How NOT to Sell Your Home-10 WORST HOME SHOWING OFFENSES

You could have the best, most experienced real estate agent in the world, but if you and your agent aren’t doing everything you can to show your home in the best light, all may be lost. Sellers, don’t take it personally when your agent gives you advice on how to highlight your home. We specialize in selling homes for the highest possible amount, and small changes can make a huge difference. Often, these changes don’t require a lot of money—just a little time. Here are some of my favorite tips, as well as a few from other agents.

REALTOR® magazine polled 50 buyer agents, revealing the biggest deal breakers when it comes to home showings. Some of these were excerpts from that article

1. Pets and their messes

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Approaching a house with a barking dog is not always a good experience for visitors. If a pet seems mean or feels threatened, it could cause trouble. Also, leftover smells, urine-stained carpets, or hair can be a deal breaker for potential buyers. Solution: Pets should be off the premises during the tour, ideally with a neighbor. Make sure all pet-induced smells and messes are cleaned up before the tour. Get in the habit of using essential oils diffusers and regularly freshening curtains, carpets, and furniture while your home is listed. I recommend plug-in diffusers with a universally flattering scent like a spicy floral that reminds me of Tom Ford’s Ombré Leather. It can give potential buyers the impression of a more luxurious, stylish home.

2. Odors

 Many homeowners don’t realize their home has a smell—they’ve become immune to it. It’s up to the agent to sniff out what could be a deal breaker: cooking or pet smells, cigarettes or marijuana, or even food gone bad. Solution: A thorough carpet cleaning, mopping, and room deodorizers can help eliminate lingering odors.

These situations have proven to be frustrating and embarrassing to my buyers and leaving the showing thinking to myself WHY?! and SMH..

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3. Homeowners are lurking around

This can make potential buyers feel awkward, especially if the owners are going about their ordinary business during the tour. What’s even worse? The owner following the buyers around.

Solution: I give my clients plenty of advance notice to leave the premises and insist on it. You could unintentionally say something that makes the buyers cringe or lose interest. I often encourage my clients to take a staycation the entire weekend their house goes live to avoid the inconvenience of frequent showings during one of the busiest times.

4. Critters

Even a clean, organized house can have unexpected guests, especially in winter. Rats, mice, raccoons, and even bats can sneak in. I recently had a client with bats, which delayed closing because they had to be humanely rehomed—an expensive and time-consuming process.

Solution: Get a pre-listing inspection from a thorough exterminator. If the home is vacant or has been sprayed for pests, visit it occasionally to ensure bugs or other pests haven’t left behind signs for potential buyers to find.

5. Wild Painted Colors.

This is probably one of the most common issues when trying to sell a home. Buyers today prefer neutral palettes, and while you might love your colorful walls, it can be distracting for buyers. Believe it or not, many buyers still find it hard to see past bold hues, which can distract them from the best features of your home.

Solution: Give your home a fresh coat of light, neutral paint. Stick to whites, light grays, and beiges. Bright colors or too many dark tones can cause buyers to swipe left on your listing before they even book a showing.

6. Strange uses in the home

Anything that doesn’t seem “normal” or “logical” can throw off potential buyers. This could include doors opening the wrong way, a dishwasher filled with books, or an oddly painted room. For instance, turning a formal dining room into a home office or using a breakfast nook for something else can be confusing.

Solution: Restore rooms to their intended use. Also, avoid too many bright or dark paint colors. My number one pet peeve is having too many colors on the walls. Potential buyers often can’t look past a purple accent wall or a different color in each room. Before listing, paint everything white or in light neutrals.

These sights could discourage buyers. Solution: fix whatever is broken; make the wrong right, make it all WHITE.

7. Dirt and clutter

Dirty laundry, unflushed toilets, dishes in the sink, unmade beds, soiled carpets, overflowing trash cans, and piles of clothes can all be major turn-offs for potential buyers.

Solution: Clean and organize thoroughly before showings. Pressure washing outdoor areas can also create a fresh, clean feel. Trust me, I’ve had listings where clients didn’t clean much, and buyers were turned off from making an offer. They felt that if the home was this dirty, there might be more deferred maintenance lurking elsewhere.

Another tip: Don’t pack your closets too tightly. Remove at least 50% of the items and arrange them by color or from light to dark.

Packing the closets too tightly will also be a huge turn off to potential buyers. Try removing AT LEAST 50% of items in your closets and arrange them in light to dark, and rainbow or like colors.

8. Personal information left in plain sight-

Bank and credit card statements, utility bills, mortgage notices, or overdue warnings are often left on kitchen counters or dining tables.

Solution: Organize and place all personal documents in a closed drawer. Even an overload of family portraits can be distracting. We want potential buyers to focus on how they can see themselves in the home, not on the current family’s history.

If your home is vacant while your showing it, try replacing all of your homes lighting with smart lighting that can be scheduled to turn on and off like the patio and entry lights. Be sure to make them all of the same hue throughout the home Check out my favorite smart lighting on Amazon, HERE

9. The house is too dark

A house should always be shown in the best light. Tours should be brightly illuminated, with plenty of natural daylight. A dark house can feel spooky or uninviting.

Solution: Open the shades and drapes, and turn on lights in darker areas. Consider installing smart lighting that can be scheduled to turn on and off, especially for vacant homes.

10. Leaving Showings Up to Tenants

If you have tenants living in the home, make sure they understand the importance of presenting the house well. You can’t always guarantee tenants will care about the condition of the home for showings.

Solution: Ask your agent to accompany showings to ensure the home is in its best light.

If you would like more tips, see my Checklist for Home Sellers post and leave me comments below!

Aubrie Layne is a licensed Realtor in Houston, Texas, with Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty. To search for properties, get more selling, buying, design hacks, and tips, visit aubrielayne.com.

If you would like more tips, see my Checklist for Home Sellers post~leave me some comments below too!

Aubrie Layne is a licensed Realtor in Houston Texas with Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty. To search for properties, get more selling, buying, design hacks and tips, visit aubrielayne.com

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