When my spouse and I retire, we plan to sell our house and move to a warmer climate. I’m not looking forward to the process of selling; keeping a house in “showable” condition (that is, neat and clean and ready for unexpected visitors) is not one of my natural strengths.  But I’m sure that when the time comes, I’ll manage – somehow.

It turns out that neat and clean aren’t the only things that matter, at least according to one source. An article on www.military.com  says that the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA) conducted a study among their online members to find out what they found annoying or undesirable when searching for a new home.  As a result, they came up with the following list:

1.) Broken door locks preventing access to the home.

2.) Pet “deposits” in the back yard or dirty cat boxes.

3.) Missing light bulbs in the basement.

4.) Sellers that ask you to remove shoes and then have wet carpet or dirty floors.

5.) Having loose stairs on a stairway or missing banisters.

6.) Low hanging dining room light fixtures in a vacant home.

7.) Closet doors that fall off or are not adjusted properly.

8.) Going into a vacant home and hearing animals in the walls.

9.) Scary Halloween decorations that are left out — after Halloween is over.

10.) Dangerous children’s toys left out.

11.) Dead cars in the driveway or yard.

12.) Homes on large lots without a survey or description of the lot boundaries.

13.) Political signs.

14.) Graffiti on a home for sale.

15.) Dead birds or other dead animals in or around the home.

OK, some of these things are just common sense. Others I’d question; a low hanging dining room light fixture – really? Who knows, maybe these things are more annoying to the buyer agents than they are to the potential buyers.

But you never really know what might turn somebody off; it could be anything from an outsized spider on the wall to a mystery stain on a carpet. So when selling a house, the best anyone can do is make sure that  it’s as well kept and presentable as possible. It’s also a good idea to have a knowledgeable seller’s agent to help you though the process.

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