Damp patched and stains on walls are the biggest turn-offs for potential buyers, according to a survey by Gocompare.com.
Most (71%) of those surveyed said that evidence of damp patches on walls or ceilings would put a stop to them buying a property, while 65% said they would avoid homes that had been poorly maintained.
Matt Sanders, mortgages spokesperson for Gocompare.com, said: “Moving home is a big undertaking for sellers who want to attract the best price for their property and buyers who, in the main, want well maintained properties. Our survey suggests that many homebuyers want a home that’s ready to move into and are put off by properties requiring repairs or maintenance work.
“Damp is a particular area of concern – a musty smell, black mould, stained ceilings or crumbling plasterwork are all warning signs of problems which, depending on the cause, can be costly to remedy. Interestingly, while many buyers are put off by poor maintenance and bad DIY, only a quarter would shy away from properties which have outdated kitchens or bathrooms – two of the most expensive rooms in a home to update.”
Take a look at the top 20 property turn-offs:
- Damp patches and/or stains on walls or ceilings 71%
- Property being in poor state of repair e.g. rotten windows, etc. 65%
- Bad smells including pet smells, damp, cigarettes, etc. 61%
- No parking space 59%
- No garden 57%
- Unfinished building work 55%
- Poor natural light and/or dark rooms 50%
- Outdated electrics 50%
- Small, poky rooms 48%
- An old, inefficient boiler or central heating system 45%
- Bad DIY 43%
- A small kitchen 40%
- General untidiness and/or dirtiness 28%
- Wooden windows 27%
- Stone cladding, render of pebble dash on the outside of the property 27%
- An outdated kitchen 25%
- An outdated bathroom 25%
- An overgrown garden 19%
- Artex or textured ceilings 18%
- Cluttered rooms 16%
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