When estate buyers visit your house, you want them to feel at ease, optimistic, and excited. What you don’t want is an estate buyer repulsed or frightened. From the exterior look of your house to the walls of your kitchen, buyers will carefully assess your property.
This article will provide you with the top five house horrors to avoid when selling your house to estate buyers and how to fix these issues. With this knowledge under your belt, your house will sell fast––and for cash! Let’s get started!
1. Lazy Landscaping
When it comes to real estate, you can definitely judge a book by its cover. That is why it is vital for your house to look just as fantastic on the outside as it does on the inside. A lawn covered in gnarly weeds and fallen branches can be so off-putting that estate buyers might not even want to venture inside!
Therefore, before you put your property up for viewing, spruce up your yard. This doesn’t mean you have to spend hundreds of dollars on landscapers. Instead, simply consider mowing your lawn, shaping shrubbery, and laying fresh mulch; look around for any nests or hives and remove them; give your house a facelift by power washing the exterior. The more effort you put into cleaning up the outside of your house, the more estate buyers will end up coming inside!
2. Wacky Walls
Sure, you’ve grown attached to the bright green walls of your bathroom or the mural in your study; however, colors that may have personal meaning to you could frighten away estate buyers. Yes, that even includes the yellow-striped wallpaper in your hallway! In fact, most estate buyers today do not want to deal with wallpaper at all, since wallpaper is renowned for being difficult to change or remove. When potential estate buyers see wallpaper, they don’t see lovely decor. To them, it is just another chore they will have to undertake.
It’s a safe bet to paint the walls in your house colors that are neutral. A gentle gray, beige, or subtle pastels will do the trick. Colors like these can help make a space look bigger and more cheery.
Popcorn-Finished Ceilings
On a similar note, popcorn-finished ceilings are an absolute no-go. Not only is this style severely outdated, but these ceilings collect mass amounts of dust and grime. They are extremely difficult to clean––forget about painting them!
Unfortunately, getting rid of a popcorn ceiling is not easy. To be safe, you should highly consider hiring professional assistance. However, if you don’t have enough in your budget to hire help, you may have to reduce your final price at closing in order to compensate.
3. Lingering Odors
Unsurprisingly, estate buyers don’t love a house that stinks, whether it be from pets, cigarettes, or food. While you may be used to these scents, estate buyers can smell them as soon as they walk through the door. Houses of heavy smokers must often undergo professional treatment to drive out the smell.
Not all smells are directly caused by what our nose picks up. A lot of the time, our eyes do a lot of the smelling for us. It is wise to hide anything that looks as if it would give off a bad smell. Tuck away ashtrays, litter boxes, and pet dishes. If you can, it is best to keep your pets out of the house when you are showing your house. Once you’ve cleaned your house, smoke outside if possible.
4. Crazy Carpeting
While you may have some great, cozy wall-to-wall carpeting in your house, estate buyers won’t hold this in favor. These days, hardwood floors sell. If you know there are hardwood floors beneath your carpets, expose them! Remove your carpeting and polish up the floors. Think about installing hardwood if you don’t have any––even if it’s just on the first floor. Since estate buyers see your downstairs living space first, it is important to make a good first impression.
Of course, it would be unrealistic for you to tear up all your carpets. It’s fine to keep the carpeting in some spaces. However, be sure to have these spaces cleaned! Cleaning your carpets will ensure that odors and other residues do not linger. If your carpet is older than ten years, you will definitely want to consider replacing it. It’s time for that orange shag carpet to hit the road!
5. Dim, Dark, and Creepy
Most of us never truly outgrow our fear of the dark. If an estate buyer steps into a dark, dimly lit house, a sense of uneasiness will surely come over them. You can make your house more inviting by swapping out dead light bulbs and bringing in some new lighting. New lamps won’t only make your house brighter, they can add to the interior appearance of your house.
With that being said, the best kind of light is natural lighting. Rooms that are naturally lit appear larger, cleaner, and happier. Take special care to wipe your windows clean and make sure that natural light isn’t blocked by curtains. Let the sunshine in!
Sell Your House to Templar Real Estate Enterprises!
If you want to sell your house fast, attend to these concerns. However, if this sounds like more work than you are willing to/can do or have time for, give Templar Real Estate Enterprises a call! Our New Jersey-based office specializes in distressed houses, apartment complexes, and property. What’s even better is that Templar Real Estate Enterprises can give you an honest cash offer within 24 hours of communication!
Get in touch with us today at 937-240-8593 or visit our website to sell your house fast!