15 Things Home Buyers Will Hate About Your House
As a home seller, you don't want to let the small stuff sabotage your sale.
These 15 problems are among the biggest buyer turn-offs, according to industry studies and interviews with real estate agents and home-staging experts who deal with buyer preferences every day. Most of them are easy to fix without spending a ton of money. Take a look.
Haunted-House Landscaping
If your yard looks like the Addams family owns it, you need to tidy up. Otherwise, buyers may drive by but never come back.
Besides mowing the lawn, your to-do list should include trimming scraggly trees and shrubs and removing anything that's dead or beyond resuscitation. Edge, weed and mulch garden beds. Plant annuals in a plot or pot for a splash of color (see Cheap Ways to Improve Curb Appeal). While you're at it, be sure to sweep or hose down your front door and porch to get rid of cobwebs and bug detritus.
Cost to fix: Around $95 for a landscaper to prune and groom a small tree and a couple of shrubs, according to www.diyornot.com. If you'd rather be packing boxes than mowing the lawn, you'll probably pay a lawn service $30 to $80 per visit to mow, but you might get a neighbor's kid to do it for less. Of course, you can always spruce up the yard yourself.
Your Personal Paint Palette
Paint over colors that reflect your taste but may put off potential buyers, such as a scarlet-red accent wall, a lemon-yellow child's bedroom or a forest-green den.
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