Has the presentation of a house ever influenced your decision to buy?

[OneDayIWillLearn]

Like do you reflect on the way a house you bought was presented and think: ‘yes that detail really made me know I wanted it when we viewed’

Or conversely, can you think of something about how a house was presented that you thought you’d like from the particulars that just totally turned you off/ gave you the ick to the extent you didn’t offer?

I’m talking about presentation rather than things fundamental to the house or location itself.

@OneDayIWillLearn

Are you happy with your situation causing a move to be necessary??

In general I've always been about buying a place in a state so I can make it into what I like. Not paying a lot more to live with someone else's taste

However, I'm a bit older now, have zero energy & I'm a bit inbetween. Plus trades are ££ & like golden hens teeth!!

So if I was looking for 'move in ready' I'd need to like the bathroom & kitchen.

but 'presentation' wise. Somewhere that looks like a home & NOT a show home. Cat on the sofa. Dog bowl on the floor, lead hanging up. Kids toys, book on a side table... that kind of thing.

its a difficult balance between cluttered & homely, but get that right & you'll be away.

Best of luck!

Hard to figure out what you mean... I'm looking for a do-er up so little about the house itself would put me off except price/size/location.

I will say I saw a listing a while back of a VERY cluttered house to the point you could barely see anything (walls all covered) and that put me off purely because you just couldn't see the woods for the trees to even know what needed doing.

Also I HATE when something is listed as a 4 bed and its actually a 3 bed and a 2nd downstairs reception room... just because you call it a bedroom does not magically make it one, you have a 3 bed, living room, dinning room and kitchen.

On the flip side its always a nice surprise when theres a non mentioned attic conversion. Its usually you will go visit a 3 bed and its actually set up/lived in as a 4 bed but the attic is not 'legally habitable' so not sell-able as a room. Its like a little bonus space (and space is always useful) because that would be expensive to convert yourself (at least 12k+).

Absolutely yes.
My heart sinks when I see a sea of grey.
Or a new build/total refurbished by a builder job.
On the other hand some houses look like they stink even on rightmove!

I'd happily buy a probate property, they are my favourite if I'm honest as I like retro/vintage but there does have to be a degree in care about presentation.
If the sellers can't be bothered to wash up or empty the over-flowing bins it concerns me how well they have been looking after the house and doing the basic maintenance that keeps a house going for decades/centuries.

But the grey everywhere....I'm just too old. I don't have the time/money or energy to redecorate an entire house, I am looking for somewhere which is already in keeping with my style preferences, especially with house prices being so high.

My heart sinks at a sea of grey and all open plan because they are usually flips and I know that person put in (often awful) work and is expecting big £££££ and I cannot NOT live like that, it would need ripping out and redoing.

I would rather buy a dated house (or even a ruined house) and do all the work myself (so I know its done well not just cheaply) to my own tastes/needs (I don't want to be £20k more because they fitted a £3k grey kitchen that I hate).

No. All the MN threads on dressing a house for photos etc. Don't bother. I am more interested in location, layout and can I make it my own. Having a stunt pineapple or whatever other makes no difference. I get irrationally irritated with post after post of people saying somewhere looks cluttered just because it isn't completely devoid of possessions.

I was thinking more of very strong air freshener smell. Damp would put me off.

Yes, to this^ we saw one house and it was like you described too but also it hasn’t got central heating and was single glazed ( and overpriced) so in reality I couldn’t say that the smell was the main reason for not buying it.

Almost all houses have damp. Its usually an easy fix

That said we viewed a house and it was a town house built on the side of a steep hill so 3 stories one side but only 2 visible the other. The 'basement' floor one STUNK to high heaven of damp yet we couldn't physically 'see' any damp. They mentioned they had built a false wall (blocking up the side that was below ground level) and that floor was actually 'twice as big' so we could 'extend' it (probably where all the damp was hidden).

It has other serious flaws like being too small overall, having death stairs, having no kitchen (just a bench with a microwave, kettle and small fridge under it on the STAIRS... seriously who doesn't have a kitchen) but even thinking maybe we could change the WHOLE layout it was when we smelt the overwhelming damp its like hell no, that much damp proofing (and still having risk of water damage/flooding) will be a nightmare.

We actually now know the ex-neighbor of that house who moved because of... yep, flooding.

In terms of presentation, if it is not 'dressed' to sell, I would at least like clean and not cluttered. I want to see walls and floors, proportion and light. No smells please.

Otherwise, I would think the house is hiding things I am not able to quantify how much it would cost to fix. I am not like the poster who buys smelly houses at a bargain to rip up. Surveyors put disclaimers on their surveys reports that it can be quite meaningless.

I want to know the owners took reasonable care of the house and it was a pleasant habitable environment.

My pet hate is when bedrooms are presented deceptively. Oh look, three lovely rooms... Squints at bed and tiny bedside tables and literally nothing else because there isn't the room!

granted it wasn't a for sale house so didn't say 'bedroom' but I was looking at a carpeting company the other day and in their gallery they had a 'room' in a new build and I just thought whats the fucking point.

The room could NOT have been wider than 115cm at an absolute push and that includes the door (so door frame then and maybe an extra 20cm if that + the swing into the space) and it must have been under 2m long, I would estimate about 150cm from the photo.

It would barely even make a WC but it was done with window and carpet like it was been set up as a box room. No way a bed would fit, don't even think a desk would, just a bizarrely decorated cupboard.

Personally, cleanliness really helps me. It makes me think (hope, more like) that who lives there takes good care in general of things and I won't find nasty surprises. I don't mind if the house looks lived in with things out of place, as long as I don't see stains on the cooker and 3cm of dust on everything.

Cat smell also puts me off!

Somewhere cluttered and unloved is hugely offputting because neither you nor the surveyor knows what vermin, rot, or damp is lurking.
If a dated house (eg elderly person moving or having passed away) then things like old but decent quality carpets, kitchen, curtains etc is reassuring because whilst there might be 10 years of poor maintenance, things will likely have been done properly before then.

Most people will think they aren't and most people will actually be influenced by presentation. Rational agency is a myth

When we were looking our priority was area we wanted to live in two bedrooms and a garage for our motorbike, looked at several and each one had something we really did not like , then this one came up one street from where we were renting, two beds semi, garage, went to view it was a probate sale had been done up in the 1980s so textured wallpaper ,eye watering floral carpets ,a 1980s kitchen and because it had been empty for a while mould from condensation in the corners of the rooms, but it was exactly what we wanted and at a good price as it needed doing up, we have put in a new kitchen and bathroom, decorated right through carpets in bedrooms hall and lounge and tiles in bathroom and kitchen and now it is our perfect little house for us two so no the decor didn.t matter in the slightest

If you saw the houses I have offered on you would know I'm not remotely influenced by staging.

One was a slum with people sleeping half a dozen to a room on the floor with graffiti and stuff smeared on the walls etc... (sale fell through)

One was completely empty, damp and had major structural damage. (still SSTC trapped in limbo for 8 months due to a probate issue)

One hadn't been updated in 50 years (elderly couple) and had then suffered flood damage after a pipe froze. (lost out to another higher offer)

Most recent hasn't been updated since the 70s lived in by and old couple who have had to move. Probably the best, apart from the bathroom we could move straight in really. (offer in, waiting to hear if we have got it)

The first house I ever offered on that I liked the least (and only one I have ever offered under asking on) was the flip house with open planning and awful grey everything and stages fully 'live, laugh, love' because it was over priced and needed everything re-doing. The only thing going for it was size (and then it wasn't great just acceptable). My DH wanted to offer though as he was scared of the bigger projects (which he has now come round to).

What I'm looking for is a good SIZE, a good LOCATION and the main on a good PRICE. I factor in the cost to rewire, re-plaster and get a new heating system everywhere I look so then its just weighing up other jobs like if it needs a new roof, UPVC (if it doesn't have it) or a wall moving to change the layout etc...

I have never seen a house decorated in my tastes to be honest so never walked in anywhere and imagined living in it as is.

No, I think I'm really practical with houses. I just want to look at the floorplan and how we would use the rooms really, and does it have at least most of our must haves

@housethatbuiltme (and only one I have ever offered under asking on) you e paid asking price or above on every purchase???? Why? I don’t think I’ve ever paid anything like the asking price on any property.

Doer ups are usually priced fairly, I never look at something overpriced and I'm not faffing and losing a good deal just over £5k or so for no reason.

I don't go looking at overvalued flip houses etc... anymore as its a waste of time.

The house I just offered on in £70k I mean how much could you even knock off thats worth it without taking the piss?

To me every thousand counts and quibbling over 5k might seem paltry but on say the 70k house you mentioned its 7% of your stake. One persons stingy is another’s diligence, I guess.

When ever we move people walk into our new houses and say things along the lines of “it has potential doesn’t it’ Current house a bit different finally as people comment on the feel so have something positive to say. It had a couple in it for 45 years and was very much from the 70s, orange kitchen and patterned brown tiles type of thing .

Before he died my Dad said to my Stepmum that they had to accept that we wouldn’t ever buy what they would call a ‘normal house” which did make me laugh. My criteria is location, plot, layout and room size. Presentation really doesn’t feature.

No - our current house was a probate and very dated furniture, the one we are buying now is also a probate and had no furniture in. However what is helpful is seeing a bed in the small bedroom rather than an office set up, if we were planning to use it as a child’s bedroom. Otherwise it’s tricky to get a feel for the space.

We decided not to go for a house in the perfect situation for us because of the owners were smokers.

That stuff was in the walls, it was horrendous. They'd lived there 40 odd years and at that point no amout of re plastering or new carpets would have got rid of the smell.

Normally I don’t mind redecorating, new kitchen, bathroom etc. I’ve bought a listed house where the chimney stack was going to need rebuilding, and it was four stories up, so not faint hearted. However:

The house with three snakes and I think some sort of giant lizard in tanks in the kitchen 🤮

The house where the bath was being used as the cats litter tray ( no actual tray, just a bit of newspaper and a sprinkling of litter…and other things) 🤢

Houses where you are greeted by a big dog, if you won’t remove your pet, how easy are you going to be to deal with?

The house protected by geese, we never even made it out of the car, the agent was terrified.

’My son’s a builder’…..☹️

oh, and lovely gauzy curtains and canopies over the beds = mosquito problem (in France).