Would clutter put you off viewing?

[NigelHarmansNewWife]

Today there's a lovely Victorian house come up for sale on an old alert I've got set up which looks to be a well-designed family home. There wouldn't be much you could do to create value if that was your thing. But it is really cluttered. It's not untidy as such, just overwhelming to look at.

I found myself thinking, "well those shelves will have to go, try to see past the billion pictures on the walls, etc." I don't think a lot of people can see past clutter and when you put eclectic decor into the mix even more so. It reminded me of our house when we went to view it. It had been on the market for two years. We were looking at the same time as a colleague and they had decided not to view it as they couldn't see past the sellers' taste in cluttered interiors with what they described as "colourful" decor.

Not put me off viewing, but you’d need to be aware that the clutter could be hiding things (cracks/ holes) that might mean more work. Even the best houses look a bit shabby after everything is removed, I would imagine a cluttered house would need a lot of decorating and cleaning. Doesn’t need to out you off, but you should be aware.

Also make sure everything is cleared out before exchange…

I haven’t seen people on Mumsnet saying don’t waste time tidying or decluttering, that would be terrible advice. The usual advice is tidy up and declutter before the photos are taken, but don’t bother spending money on renovations.

I've discovered via MN, that people have wildly different interpretations of "clutter". You mention pictures on the wall and shelves. That doesn't sound like clutter to me.

Have you got a link?

I agree with you. What usually happens is someone posts photos of some of their house and asks for advice. There will a range of responses from the sensible to the, frankly nuts, advising buying all new, white 1000 thread count bedding, and pointing out small things they personally dislike and telling the OP they need to completely redecorate and refurnish their home if they hope to sell when it's a fairly normal family home rather than a millionaire's mansion.

I'd rather not as it's not my house and threads where the details are posted often result in places being pulled apart. When I was looking I was thinking what I would change to give it broader appeal. Plus I'd rather you didn't have a go at me for describing things as clutter!

No, it wouldn't put me off and I would be able to see past it as long as I have the room measurements. However, if it was so cluttered I couldn't see the state of the walls etc. it could put me off.

It wouldnt put me off but it does seem to put most other people off. Im really good at seeing past the decor, clutter etc and seeing the potential but DH isnt!

I use it to our advantage as houses that are cluttered, or have 'colourful' decor etc usually are a bit cheaper!

Years ago there used to be a tv programme about how to get your house ready for sale. One of the first bits of advice was to mentally move out, so get rid of any junk you wouldn't be taking with you anyway. Then put all the personal stuff (pictures etc) into storage, buyers want to see themselves in the home, not you. Then redecorate to neutral tastes where possible, especially if the current decor is eclectic, and clean it very thoroughly, not forgetting giving the exterior a good clean and tidy up. Banish pets from the house for viewings, and also make sure there is no "eau de pet" smell either.
The end result (they might have fibbed a bit for tv, mind) was to shift houses that had been proving hard to sell, without having to drop the price.
I'm sure that the above would apply to selling houses today, though to be fair, anything will shift if the price is low enough. I have not put any of the above into practice, as we intend to leave this house in boxes ourselves!

Just remembered a house we viewed before this one. House was maybe a few years old. Price was good, it was a lot of house for the money, and it wasn't that cluttered, especially bearing in mind they had 4 little boys. But it was absolutely rank filthy. Carpeted bathrooms clearly showing where the little boys' aim for the toilet had been off, and a litter of kittens pissing all over the place, on top of a considerable amount of general filth. The bloke even said they were leaving the carpets, as if that would be a bonus. Er, no thanks. And it was a no thanks to the house too.

No, it wouldn't put me off. In conjunction with the floor plans I can see if my things will fit, regardless of the clobber the owners have.

I would be just as likely to look at it, cos it will put people off and I'll be more likely to have less competition for the purchase, so get a good price /avoid a bidding war etc.
But I can see past clutter and not everyone can.

It wouldn't stop me viewing, I'd hope to get a bit of a bargain.

even if it wasn't going to be emptied it wouldn't put me off.

i can look at the bones /location/garden & imagine it once I've sorted it. Meh 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think it would make me wonder if there was enough space for a family if it was really cluttered. But it wouldn't necessarily put me off.

The sellers aren't leaving their clutter so why would it bother me?

Eclectic decor would only bother me insofar as I couldn't change it reasonably quickly when I moved in. So walls and curtains wouldn't bother me at all, flooring maybe a bit. Kitchen and bathroom much more of an issue as they are costly and disruptive to change.

It wouldn't put me off per se but if there are loads and loads of pictures on the wall, I'd worry that I'd have to remove all the fittings and repaint it all etc. We bought a house which had been rented out and the tenant had a picture gallery all down the stairs. The owner agreed to get the wall sorted as part of the sale.

Not at all.

Structurally sound is more important than clutter so it wouldn't bother us.

House Doctor @Noseyoldcow

Having pulled about a billion hooks and pins out of the walls here, in literally every room, not to mention having to redecorate the living room straightway as it was in terrible condition thanks to all the stuff which had been on the walls with fading and smoke and dust marks then yes, lots of pictures on walls can be an issue.

Those threads are so funny with all the nutty responses.

I would never dare show photos of my own house on Mumsnet as couldn't cope with the comments

Yes, those threads are hilarious. I e moved around a lot, and the most I’ve ever done to present a house for sale is give it a good clean, and retouch paint in obviously worn areas, and make sure the photographs are good. Sometimes I’ve already moved, so the house is unfurnished.

The only time I would ever go to any lengths to ‘stage’ a house is if it were in a very difficult market, or if it were a difficult/quirky house which would only appeal to a small proportion of potential buyers. A friend who sold a beautiful but absolutely tiny one-bedroom house in our old village did go to a lot of trouble to stage, but I thought that was necessary — potential viewers needed to see how the space could be made to work, that furniture could fit, and to be sold ‘bijou 17thc cottage’ rather than ‘cramped’.

The things mentioned in the op wouldn’t put me off at all but if there were lots of day to day things piled up everywhere (coats, shoes, kitchen equipment, food packets, toys etc) then it might make me wonder if the house was too small for us and we’d have nowhere to put anything! Would probably still take a look in person to judge for myself though.

Our previous house hadn’t sold and they were just about to put it up to rent instead. It was painted in very strong colour, bright purple bedroom, lime green bathroom, bright orange kitchen, no furniture…..

we repainted, converted the loft and put in an en-suite. When we sold 10 years later it was to the very first person who came in the door.

It's rather impossible to discuss without examples then. I've seen people link their own houses on here as they're not selling and people have cried "lose the clutter" and the houses are remarkably bare. The clutter, when clarified, could just be a toaster and utensil pots on the counter.

I've moved a fair bit over the years and whilst clutter doesn't put me off ( take a tape measure and use the floorplan/ ask for measurements) I think if the 'vibe' ( sorry!) is off then you'll be less successful.

So yeah, although piss marks on the toilet wall and nicotine stains on the ceiling can be painted over, I do understand that a lot of people don't want to buy a house that feels chronically unloved either.

I wouldn't be put off viewing but I wouldn't offer full price as I'd have the impression that the property was poorly maintained. In saying that, I feel physically sick in clutter and would find it very difficult to view.