London - A child’s untidy bedroom can knock £8,000 (about R106 000) off the value of a house, according to a study.
It also suggested several other features of a home that can make selling a property more difficult.
Traces of pets – such as animal hairs – would put off 30 percent of prospective buyers while smelly bathrooms would deter 65 percent and grubby kitchens, 59 percent.
Two in five would be put off by a kid’s messy bedroom – and 71 percent of those would use it as a reason to negotiate a lower price for the property.
While the majority of buyers would cut their offer by an average of five percent – typically £8,000 – some buyers said they would push for up to 30 percent off the asking price.
An unkempt lawn (19 percent) is also seen as a big turn-off.
The survey of some 1,000 people for mortgage provider ING Direct found that some buyers would even turn their noses up at clashing colour schemes (16 percent), unattractive artwork (nine percent) and net curtains (eight percent).
It’s not always the features of a house that are the deal-breaker, with more than half of prospective buyers (58 percent) saying rude owners are a major turn-off when viewing a property.
ING Direct chief executive Richard Doe said: “Parents aiming to sell their home should bear in mind the impact an untidy kid’s room could have on any offers.
“Even if the mess doesn’t completely dissuade a buyer, it seems that it certainly impacts on the price they’d be willing to pay.”
Once a buyer has moved into a new home, it takes an average of two months and six days before it truly feels like home, according to another survey.
In some cases, it can take over a year, said a poll conducted by home shopping website Very.co.uk. - Daily Mail