If you don’t resolve home emergencies quickly, they could haunt you for years!
Water damage, scorch marks on plug sockets, insecure doors, mouse holes – it’s no secret that small household repairs can turn into big problems over time. With 247 Home Rescue’s home emergency cover, you will receive emergency assistance within 24 hours of the time you make contact with us, so your household problems don’t turn into long-lasting issues.
But if you’re not protected, you could find that not only does the damage get worse over time, but that it continues to affect your home even if you put it on the market. A recent study by GoCompare.com Home Insurance revealed that home-buyers are deterred from buying properties that show signs of wear and tear, with some problems considered ‘sale stoppers’.
According to the research, 67% of people said they would be turned off by ceilings, stained walls and damp patches, and 60% would be dissuaded from buying a home if it had rotten windows or was otherwise in a poor state of repair, making these plumbing and security issues the two biggest property turn-offs.
Other major turn-offs identified in the report include:
- Bad smells, such as from leaking pipes and damp
- Unfinished home improvements and DIY disasters
- Dark rooms
- Dirt and clutter
GoCompare.com Home Insurance representative Ben Wilson explained that people who intend to sell their home ought to make sure it is well-presented on both the interior and exterior, as this will make it as “appealing as possible”.
Housebuyers want to believe the property they purchase has been “well looked after”, Mr Wilson pointed out, saying it is therefore “unsurprising” that poor maintenance and damp are found to be the biggest property turn-offs.
He argued that bad housekeeping can “kill a sale” and can indicate that there are a range of unseen problems in the property. Spring cleaning is one of the most cost-effective and easy ways to improve a home’s saleability, he concluded.
According to the study, the top 20 property turn-offs are:
- Damp patches
- Poor repairs
- No parking spaces
- No gardens
- Smelliness
- Incomplete building work
- Dark rooms or a lack of natural light
- Small rooms
- DIY mistakes
- Small kitchens *Dirtiness
- Pebble dash, render and stone cladding on exterior walls
- Wooden windows
- Dated kitchen designs
- Overgrown gardens
- Textured and artex ceilings
- A general state of untidiness
- Over-the-top or out-of-date carpeting
- Clutter
- Over-the-top or out-of-date décor
