Survey finds third of UK homes in a mess when buyers turn up
Almost a third of homes in the UK are untidy when prospective buyers arrive to view the properties, a new survey has found.
Yet 22% of potential home owners are also put off by a messy or cluttered property when searching for their next home, according to Move with Us, which surveyed over 100 independent estate agents from its partner network.
‘It’s interesting to see that home owners are failing to carry out the most simple of tasks to help sell their home such as making sure it’s clean and tidy ahead of viewings,’ said Robin King, director at Move with Us.
‘Any professional estate agent will do their utmost to help sell a property but their efforts will be immediately undone if the moment a potential buyer walks through the door, they see a property that’s a mess. Purchasing a property is one of the biggest transactions of someone’s life and potential buyers will want to think that the property has been looked after by its current owners,’ he pointed out.
‘Sellers should work in partnership with their estate agent, and take action to ensure their property is attractive to potential buyers. With almost a quarter of potential home owners being put off by untidy property, a little elbow grease could mean the difference between selling a property or not,’ he added.
A survey carried out by BLP Insurance, the housing warranty insurance provider, has found that a key concern among home owners in the UK is outside influences such as neighbours and council works. One in four of UK home owners surveyed worried about the potential impact of disruptive neighbours or the council granting planning permission to build something detrimental nearby.
‘It’s not just the risk of neighbours making a lot of noise or creating an eyesore but building work undertaken by them can potentially cause structural problems to your home or even reduce the value of your property quite considerably,’ said Brian Kilroy, business development manager at BLP Insurance.
‘If your neighbours are excavating or digging foundations near your property you are entitled to ask them to pay for a party wall surveyor to check that the work is carried out correctly and that any damage caused is put right,’ he added.
The survey also revealed that nearly half of home owners in the UK consider general maintenance such as fixing drains and roofs to be another top concern when it comes to worrying about their homes along with not having sufficient cash to carry out repairs when necessary.
‘At the end of the day, owning your own home will always be costly but there are a number of things that you can do to protect yourself in case things do go wrong. Very few people are aware of the precautions that you can take to protect your property after a conversion for both the structural and non-structural elements of the building,’ Kilroy pointed out.
‘Taking out housing warranty insurance means that you can cover yourself and your investment should any defects occur further down the line. The policy belongs to the building, not the builder so you don’t have to prove who is to blame, just that there is a defect,’ he explained.
‘There are lots of elements that should be considered at the start of a build project which can reduce the risk of defects occurring later on in the project. Taking the time to inspect the groundwork and investing in a good reputable architect will pay dividends in the long run,’ he added.
