8 home 'icks' that house-hunters always notice

From dirty grout to the smell of cat litter or too many personal possessions, plenty of factors can be a total turnoff for prospective buyers.

We speak to the experts to find out the most common “icks” that will turn buyers’ noses up.

Bold colours and textures

While we all like to think we are extremely stylish, one person’s dream home is certainly not everyone’s, says buyer’s advocate Emily Wallace of Wallace Advocates.

Even if buyers know they can make cosmetic changes, anything requiring too much effort or money can be unappealing.

“If a recent renovation has been done in a style that the buyer doesn’t like – maybe there are abstract colours or textures that they don’t like – it can turn them off,” Wallace says.

“They don’t want to pay a premium for a renovated property that’s not in the style that they want.”

A lack of space and storage

One major no-no for apartment buyers is a lack of space for a dining table, Wallace says.

“If the property hasn’t been styled correctly, or it’s just simply too small, they might not even look at it in person,” she says.

Likewise, a lack of storage can see buyers running in the other direction.

Overpowering odours

Trying to sell a property with tenants living there can sometimes cause a stink.

Wallace recently walked through one such property that “had cat hair everywhere and cat litter, and it was disgusting”.

Property stylist Kylie Harding of Styled to Sell says even scents that might be considered pleasant can go awry.

For example, candles can set off asthmatic attacks, and hay-fever sufferers might not enjoy those freshly cut flowers.

Harding’s tip? Always opt for fresh air.

Rooms without a purpose

Harding says when you’re selling a house, you’re selling a lifestyle.

Particularly with large homes, it’s about showing potential buyers how they could use each room, she says.

“If you’ve got rooms that don’t quite have a purpose, people think you don’t need a home that big.

“But [it helps] if you give every room a sense of purpose, like, ‘Oh, of course, we can use that for the gym,’ or, ‘That could be grandma’s room when she stays.’”

Personal tributes

Personal items can be off-putting for potential buyers, too.

Harding says something like a shrine to a deceased family member, while meaningful, can be problematic.

“It’s a deeply personal thing, and it feels like you’re intruding on someone else’s space,” she says.

With a diplomat’s touch, Harding encourages vendors to remove such items during inspections to protect their privacy.

Footy paraphernalia

In Melbourne in particular, Harding says any AFL-loving vendor who proudly displays their allegiance may risk their property being branded, say, “the Collingwood house”.

That isn’t great if the potential buyer barracks for a different team.

“It sounds stupid, but if you get that negative thought in your head, then that really can stop people buying that place,” Harding says.

Mould, moisture and grime

Besser + Co director Dion Besser says a lack of maintenance in bathrooms is a massive “ick”.

“You’ve got hundreds, thousands of investment properties on the market at the moment, they’ve been tenanted for years and years and years, and there’s mould and grout issues in bathrooms and showers,” he says.

Particularly since the pandemic, he says respiratory issues are at the forefront of many buyers’ minds.

A noisy neighbourhood

It’s one of the biggest turn-offs, but Besser says a less-than-serene location shouldn’t usually come as any surprise to buyers.

“Anyone who turns up to a property on a main road and tells me that it’s too noisy, I say to them, ‘Well, it was on the main road before you turned up,” he says.

“I mean, noise is an issue, but the reason people turn up to properties on main roads where it’s noisy is because that property is obviously offering more value than a property in a side street. It’s a plus and minus.”