7 Things That Can Turn Off Potential Home Buyers

1. Your House is not Clean

Having a clean home is one of the easiest and least expensive ways you can improve your homes marketability. Make sure your home is thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom —think spring cleaning—making sure it's absolutely spotless! If you don't have time to clean yourself then hire a professional cleaning company to do a deep clean before listing your home for sale.

2. House Funk

There's nothing worse than walking into a house and the first thing that smacks you in the face is "wet dog" smell. Other offending odours include cooking, cigarette or cigar smoke, musty smells and unkempt litter boxes. Try to understand that just because you can't smell it doesn't mean that the odour is not there. Ask a close friend or someone you trust to give you an honest unbiased opinion if you suspect that you may have a problem. Please don't shoot the messenger—if your realtor® tells you that you have an odour issue—just thank them for pointing it out.

3. Awkward Furniture Placement

Make sure your furniture placement is well thought out and creates purpose for each room. Try to avoid placing furniture in such a way that it blocks the natural flow of the home. Potential buyers should never feel as though they are navigating through an obstacle course. Make sure the size of the furniture suits the shape and size of the room. Oversized furniture can make a room appear smaller than it actually is. Also, try to keep areas in front of all windows unobstructed.

4. Creative Paint Colours

So your favourite colour is "Big Bird" Yellow—hey were not judging you—and you want to show off that new sponge painting technique you picked on HGTV. Just remember your home must appeal to a very broad audience so try to stick with neutral paint tones. Painting is one of the least expensive improvements you can make with the highest ROI so say bye-bye Big Bird!

5. Clutter

De-cluttering is another easy and inexpensive way to increase the marketability of your home. Not only is clutter unsightly it can divert a buyer's attention away from the positive features and space of your home. That's right, so go down to your local U-Haul or Home Depot now and purchase a bunch of boxes—remember your moving—and declutter every room.

6. Musty Basements

If you have a musty smelling basement one of the first things potential buyers are going to wonder is—is there water leaking into the basement? This is can be very disconcerting to buyers because it can be a potentially major expense to repair it its true. However, this may not be the cause of your funk or musty smell. Perhaps you are not running a dehumidifier in the summertime or it's coming from that retro 1950's shag carpet that has seen way too many parties. Whatever the cause make sure you figure it out and solve the problem.

7. DIY projects

So you like to do things yourself—good for you! Some projects just scream DIY—they are so obvious to buyers that it's almost comical. Whether it's hardwood flooring that's been installed incorrectly or basements that are finished poorly. The only thing a buyer sees with bad DIY projects are dollar signs wondering what it's going to cost to un-do your mistakes. So unless you're a licensed contractor—or experienced at doing small improvements—make sure you hire a professional. And please, for the love of God don't try to do your own electrical work—unless of course you're a licensed electrician—as your just jeopardizing the safety of others.