Quantcast
Menu

First-time Buyers

Damp and stained walls biggest property turn-offs

Adam Williams
Written By:
Adam Williams
Posted:
Updated:
16/03/2015

Damp and stained walls and ceilings are the biggest turn-offs for prospective house buyers, a report has found.

The survey by Go Compare found more than two-thirds of people view damp or stained walls enough to turn down a property.

Rotting windows were also considered a deal breaker by most with 60% of people unwilling to buy a house in a poor state of repair.

Lack of parking, small garden and general bad smells in the property were also popular reasons given.

Ben Wilson from Go Compare said sellers needed to get their house in order before each viewing.

“If you’re looking to sell your home it’s important to make sure it’s well presented, both inside and out, to make it as appealing as possible to would-be buyers,” he said.

“Buying a home is a big financial commitment and most house-hunters will want to think that the property they’re buying has been well looked after by its current owners. So, it’s perhaps not surprising that our survey reveals that damp and poor maintenance are the top property turn-offs. Damp can be expensive to repair and may be an indication of a costly problem with a property such as a leaking roof.”

Top 20 property turn-offs:

1) Damp patches, stained walls or ceilings 67%

2) Poor state of repair, rotten windows, etc. 60%

3) No parking 55%

4) No garden 54%

5) Bad smells (pets, damp, food, cigarettes) 53%

6) Unfinished building work 53%

7) Poor natural light/dark rooms 46%

8) Small rooms 45%

9) Bad DIY 42%

10) Small kitchen 40%

11) Dirty house 36%

12) Stone cladding, render or pebble dash on outside walls 27%

13) Wooden windows 23%

14) Outdated kitchen 23%

15) Overgrown garden 21%

16) Artex or textured ceilings 19%

17) General untidiness 16%

18) Dated or over the top carpets 14%

19) Cluttered rooms 13%

20) Dated or over the top décor 13%


Share: