If your home has been on the market for quite some time there may be negative factors about it that you are unaware of.The longer you are exposed to something the more used to things you become,so you will often overlook things that are glaringly obvious to others.Prospective buyers took part in an online poll by propertygenie.co.za, South Africa’s largest property listings website, to determine what is most offensive to prospective buyers.

The item that topped the charts is the smell of pets in the home.In my personal experience I can say I completely agree with this assessment.I have been to view houses that were absolutely lovely but was completely put-off by the heavy odour of pet smells and even pet food.Pets are of course a wonderful addition to a home but if they spend alot of time indoors the smell can start to become a problem.If you do have this kind of pet friendly household it may be wise to de-odorize the areas of concern,and perhaps move the pet food outside where possible.If you are not sure that there is a problem ask a friend or even the estate agent to give you their honest opinion.Doing this may make a huge difference as to whether or not you sell your home.

Not too far down the list of turn-off’s was the smell of cigarette smoke.As we all know smoking is increasingly seen as a social no-no, and many landlords are even banning smoking in their rentals.So with this in mind it should be obvious that when trying to sell your home the smell of cigarettes as well as the actual physical effects on the paint and finishes of a home will be a major deterrent.So if it means washing the curtains and maybe a fresh coat of paint this may also mean the difference between selling or not.

Maybe when we try and sell a home we should go through our list of 5 senses and improve the ones that actually apply.I don’t really know if touch or taste would be something to improve upon,but certainly sight,smell and what your ears pick up would be.

Examine your home as you would a strangers,I’m sure you could muster up a critical eye if you have to.Does it smell nice? Does it look presentable? Is there a way to minimise the road noise, close a few windows maybe…?

Buyers try and imagine themselves in your home, so if you suspect a personal habit or lifestyle is decreasing your chances of selling consider a change,even if it is temporary.