Just read a great article about 4 things that turn buyers away from a house. Then the people reading it could add their two cents and I picked up a pretty good list. Not sure I agree with all of them, but some of them.
1. POPCORN CEILINGS, dated, dirty, possibly has asbestos. Bad thing to remove is they need scraping and are dusty, dusty to do. If they've been painted over, even worse to get rid of. One person said you can get thin sheetrock and cover them and then not have the dust and the asbestos abatement problem. I LIKE THAT IDEA. May check into that for my remaining 2 rooms that still have popcorn. Not sure I could go thru another scape and dust job.
2. Shiny, brass light fixtures. Don't spend money to replace them, just paint them. One can of paint might cover several fixtures.
3. Hollywood light strips in bathrooms. I'm sorry, I love mine. Wouldn't want a bathroom without them for me.
4. Carpeting. Most people they said want hardwoods. EXCUSE ME, but I've had as many customers who hated hardwoods because of the coldness on their feet and preferred the carpet. Others wanted stained concrete. My suggestion is unless its ugly carpet, just get it cleaned. If you are going to spend money on the floors, try doing hardwood in the dining room at least.
5. Mauve and peach. Those colors scream old lady (Funny, I have mauve below the chair rail in my den because the carpeting on the stairs is a mauvy red. I guess I need too paint. Wait!! I am old, I have 5 grandkids.) Neutrals are better than almost any "color".
6. Having rooms all different colors. That is fine when you have kids and they want their favorite colored walls, but once you get ready to sell, neutralizing in one color is great. I have started upstairs where the boys lived doing just that. One had a black room. I textured over that and painted it a neutral and have done the blues clues bathroom the same neutral. I'm not sure I'll neutralize the blue bedroom up there just yet because there is blue carpeting in there; but will before I sell. Most of my downstairs is blue so I'm sure when I get ready to sell, there will be alot of painting to be done first.
7. Wallpaper. Dated flowers are gone. Today its painted walls or geometric wallpapers, but those can be offputting to the more conservative buyer. Safer to stick with neutrals, but I have seen people go ga ga over red kitchens, so maybe sometimes it is ok to have a punch of color in a kitchen.
8. Laminate. WAIT, I love my laminate. I tored out the 4 inch tiles to get rid of grout and the laminate is so easy to clean!! Well, buyers today prefer granite even though it doesn't hold up as well as laminate. So if you have the $$$, change everything to granite; but if you don't I like the laminate that resembles granite. Sometimes as realtors we have to touch it to tell the difference. No one is using corian or 4 inch tiles any more. Dont waste your money there. Decorative tumbled stone back splashes are GREAT.
9. Front doors. Absolutely I've seen people judge a home before they enter based on whether the door is nice or not. Actually they judge it more if the door is rotted, peeling paint, or dirty. Then they presume that the whole house has not been taken care of So be sure your front door is pristine when you put your house on the market.
10. As realtors we say "classic" bathrooms when we mean PINK, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN bathrooms, all done in 4 inch tile, including tub, toilet and sink. Please at least change the toilet and sink. There is a paint for the tiles that will cover and neutralize.
I'm sure I could go on and on about things I see, but for today I'll stop with these. They are in no particular order, as each is important to some buyers. Some walk out upon seeing popcorn ceilings, some stay until they reach the classic bathrom. Some won't enter if it has carpet, and some won't enter with hardwoods, so each person is different and this is just a list of "normal" irritating things buyers mention. I'd love to hear what you HATE in a house when shopping for one.
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