Property for sale? Two mistakes that could reduce the value of your home by £36,000 and put off buyers

A good first impression can make the difference between a buyer making an offer or not.

A bad impression can also cost sellers more than £20,000, according to property experts.


They detailed property “mistakes” that can reduce the value of your home by up to £23,000, based on the average house price of £282,776.

A messy garden will cause the biggest drop in supply, according to Yopa experts.

gardening woman

A messy yard can be off-putting to buyers.

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They said: “If a garden is shabby, unloved, neglected, untidy and overgrown, it destroys first impressions.

“Sellers need buyers to fall in love with a property the moment they see it, so showing them clutter and chaos can hurt your chances of getting a good offer.

“It is estimated that a garden in poor condition can reduce the value of a house by between 8.2 and 20 per cent, which, even in the best of cases, equates to an average loss of £23,188 based on current value of a house. price of £282,776.”

Likewise, if the inside of the home is cluttered, this could also deter buyers from making their best offer.

A messy home can make a bad first impression which could cost the seller more than £13,000, experts estimated.

They added: “First impressions count. Getting your home in order before potential buyers come to see it is the easiest and most basic thing you can do to achieve the highest price possible.

“It is estimated that an impeccably presented home can increase the value of offers by an average of 4.7 per cent.

“So if a house looks dirty and you miss out on this extra 4.7 per cent, you’re saying goodbye to a potential £13,290.”

Spending time tidying up the yard or adding a coat of paint to a tired room can help viewers imagine themselves in the home.

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Woman painting door

Painting Can Make a Home More Attractive to a Potential Buyer

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Verona Frankish, CEO of Yopa, added: “Selling a home is not always easy and often a lot of work needs to be done on a property to present it well and achieve the best possible price.

“All of these seemingly minor problems can cost you thousands of pounds, but the good news is that, for the most part, they are usually easy to address and rarely cost much to rectify.

“Just remember, the cozier and more well-kept your home appears, the more comfortable and attractive it will appear to buyers. A home is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, so do everything you can to make it irresistible.”