Buy To Let
Damp tops list of biggest housebuyer turn-offs
Damp stains and poor maintenance have topped the list of house-hunters’ biggest turn-offs, a new study has revealed.
Some 70% of people survyed said they would not buy a property which had damp patches or stained walls or ceilings, while 63% would avoid homes which were in a poor state of repair.
Bad housekeeping can also help to break a sale – putting off more would-be buyers than outdated décor or small rooms, according to the study by Gocompare.com.
More than half (56%) said that they would be turned off by a smelly house, while dirty rooms (37%), general untidiness (16%), overgrown gardens (16%) and cluttered room (15%) were also key influences in deciding whether to buy a particular property or not.
Rank | 20 Top Property turn-offs | % |
---|---|---|
1 | Damp patches, stained walls and ceilings | 70 |
2 | Property in poor state of repair e.g. rotten windows | 63 |
3 | No garden | 57 |
4 | Bad smells, including odours from pets, cigarette smoke, damp and food | 56 |
5 | No parking | 56 |
6 | Poor natural light, dark rooms | 54 |
7 | Unfinished building work | 54 |
8 | Small rooms | 51 |
9 | Small kitchen | 44 |
10 | Bad DIY | 43 |
11 | Dirty house | 37 |
12 | Stone cladding, render or pebble dash on outside walls | 31 |
13 | Outdated bathroom | 25 |
14 | Outdated kitchen | 25 |
15 | Artex or textured ceilings | 18 |
16 | Plastic windows | 18 |
17 | Overgrown garden | 16 |
18 | General untidiness | 16 |
19 | Cluttered rooms | 15 |
20 | Dated or over the top décor | 14 |
Ben Wilson, from Gocompare.com home insurance, said: “Buying a home is one of the biggest financial commitments many of us will make and most potential buyers will want to think that the property they are buying has been looked after by its current owners.
“Overgrown gardens, grubby, cluttered rooms can be tell-tale signs that the property has been unloved and essential maintenance and repairs have been ignored. For example, stained walls and ceilings or rooms with a mildew smell could warning signs of a possible damp problem which might be costly to remedy – or they might simply be a result of blocked gutters or downpipes which are quick, easy and inexpensive to clear.
“So, one of the cheapest and most simple ways to help ensure a successful sale is to make sure that before you put your home on the market, it is clean, fresh smelling and tidy.”