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.

The kitchen in the house I've seen online is poorly planned. Two sets of open shelves in different places in the kitchen, including above an internal door, crammed with stuff, drawing attention to the fact there isn't enough storage.

Depends. Does the house look cared for on the exterior? Is it clutter as lots of ornaments and furniture or is it clutter as in hoarding of chairs stacked to the ceiling, rooms you are unable to reach the windows type stage?
If the outside looked unkempt and it was more hoarding than a surfeit of ornaments, then no, as I’m. It looking for an over priced renovation skip wielding house/ job for our next move. But someone who’s looking for a Reno probably would. Horses for courses!

I must admit being put off by clutter, it just gives me a bad vibe and makes me want to leave, I think it's the feeling the house isn't really cared for and even double beds in what is the sitting/living room make it difficult to envisage the room as for its proper purpose. On the other hand, I like coloured walls and lots of pictures, feel more at home in a house like that.

No.

But it seems to put other people off and as a result I get cheaper houses.

So I'm happy.

A lot of stuff, but everything has its place? No.

Piles of stuff in the corners of every room? Yes.

I think the only thing I’d be cautious about, is whether they were maintaining the house. Also, depends on the clutter.

A little bit wouldn't bother me, it doesn't need to look like a show home and I'd expect it to look lived in.

But a lot of clutter would affect how I viewed the house, definitely. Especially if it looked like it had built up over a long time and they just hadn't bothered to tidy anything.

I'd wonder if they were going to leave anything when they move out, and I'd also be wondering if people with so much clutter/ chaos everywhere would have bothered to properly maintained the house.