What would attract you to a house

Clean and not too much clutter for me. We moved house recently and top for us was parking , such an issue now.
Saying that just sold my parents house, needs loads doing but wanted by everyone due to location

I think a lot of people do not have the imagination to see past any negatives ( to them ) in a house sale . I had a red carpet when trying to sell ./ or rent. a small cottage
Agent advised me to paint everything in a neutral shade & change carpet to grey …..& sold the property soon after as well as a potential renter in the same week !

I’m reading this and smiling as some say they want to buy a clean house. A little bleach does this job and you may get a cheaper home. Cleanliness certainly wouldn’t bother me.

when I was looking poor cleanliness was a big turn off, poor cleanliness equates to poor maintenance and poor maintenance can be hidden by carpets and big furniture, leading to untold horrors ahead

Definitely location, most other aspects can be changed.
When we moved on three occasions it was locatio much of the interiors we changed.
Current house had dimensions we like but nothing of interior decor.
Location was ok to travel to work, locality has given us great countryside around us proved invaluable during lock downs.

Ensure your front door and access are sparkling clean, hallway free of clutter. All toilet lids to be Down - so many photos show houses with toilet seats and lids up- ugh! A good tidy throughout and any junk boxed up and put away or disposed off. Oven and hob and kitchen sparkling clean. Dust, dust and more dusting. Have someone local to you to have a key in case you are not available to give the house the once over before viewings. A tidy garden. Good luck ! We have bought and sold thirteen times and these observations have stood us in good stead.

Location is the priority.
A modern house would not be my choice. I prefer old houses with period features, even if it's more work. White carpeting everywhere, and especially carpeting in the bathroom is a no.
Don't mind clutter as such. I wouldn't bother with flowers or the smell of freshly baked bread, as that's just the gimmick people think works, but it doesn't.
Not keen on the smell of animals.
Don't care about the parking or the dropped kerb. Wouldn't want to live next door to the pub.
Ideally no home owners following you around and commenting. I remember one lady pointing proudly to the magazine rack, saying "We call it a Canterbury". Don't care what you call it, not buying your piece of furniture.

Are potential buyers really concerned with our choice of decorating colours ?The duvets on our beds* have* to be new? clean yes but new really
Having, over the years, bought and sold, I chose to believe the purchases were like my own purchases based on the property itself and its garden /how many bedrooms /bathrooms? /double garage?
Not to matching towels in the bathroom.

A light house, from non-smokers and with a nice private garden.

If previous owner a cat lover then wouldn't bother me, always had cats and no smells and short haired so very little fur drop.

Neighbours are a big concern but obviously don't always get to know until you move in. Can always ask discreetly in the neighbour!

A good stairs loo would be great and a real seller to me.

But decor and clutter wouldn't put me off as clutter will go and everyone does some new decorating when they buy a home new to them.

I agree with karmalady. A dirty house can be a clear indicator of significant neglect in other areas of house maintenance/upkeep. I know this from my own experience!

Agree with varian, shame I didn’t follow the golden rule!! ? this area has just deteriorated so much but my little Victorian house remain beautiful

Several of the above but I would prefer to see an empty house rather than one with all the owners furniture in. Other pluses would be: Fenced gardens, a garage and drive, located away from main roads and shops, flat roads (hate having to live on a steep hill) and, preferably if I could afford it, a detached house with a bit of space from the neighbours. Am I asking too much?

Am I asking too much?
Yes, when the OP is asking for suggestions to make the interior attract buyers of an existing house that she can't physically move .

Hardly anyone is reading the question being asked.

I did Doodledog and mentioned paintwork, clutter, possessions and duvet covers!
I guess the conversation just expanded.

Not everyone - just hardly anyone .

None of my business, though - I just found it amusing.

For me, curb appeal; light colours; personality; ‘homely’ feel. I know the perceived wisdom is to get rid of family photos etc but, personally, I like to see that a house has been / is a family home. A beige / grey monochrome, minimalist blank canvas would put me off a house - I go more towards the quirky. I like to feel ‘the soul’ of a house which, I realise, is intangible and highly personal. I suppose that’s why one person’s dream home is another’s nightmare!

Some of you are very fussy. I get the smoking bit - some friends bought a newish bungalow from a smoker. They had all the curtains and carpets cleaned but several years later there was still an occasional whiff of smoke.

Location and size first. Anything else can be dealt with. I'm speaking from experience having bought a house with closing orders - ie about to be condemned.

I hate the idea of paying top whack because someone has put in an expensive kitchen that I don't like

I personally could never buy a house that smokers had lived in, especially if they smoked indoors. A well presented driveway with a tidy garage door makes a good first impression, along with a tidy front door. I can’t abide plug-in air fresheners anywhere. I would have to be able to park on my own driveway, I hated jockeying for a parking space when a newlywed, outside our first terraced house we purchased. Decor means nothing because that can be changed, but structural Gerry built things like indoor archways& fireplace cladding put me right off too. A house with no bath just a shower would certainly be a no no for me as I like a soak in the bath. Death trap illegal windows that only have a night vent are a big no no too.

What are death trap illegal windows?

This thread runs a serous risk of upsetting people whose houses have some of the features being described so negatively, doesn't it?

I’m currently looking for a new home, this will be my fourth move in twenty years. Location is without doubt the first rule when looking to relocate, I personally disregard houses that are on a main road or have a conservatory ( can’t stand them) I always check out the floor plan and am never swayed by the clutter or decor. Living space is important, potential to knock down walls to create a kitchen/ diner doesn’t phase me, am not too bothered about bedroom sizes, I imagine my close family of ten being in the house in the months that you can’t use the garden, a house without a bath wouldn’t bother me either.

Open plan is my biggest bugbear (we’re house hunting at the moment) and wall to wall grey, especially if teamed with charcoal carpets. As others have said, it should be clean and odour free. No shared drive and a garden, but, while we prefer a garden to be manageable, it does not have to be large or immaculate. Easy maintenance is our preference. I know others have said they can see past horrible decoration and a house in general disrepair and so can we, but we would not have a large pot of money to spend on a house after we have bought it and we are not very handy ourselves.

Surely someone would take their plug ins with them?

Doodledog
This thread runs a serous risk of upsetting people whose houses have some of the features being described so negatively, doesn't it?

I suppose we have all bought (or sold, or rented) properties with horrible features and/or things we know we will never fix.
Here for example we have a tall chimney that no longer functions. It goes up three floors and has at least five bends. It would cost a fortune to fix - I have had quotes years ago - and possibly a fortune to remove as it's still housing a victorian range at the bottom. It's now in our kitchen - though bizarrely it didn't used to be - as we took down a wall which included a salmon-pink indoor archway (*Fronkydonky*)...

I don't think we are on the whole that bothered about comments on here as we each have had at least a hand in where we are living.

I'm sure no-one is out to upset people.
If I have done so, apologies. ?

MissAdventure

Surely someone would take their plug ins with them?

You'd think so, or if not there are bins for unwanted home accessories .