Design Trends that may Scare Off Buyers

When you sell a home, you want it to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. This can sometimes be difficult if you’ve spent time creating a home with a unique design sense. Buyers want to picture themselves living In a home, and their dreams may not include the distinct look you’ve created.

Before selling your home, read this list of design trends that can scare off potential buyers.

Bold walls                                                  

Painting or wallpapering your walls with bold colors and patterns is a hot design trend, but it’s not ideal for hooking potential buyers. Buyers prefer neutral colors that make the space feel more open. Neutrally-colored rooms allow buyers to easily picture themselves in the home, and puts the focus on the entire space rather than just the walls.

Bold wallpaper is an especially risky move. Wallpaper can be time-consuming and frustrating to remove. Many buyers could see having to remove garish wallpaper as more trouble than it’s worth.

Elaborate Light Fixtures

Having a well-lit room is important to buyers, but elaborate lighting fixtures could be a major turn off to buyers. An important rule to remember is that fixtures should enhance your home, not be a central focal point. To avoid lighting fixtures that steal the spotlight from your home, consider some tasteful floor lamps.

Converted Rooms

Another popular design trend is repurposing spare rooms for other uses, like offices and exercise rooms. This can be a great way to use your extra space for productivity, but it can be a deal-breaker for some buyers. Chances are that if someone is interested in seeing a home with multiple bedrooms and an attached garage, they will want to use those rooms for more traditional purposes. Going to an open house and seeing that the garage has been converted into an art studio or a weight room can be a major turn off.

Carpeting

You may take pride in your home’s lush carpeting, but many home buyers today prefer hardwood floors. Carpets carry a stigma of being difficult to clean, and holding onto dirt, odors, and allergens. Even if a buyer does prefer carpeting, it’s much easier for them to add their own once they’ve purchased the house.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Pools can be a lot of fun for the whole family, but they can also turn off buyers. They’re often seen as expensive and difficult to maintain, and often take up space that buyers would prefer to put to other use. The same is true for hot tubs. They may seem luxurious, but they are often seen as a breeding ground for bacteria, and can be difficult to remove from a deck or porch.

Office Listings

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.
To top ⬆