With buyer interest thinning across Australia, it is as important as ever for sellers to make a strong impression at home opens.
However, Aussies have recently shared the home open horror stories that turned them away instantly, with experiences ranging from a backyard full of dog poo to a home with “serial killer vibes”.
In many cases, LJ Hooker Bondi principal Marina Makhlin said people got used to living a certain way, and don’t notice some of the glaring issues in their home that might deter buyers.
Ms Makhlin said the most common thing seller’s did not address was mess and clutter.
A TikTok video from earlier this year showed the presentation of a property during an open home. Picture: TikTok/franmargiera
“So many times there’s just too many photos, magazines, blankets and pillows – it’s just too much clutter for people to look at when they look at the home,” she said.
“They get distracted looking at all the mess rather than the beautiful home.
“So, you really want to declutter and depersonalise when you’re putting your home for the on the market.”
Ms Makhlin added not to stuff all of your belongings into your cupboards, as “people will open your cupboards”.
She recommended boxing things up and using a storage company, or asking family and friends to use their garage.
“It’s a good thing before a move anyway, as you do the first few steps of moving,” she said.
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It’s best not to stuff everything into your cupboards or garage.
Via Reddit, one hopeful homebuyer said the presence of “so much dog poop” was enough to deter them from a home that initially ticked a lot of their boxes.
“If you don’t care about cleaning up your dog’s poop for an open home, I don’t imagine you’re interested in maintaining your house either,” they said.
“Suddenly I’m not so interested in this house anymore.”
Commenters shared their biggest ‘open home icks’ — the unignorable faults that left them no longer interested.
These included filthy bathroom and kitchen sinks and dirty or stained toilets.
Others ranged from gross to downright concerning.
“Any mould in the shower gives me an instant ick,” one commenter said.
“Cameras in every room including the bathroom. I noped it right out of there,” [sic] another said.
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Mould and dirt is a major deterrent for buyers. Picture: iStock
Another Aussie said they had inspected a property where all of the internal cupboards had been locked shut.
“I have no idea if that’s how they normally lived or if these were installed to stop people looking in during inspections,” they said.
“In any event, it gave me serial killer vibes and I moved on from that house.”
Other commenters said they saw a property’s ‘icks’ as opportunities.
“All the basic ‘ick’ stuff that sellers leave such as dog poop is great for some buyers as it puts people that go ‘ick’ off and hence lowers competition,” one comment said.
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LJ Hooker Bondi principal Marina Makhlin says presentation can make a “huge difference” in what a home sells for
Ms Makhlin said decluttering and styling your home was important
Ms Makhlin said the way sellers present a home “definitely makes a huge difference” when it comes to the bottom line.
“You’re attracting more emotion and more people to the property that creates more competition and effectively will get you a higher result,” she said. “The reality is, you need someone to connect emotionally with your home, especially in this market.”
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