it up a little. As for the house as long as it has clean carpets and floors, no smoking smelland decluttered there isn't much that would put me off. I can see past most things like ugly fitted wardrobes and would probably plan to rip those out anyway and carpets depending on how old they were, wallpaper can be removed.

We saw a house that was clearly lived in but so cluttered and the owner showed us around. We had a family of the same size and all it highlighted to me was the lack of storage (owner had exhausted all possibilities) and that we would have the same problem so we didn't make an offer.

I know she's old schoole but house doctor says about neutural colours, clean clutter free space, odd jobs finished clean lines ect no unpleasant smells, furniture placement so rooms flow maybe look into feng shui chi?

I would want the house clean and tidy and garden weeded. Apart from that no loose kids or animals and that's enough for me. I would generally come in and change carpets and repaint and wouldn't want any furniture left so none of the other stuff matters.

@DarkGreen

What about wooden fence panels, should I paint them or leave them natural wood? They are all different shades

If they wouldn't need replaced I would simply creoset them. I don't think that's the right spelling. dingo to the expense of painting but if you do don't do them chav grey please!

Noise from neighbours coming through the walls - we once bought a house with noisy neighbours, it made life hell. Other than that, dodgy people hanging around, smells from restaurants. We bought our current home as a wreck, so nothing internal would bother me too much.

A pylon in the front garden

When we were looking we saw a very promising house in the brochure, 4 bed, detached. Ticked lots of boxes. Anyway, we turned up and it turned out that it was so noisy!! It was like a comedy sketch when the EA said yelled to us in the backyard ‘it’s so relaxing here’ and my husband yelled back ‘I can’t hear you!!’ 😂

I actually felt sorry for the owners. The reason for the noise was a flyover built almost directly over their home but it was built after they bought it. No wonder they were trying to sell. We said yelled to the EA that we were leaving as it was too noisy!

A clean bathroom. I touched a bathroom radiator whilst looking round a flat with DS recently. I touched it because it seemed to have a funny greyish finish on it.

Turned out it was very thick dust. Disgusting.

Unfortunately DS loves this place. Yeah I know it can be cleaned.

Tenants in situ.
The owners being there during the viewing.
Untidiness.
A neighbour with messy garden. (Like crap piled in it, not that they haven't cut the lawn for a fortnight.)
Kids playing in the street.

Cat smells

Dirty carpet (well all carpet)

Too close to neighbors

Master bedroom too close to the other bedrooms

Ugly tile

Too close to electrical pole field

small bedrooms

no trees

I'm really surprised - so many of these could be cheaply fixed. I bit of a pain, maybe, but nothing if the bones of the house and its location suit you, surely?

Maybe it's because we've always been trying to afford something we can't really afford and/ or that we have very particular taste.

Location, exposure, neighbours, noise on first sift - but nothing you can do about those.

I care about good bones, so I look for roof, windows, wiring, plumbing, flooring, all high-quality and well-maintained. Newly done work is great if I like it, but off-putting otherwise, as extra expense to put right.

Awkward layout, lack of natural light, poor ventilation and lingering smells are a no.

Ancient kitchen is a plus so I can justify ripping it out (I prefer freestanding). Bathroom & toilet similar, but less so. I don't care at all about your decor or furnishings or clutter, or how you've arranged the rooms: I just mentally subtract all that anyway. But I do want to see the entire space available, including inside all built-in cupboards - so not a good stash space for clutter during viewings!

I don't want to pay for the latest interior decor trends.

I'd rather have a huge ramshackle garden than an overly-pruned chemical-soaked one where I have to rip out patios & garden features and spend years restoring the soil.

Trendy coloured kitchen - i.e. red gloss units. I don't care if it's shaker, glossy, whatever, just give me white or wooden doors.

Loads of wallpaper. I hate it.

On cleaning, I want to be able to see the bits I'm buying. Prioritise windows & sills, floors, mantlepieces, kitchen & bathroom surfaces. The rest really doesn't matter to me.

I've never understood the frenzied showhome cleaning and staging. Especially with children around, so stressful! I'm not going to make a major financial commitment because you've arranged lemons in a bowl or plumped cushions just so. Your stuff leaves with you anyway.

@MintyFreshBreath

When we were looking we saw a very promising house in the brochure, 4 bed, detached. Ticked lots of boxes. Anyway, we turned up and it turned out that it was so noisy!! It was like a comedy sketch when the EA said yelled to us in the backyard ‘it’s so relaxing here’ and my husband yelled back ‘I can’t hear you!!’ 😂

I actually felt sorry for the owners. The reason for the noise was a flyover built almost directly over their home but it was built after they bought it. No wonder they were trying to sell. We said yelled to the EA that we were leaving as it was too noisy!

I've just been to see a house like this! The house itself was lovely and in great condition and it had a stunning garden. We went to see the garden and suddenly I realised I couldn't hear what the EA was saying, like at all. The noise from the road was crazy. We said no and the house was taken off the market un-sold shortly afterwards and I feel bad for the owners.

In truth, for me, a house in ideal condition for viewing would be completely empty and sparkling clean! All utilities still connected so everything can be checked.

No manipulation, no obfuscation, no selling a lifestyle. What you see is what you get. Why don't we do it this way? Too sensible and honest, I suppose.

That's a brilliant analysis @CaraDuneRedux! Perhaps your missing % are the window-shoppers, not-quite-readies, daydreamers?

Only just registered the dates & that I'm a year late for this thread! Oops.

Have you sold, OP? Did you follow any of the suggestions, did they help?

Sheer filth would be off putting. I looked at one house where the dividing wall in the garden was literally just piled up brick and dodgy paving, plus nicotine stained interior. It was over priced for the work that needed doing. Price is a big factor.

Clutter, doggy smells, after, dodgy decor are irrelevant and can be easily remedied. I boarded over a 70s fireplace in one house, it was just too traumatic!

I can’t understand people being concerned about astroturf/patio gardens. It’s honestly relatively easy to lift patio-stick the slabs on Freecycle, people will take them away for you. Astroturf can go in the bin. Turf isn’t madly expensive or particularly difficult to lay, we did half of our garden last year after removing trees.

I think it helps to show rooms for their intended purpose, although having a bedroom as a study/office is obviously the thing these days.

De-clutter, you don’t need half of the shit in the loft, you’re moving, you won’t use it, it’s been there years. Clean and tidy inside and out as much as you can, don’t leave dog shit in the garden, that made me want to hurl on one viewing.