When house hunting, what is your biggest pet peeve about somebody's house? (Realtor, state)

[jsimon521]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Bullcrap. And boring!

The problem with spouting absolutes is that they don't apply in every situation.

I too am from Ohio but have standards. I have no problem painting the trim myself, I just list it as something laughable. Someone who thinks colored trims are nice may also be interested in the harvest gold appliances or vinyl flooring my grandmother has. Or maybe they'd also be interest in the camo-tuxes I saw available for weddings.

Sorry but some things are just bad. Wallpaper, vinyl, harvest gold / avacado appliances, country decor, etc. If you like it, fine. But people are talking.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by jsimon521

Someone who thinks colored trims are nice may also be interested in the harvest gold appliances or vinyl flooring my grandmother has.

Those are lot of assumptions. For one thing, the harvest gold appliances would clash with the soft sage green trim in our bedroom.

But people are talking.

Indeed they are! They're talking about how beautiful the soft sage green trim looks in our bedroom. And how well it suits the colonial style of our home.

[jsimon521]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Indeed they are! They're talking about how beautiful the soft sage green trim looks in our bedroom. And how well it suits the colonial style of our home.

Sorry for any nasty tones in my comments, just something I'm venting about because I have to strip layers and layers of paint on trim which I prefer stained natural.

Kinda funny thought that I was complaining about green paint. I can see why you disagreed with me given that's your choice of colors! How ironic.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by jsimon521

Sorry for any nasty tones in my comments, just something I'm venting about because I have to strip layers and layers of paint on trim which I prefer stained natural.

No problem. I prefer stained woodwork as well, but stripping woodwork just isn't my bag! Which is too bad, because painted woodwork is a bear to maintain, filling in chips, etc. But if it's painted, I repaint it to my taste.

Yeah, I love green. There's something soothing about it. I'd do the whole house in green ... if that weren't boring, too! LOL

[louise50]

My husband and I both sold Real Estate many years ago, and both are now retired, with no children /nor pets at home and we both have been accused of being (OCD), (LOL), because we both are very particular about our house in and out, but I really feel for the sellers of homes anymore as TV programs that show all these sparkling, immaculate homes are just not realistic with the norm being both parents work and have children in school , many adults bring some kind of office work home with them in the evenings , and dinner to prepare, children to bathe, homework to do as well as hundreds of other responsibilities to take care of for the next day etc. etc. I certainly understand that the house should be clean and very presentable with nothing broken, but to ask one to put away all their photos of their children /loved ones, to expect them to ship their pet off to the borders, and to even think that they can't cook dinnner in their own home ( because of odors )is a little bit overkill. I read on a website recently, where it stated that one should vaccum daily if they have their home on the market. I can see the overworked Mom staying up til 2:00 am to keep the house in immaculate condition before getting back up 5:00 AM to start her day again. Let's face it folks, some people can't hire housekeepers etc. I know I am from the old school, but I feel somewhat like one Sr. poster stated on one of these forums. "BUYERS HAVE NO VISION" anymore. ( I don't entirely agree.) I think most buyers have the ability to visualize that "if the PURPLE wallpaper came down, I could paint it a soft neutral color)!! Having said that, I do believe that some buyers are lacking in imagination anymore. For example , some buyers can't visualize a bedroom being converted to an office etc. In this slower market, a house could be on the market for many months , and to expect families to keep the house immaculate is ridiculous . Excluding dirt, clutter and the above mentioned unsightly items, I would hope that the potential buyer could realize that there is nothing about a home that can't be changed except the LOCATION! . Less we forget also, sometimes a seller is only given a very short time to get out of their home for a showing. What happens if you are in the middle of cooking dinner ( serving fish) and you are ask to show your home, that the potential buyer has to see it tonight , he is leaving town tomorrow?!! One can turn all the exhausts on in the house and it still will have some odor. I would like to believe that we as adults can overlook some dust, a food odor, and not expect everything to be pristine. Just because there is a desire or need to sell your home shouldn't keep one from enjoying your home while you have it on the market. I would think most people who have their homes on the market would do their very best to keep it presentable, so if I were the potential buyer I would definitely be more concerned about the construction, plumbing, electrical, heating/cooling system, LOCATION , etc than clutter & purple wallpaper!

[SXN]

Originally Posted by gizmobizmo

When house hunting, what is your biggest pet peeve about somebody's house?

I've been to many showings and open houses over the years when I am house hunting and I see the same things over and over. It amazes me how many sellers still overlook such obvious things. People just don't seem to realize that their house should be presented in the best way possible (within reason & budget, of course). I'm not suggesting HGTV perfect, just give some attention to the easy to fix items.

Here's my pet peeves.............. They can be done at little to no cost, yet make a big difference.

1. A dirty house. (Come on folks! A little elbow grease goes a
long way and it is at no additional cost.)
2. Pet smells/ pet fur. (Folks, your house is for sale. Do you think the
stinky pet smells and fur imbedded in the carpet and furniture is a
selling point?) (This is not to suggest that some stuff can't be
overlooked, like a litter box.
I know fluffy and Fido live there, too. )
3. Clutter, clutter, everywhere. (I like my photos, plants and travel souvineers as much as the next person but how can a buyer see what a great house you have if everything is smothered with clutter. It makes a room look smaller, too.

What are your pet peeves about sellers homes???

I prefer this. drives away other buyers, i.e. competition. When I first saw my current residence it smelled of hamster cage and cat litter. It stayed on market longer that it probably should have, and i picked it up cheaper than comps.

[texdav]

Basically I would reject any home that was not well maintained. Too much fresh work is a warning sign that some visual things may have been fixed but other will take a close inspection.

[southernlady5464]

Walls can be painted, carpet can be cleaned or replaced (think discounts on the price for some stuff) and some maintenance issues can be fixed. Clutter can be overlooked.

But there are two things that really can't be dealt with...mold and foundation issues.

I prefer looking at empty houses too.

Been looking at a lot lately...be surprised how many you can knock out in one day. And pictures online can lie. The nicest LOOKING house we saw online was one of the first ones we checked out. Lasted 5 mins...that was how long it took for us to get around the corner of the house and see the brick falling off the side of the house where the mortar wasn't holding it on any longer.

Another was a trip back to the 70's, and that wouldn't have been so bad had it not been for the 5 inch cracks in the basement foundation.

I walked in another, accidentally took one breath and had to almost run back out again...and was ill for the next two days from inhaling mold.

We saw another that had been treated so badly that half of one of the rooms had rotted from the rain coming in but the pictures online didn't show that and all it said was "needed TLC". Come on now...let's have at least a BIT more truth than THAT!

Having dogs locked up in a yard or a basement is okay...at least they are locked up. We were at a house and these three HUGE rottweiler mix breed dogs were just loose in the living room. And yes, the owner knew we were coming. No, we didn't stay long...I think 2 mins was the longest any of us were in the house.

Yes, I am uncomfortable with the owners being there but sometimes you find out things you may not otherwise find out as to WHY they are selling.

We've decluttered, we've cleaned and keep it clean (as in vacuum 3-5 times a week for cat fur), we keep the cat smell down as much as we can and neither of us smoke. And we leave when we have a showing. Altho we've asked our cats which one is willing to wear the recorder around their neck so we can eavesdrop. No, we haven't gotten a volunteer yet.

We took a good hard look at ours from what WE saw the first trip we made this spring. We're doing pretty good. (Yes, we DO have cats but we are not getting rid of them, just be fanatics cleaning behind them).

Liz

[JohnG72]

Just my opinion, but if you are looking for move in condition homes, you should just avoid places where the pet owners let their full size dogs or cats roam freely in the house.

In my experience, most of these people just don't care too much about normal upkeep and maintenance. An outdoor pet is one thing, but allowing full sized, and especially large sized dogs in the house is a very clear sign that the owners are just sort of lazy about their entire lifestyle.

There may be a few exceptions to this, but I don't think you will lose out on anything by avoiding houses with these circumstances.

[cls88]

One house we have looked sticks in my memory forever. It was a beutiful house from the outside. But when we walked in, there was no lights and airconditioning in the hot Texas summer. The house literary felt like a big over - dark and superhot - that we didn't bother to try to find the next room.