A buyer agent's advice to sellers

Today I am going to do something that I rarely do: give advice to sellers. The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA) recently conducted an online survey of members to rate what they found most annoying when viewing a new home with buyers.

I have seen most, if not all, the problems that the survey mentions. My personal favorite is broken locks and unusable keys. I have been bitten (by a dog, and a spider), tripped on uneven stairs and banged into pipes in dark basements. This year alone I’ve seen three dead squirrels. Halloween decorations in basement corners are not funny!

Sellers: anything that distracts a buyer in your house is simply that -- a distraction. Don’t do it.

Here is an edited list from the survey:

1. Broken door locks preventing access to the house.
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 house.
7. Closet doors that fall off or are not adjusted properly.
8. Halloween decorations that are left out.
9. Dangerous children’s toys left out.
10. Dead birds or animals in or around the home.