Filthy bathrooms and kitchens the biggest stumbling blocks to home sales

Weird colour schemes come bottom of the list of turn-offs

Alex Johnson
Thursday 06 September 2012 05:08 EDT
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Home presentation is a key element to selling a home but if you want to maximise your chances then it's best to do the dishes before potential buyers come round.

For new research from Rightmove, buyers ranked how off-putting they found variious factors when visiting properties for viewings - ‘dirty kitchen’ and ‘dirty bathroom’ were rated as the most offensive by 26 per cent and 28 per cent respectively.

‘Dirty internal decoration’ was the third ranked deterrent (16 per cent) while the least off-putting was an ‘internal colour scheme offensive to your tastes’ (4 per cent).

“Kitchens and bathrooms are two of the most personal and well-used areas of the home," said Rightmove director Miles Shipside. "Many potential buyers will try to imagine themselves living in the property during a viewing and having their senses offended by a lack of cleanliness or hygiene can be a real barrier. Ironically, cleaning up the kitchen and bathroom to give a sparkling finish can cost far less than other aspects in need of a home makeover.

“There are some important lessons here for sellers as property presentation is a crucial element in the selling process, alongside how a property is priced and promoted. If feasible in this current tough market, sellers should try and cover all bases and make sure all rooms and the outside of their property create the best possible first impression.”

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