6 Warning Signs Buyers Look For When Viewing Properties
Selling your home in this market can often be a quick affair, as the National Association of Realtors suggests the average home is on the market for around 34 days.
While this is great for getting things moving, it can also be stressful, especially if your house looks like it might be hanging around for a little while longer than just over a month.
If you’re looking to prepare your home for sale, you need to get started well before it hits the open market.
By taking advantage of quick sale times and addressing potential issues, you can appeal to buyers and avoid being overlooked for other properties.
This proactive approach cannot only speed up the selling process but also potentially increase the value of your home.
With this in mind, it’s crucial to look at your home as a buyer. Others will be viewing your home with a view to living there, and you will also be looking at other properties as you assess whether you want to live there.
As the homeowner, you have the power to identify and address these issues, making your home more appealing to potential buyers.
This post is going to look at things viewers will be keeping an eye out for when viewing properties for sale.
Remember, these issues are common and not a reflection of your ability as a homeowner. By being aware of them, you can take steps to address them and make your home more attractive to potential buyers.
Signs of Pests
No one wants to move into a property only to discover a pest infestation. Now is the ideal time to thoroughly inspect your home internally and externally.
Be vigilant for telltale signs of pests such as mice, termites, wasps, and rodents. If you spot any, take immediate action to identify the cause and resolve the issue.
Whether you need rat traps, termite control products, or professional help to eradicate bed bugs, paying attention to the parts of your home that are susceptible to attracting pests is crucial.
Doing so can ensure your home is pest-free and ready for potential buyers.
Signs Of Damp and Mold
Buyers are becoming savvy and no longer accept moved furniture to cover a damp issue, nor are they overlooking the affected areas being drowned with scent.
Damp and mold can indicate more extensive issues with the property, and your failure to address them can be indicative of how you are caring for the home and be a sign that maybe other more serious issues are going on, too.
Signs of dampness and mold buyers will be looking out for include the prominent black markings on walls and ceilings but also,
- Furniture that looks out of place
- Freshly painted walls or parts of walls
- Peeling wallpaper
- Dehumidifiers
- Open windows
- Blocked gutters
- A musty scent indicates damp or overly scented rooms that might be covering up damp smells.
Signs of Foundations Issues
Foundation issues aren’t always apparent to the untrained eye; however, sometimes they can be the first thing people notice, especially if the problem is more severe.
While foundation issues aren’t always a deal breaker for people, they will impact the value of your home and significantly reduce the amount people will be willing to pay as they’ll need to invest in rectifying the problems.
Take a minute to walk around your home and see if you can identify any of these issues before you put your home on the market:
- Bouncing floors
- Exterior wall cracks
- Interior, jagged wall cracks that increase in size
- Cabinets coming away from walls
- Doors not meeting in the frame
- A damp or mildew smell
- Warped or cracked siding
- Cracks around window frames
If you notice any of these issues, paying for a structural survey will help you identify the extent of the problem. Then, you can either fix it or be honest in your listing so the buyer knows exactly what to expect.
Signs of Electrical Issues
Replacing an electrical system is a hassle, not to mention expensive. Buyers will be paying attention to the electrical system in your house and looking for telltale signs that things might need a bit of attention regarding household electrics.
Buzzing sounds, light switches that don’t work, lamps in rooms instead of leading lights being used when dark, a burning smell, heat around outlets, marks on cabling, and more are all signs that there are electrical problems in a home and can be off-putting to potential buyers.
Check all of your outlets and see if there are any problems. Even cosmetic issues such as broken outlet covers can be an issue, and it’s a good idea to address this before your property is viewed to help avoid anything impacting how long it takes to sell or the price people are willing to pay.
Signs of Botched Repairs
If you consider yourself a DIY savant or have been experimenting with repairs and upgrades to avoid paying for repairs that aren’t exactly polished or carried out correctly, buyers will be instantly put off.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with attempting DIY in your home; however, when the time comes to sell and move on, if you have any botched repairs, buyers won’t be as willing to put up with this as you likely were.
This goes for those small jobs you have become blind to and have gotten used to, too. You need to ensure your home is in a good state of repair to get the best price and make your home attractive to others, not an example of the type of house you should always walk away from.
Signs of Neglect
Lastly, a major red flag for all buyers is signs of neglect around the home. While this can be linked to the above point of botched DIY, signs of neglect show prospective owners that you haven’t really cared for the property and that there is a chance they’re buying a money pit that has been severely neglected for many years.
Signs of neglect include a messy house, nasty smells both inside and outside from rubbish, pet smells, and not opening windows.
It can be that your home is in need of updated and fresh interior decor; a lick of paint can go a long way; worn or tired carpets and rugs, cupboards that are falling off the walls or missing doors, and other various signs of damage that might not be major but can give out the wrong impression of your and the condition of the property.
Buyers will be looking out for multiple issues when they view a property, and while not all of them alone will put people off, but together, they can impact how long it takes to sell and how much people are willing to pay.