Interesting new research has highlighted the most off-putting and unexpected features that deter people when viewing a property.
The study, conducted by online estate agent easyProperty, looked at a national sample of 1,000 adults. These participants were asked about what sort of things would make them lose interest in a property that they were viewings.
Off-putting property features
Over half of respondents to the survey revealed that they would lose interest in a property should they detect a bad vibe when looking around.
A large number of responses suggest that house-hunters worry about the surrounding area, as much as they do about the property itself. Too many fast food, pound or even charity shops were found to put a number of property buyers off!
In addition, 18% of people questioned said that they would lose interest in a suitable property if they simply disliked the owners!
The top property dealbreakers, according to the easyProperty survey, were revealed to be:
| Turn off | Percentage who said the turn off could be a dealbreaker |
| Detecting a bad vibe | 54.3% |
| Lots of fast food shops nearby | 37.2% |
| Lots of pound shops nearby | 30.4% |
| Lots of pubs and restaurants nearby | 24.9% |
| Charity shops nearby | 21.2% |
| Patriotic flags on neighbouring properties | 19.5% |
| Disliking the current owners | 18% |
| Lots of religious buildings nearby | 17.4% |
| Smelly pets | 9.2% |
| Lots of vintage/charity shops/boutiques nearby | 6% |
Most off-putting property features revealed
Emotionally tough
Rob Ellice, of easyProperty, noted, ‘a home is more than just bricks and mortar and finding the right property can be emotionally taxing. Before deciding on a property most people try to picture themselves living in a certain house or area. What’s the neighbourhood like, would we want to go for an evening stroll? Who are the neighbours, can we imagine inviting them over? How do the schools perform, can we see our kids enjoying it there?’
‘There are many things that may sway our vision and make us become emotionally attached to a property or put us off completely and these can be quite unexpected.’[1]
[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/property/what-are-the-uks-weirdest-property-purchase-dealbreakers.html