Looking to sell? This simple mistake is putting potential buyers off your home

You'll lose them even before they step through the door

Homebuyer interest has sky-rocketed since the market reopened. However, if you are looking to sell your house at this time, these are the property listing mistakes you should avoid to help your house stand out.

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Making your home stand out from the crowd in a sea of homes on the internet can be challenging. However, a survey by Bankrate has revealed the biggest pet peeves that could be putting off prospective buyers.

The new house-viewing guidelines mean that in-person viewings are now the final step after someone is fairly certain that they are interested in making an offer. So a house listing needs to make a good impression from the get-go.

Starting with images.

home with white wall and black front door

(Image credit: Future PLC/Colin Poole)

Property listing mistakes

1. Not enough pictures

Bankrate's survey revealed that insufficient images topped the list as the biggest pet peeve on a home listing. 82 per cent of respondents expressed frustration if a listing had less than 10 high-quality images of the property.

2. A poor description

The second biggest put-off for a buyer was found to be a 'dull description'. This part of the listing will likely be in the hands of the estate agent. Be sure to give them as much information as possible for them to help you sell your house in the description.

kitchen with white wall and counter

(Image credit: Future PLC/Colin Poole)

3. No video tours the property

At number three, 79 per cent of potential buyers revealed that they would be put off by a listing without a video of the home. This part of a listing is going to become essential for properties during this time of social distancing when buyers a encouraged to virtually view homes first. Do yourself a favour and get on top of it and insist on including a video in your home listing.

While photos and videos are great ways to make your property stand out, make sure your home is as tidy as possible. Potential buyers revealed that 75 per cent were put off by bad quality photos. Another 73 per cent revealed that they would also be reluctant to consider a home that looks messy in images.

living area with white wall and grey sofa

(Image credit: Future PLC/Colin Poole)

Here is the full list of the top ten things to avoid when listing a property:

1.Insufficient images
2. Dull description
3. No video of the home available
4.Bad quality / unflattering images
5. Messy home / not show ready
6. Overpriced
7. Confusing floorplan
8. Mismatched interiors
9. Bad grammar and spelling in the description
10. Pictures taken on a rainy day

Related: Forget the Waitrose effect – your house is worth more if you live next this store

What are your biggest property listing pet peeves?

Rebecca Knight
Deputy Editor, Digital

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.