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

[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???

[Smokipenelope]

If lightbulbs are out - and I don't mean just one, but an entire room where you can't see anything! Makes me wonder if they are trying to hide something.

[njsocks]

We had looked at a few fairly new homes last year before we bought this one and

1.)House smelling like smoke! ( I hate stale cigarette smoke!)Ever hear of Febreeze???lol

2.)pet hair OR PETS BEING left in a cage in a home! (mean in my opinion too!)

3.)Owners being home while looking through.

4.)Clutter (nothing worse besides the obvious-dirty houses!!)

[Stavs]

Toys strewn along the yard
Lawn not mowed
Weeds...I expect a couple, but not a jungle
No clear definition of boundaries
Dirty dishes
Weird cooking smells

[Gettingaway]

Wallpaper throughout the entire house.

Pet Smells

[Avalon08]

If I had to boil it down to one thing, I'd say clutter. I can't believe that people don't know, or realtors don't tell them, they should clear out all those knick-knacks, collectibles, mementos, stuff on the kitchen counter, and most obvious of all, personal photos. Owners can be really stubborn about thinking "their" stuff is great, but to me, it's ALL CLUTTER.

[Stavs]

What is so wrong with having some personal photos? People still live there. I can understand not having a million photos, but some is certainly ok.

[Niki]

I've looked at houses with bad cooking smells, clutter and dirt/food/stains, pet damage (a badly scratched up interior door from the owners dogs), owners present, lights burned out, blocked closet in a teenage boy's room (his clothes were on a rack in his room), a shower that looked like it hadn't been scrubbed in months, etc.

The house with the blocked closet is the one that also had burned out lights (in two rooms). My realtor and I couldn't see a thing in those rooms. The house was also very cluttered. Not to mention the horribly tacky, to' up, stained 80's master bathroom. Whew. That one would've cost us a lot of money and time to fix up.

Owners have been home two or three times. It's awkward. I feel like I can't be honest about the house. They might hear me. lol I also feel like I can't spend as much time there as I might have otherwise if they'd been gone.

[Avalon08]

What is so wrong with having some personal photos? People still live there. I can understand not having a million photos, but some is certainly ok.

I put all of them away. First of all, they add to the appearance of clutter, just like the stuff on the kitchen counter. Secondly, buyers get distracted looking at the photos (I've done so myself), rather than picturing themselves in your home. I remember looking at one house that I eventually purchased, but the sellers had their wedding photo on the dining room wall. I started thinking....ahh, that's a cute couple....hmmm, wonder why they're selling....etc. If you ever watch "Designed to Sell", they never leave personal photos out.

I don't want anyone being distracted while they're looking at my place. I only leave a few accessories out and put everything else away.

[d4g4m]

Listings that say 'move in ready'. Visit the place and see the carpet needs to be replaced [for color or dirty]. Every room needs painting. The A/C is 15 years old. The shingles need replacing. The kitchen is a disaster area. The windows are dirty. Piles of dog do in the yard.