To sell a home you’ve got to sell a dream – just not your dream.

So put away your collection of antique dolls, stuff your vinyl cat suit into the bottom draw, and bin the art canvasses of classic cars.

At best these items will be forgiven, but worse they could act as a turn off, convincing buyers that the questionable tastes of the vendor go deeper than the items themselves. “What would it say about me if I lived in a place once owned by someone who has style like this?” they’ll ask themselves.

Things real estate agents hate at open homes

  • Feature words – often 3D printed blocks stuck to walls – words like ‘eat’ (kitchen) and ‘laugh’ (lounge). Like, you need to be told to eat? Laugh – more like cringe. Stick to framed artworks
  • Lots of shiny new items – It’s a home, not a medical centre. Consider mixing old pieces with newer items to preserve soul.
  • Clutter – You shouldn’t expect a top-notch price for a messy home. Clean it up. Though nothing too extreme, like Swedish death cleaning. Strike a balance – buyers want a house to look like nobody has ever slept there and yet furnished enough so they can spend the night. A little staging removes the burden of mental imaging or ‘mathing’ to gauge layouts. It will also avoid situations where buyers dismiss something because they can’t visualise how to use the space.
  • Plastic flowers and plants – Nothing says tasteless like faux greenery. And think of the plastic pollution and harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Never mind that plastic flower arrangements invariably end up in landfill – or your sushi. Think fresh flowers.
  • Unrelatable staging – Effective staging shouldn’t look like staging. It’s got to look natural, as if this is how the people here live. But that doesn’t mean you should make bland choices. When everything is neutral, there’s nothing to fall in love with or remark on that will help buyers distinguish your house from the others. Take a risk.
  • Tacky doormats – That “Wipe Your Paws” doormat with the cartoon cat feels hilarious at 2:00 am while browsing Amazon, but it’s not going to do first impressions any favours. While you might think that quirky doormats show a playful personality, house hunters are more likely to wonder what other regrettable decisions are lurking behind the front door. Save the “Go Away, I’m Gaming” mat for your next home and stick with something classic.
  • A fire-engine red or electric blue splash-back – It might feel like a bold design choice that screams “I’m fun and quirky!” but the celebration of colour screams to potential buyers: “You’ll need to renovate!” and puts dollar signs in their eyes as they calculate the cost of replacing it with something more… shall we say, real estate agent-approved. It’s like wearing a Hawaiian shirt to a job interview – sure, it shows personality, but it’s the kind of personality that makes people question your judgment.
  • Contoured mats around the toilet – Nothing says “1985 called and wants its bathroom back” quite like a contoured toilet mat. While you might appreciate the cozy embrace it offers your feet during those midnight bathroom visits, potential buyers will only see it as a fuzzy petri dish, harbouring generations of bathroom-floor bacteria. And let’s not even discuss the matching toilet lid covers
  • Scandi-neutral – You might see a minimalist masterpiece; others are reminded of the waiting room of an extremely expensive therapist. It turns out, there is such a thing as too neutral. Fifty shades of beige tend to merge into one giant oatmeal blur, making potential buyers wonder if they’ve suddenly developed colour blindness or stumbled into a house that’s been stripped of joy by a very tasteful burglar.

We know what sells – and what doesn’t. Call 0800 GOODWINS for a no-obligation appraisal and useful tips to get potential buyers saying the right things.