As a home seller, selling your house is the number on your to-do list. When it comes to selling a house appearance plays a big part and knowing how to make the house more appealing goes a long way. You could spend a lot of money and time getting ready for sale but if you’re not doing it right all that would be for nothing. You might cut the grass in the front yard and or paint the entire house but sometimes not having any experience in remodeling and renovating a house might set you back a few hundred or even thousands of dollars.

“These potential problems might be a set back for your real estate agent and broker” says, Rene Gregs from the pros at Local Records Office in Southern California.

Not knowing what’s in and going for YOU is probably not a good idea. Depersonalizing a house should be the first thing a seller should do. Why? Because the seller might have the house kids friendly but the new potential homebuyer might not have any children or all their kids might be grown up so this will create a dilemma for the sale or home value.

1. Loose Pets in the House When Potential Homebuyers Are Viewing the House

Believe it or not, this happens often. Residents will leave cats and or dogs loose in the backyard. Since the pets are running around in the backyard the buyers are not able to view the backyard and the exterior of the house, this eventually will cause a problem. Another reason why leaving loose pets is a problem is because some people are allergic to cats and or dogs, so if the buyer is allergic they can’t go inside the property and view it like they want to, this could potentially scare off the buyer and cause you a final sale.

Fredrick Thomson says; “Even friendly pets could cause a seller the final sale, some buyers won’t even go inside if there’s a loose cat”

Keep in mind to take your pets with you or keep them at a friend’s or relative’s house for the day.

8 Reasons Why Your Home is Not Selling – Video

2. Take All Flags Down

This might not be a big deal for some people but to others it is. Since the shooting of 9 African American church members in Charleston in 2015 people have been finding the confederate flag offensive. Other Americans might even find other country’s flags offensive too; to avoid this problem the best thing to do is to remove all flags.

Carlos Ramirez from Brokers “R” us in northern California said, “The deal was practically closed until the buyer saw a Nazi flag in the backyard. The buyer got in his car and never answered my calls from there on”

Real estate agents can’t prevent things like this from happening but being educated will come a long way. So, if you’re trying to sell your house take down all flags, that’s simple.

3. Locked Rooms That the Potential Buyer Can’t Get Into or See

Buyers want to see the entire house not just parts of it. Having a locked room may hurt your chances of finalizing your sale. As a buyer not knowing what’s behind the door might be a red flag.

David Johnson from California Real Estate Agents LLC in northern California says, “Every so often you come across a house that has a bedroom or basement or even an attic that’s locked and realized that the seller will probably turn down the deal because of this”

If you’re serious about selling the house go ahead and clean and organize it, don’t wait until the last minute because, by the last minute, you’ll probably realize that that room needs much more attention than you thought.

4. Legal and Illegal Drugs

Marijuana is legal in some states but despite relaxed laws, drugs shouldn’t be present in the house while buyers are viewing it. Some people see legal drugs or marijuana as illegal and might cause you to lose the sale. Another reason that legal or illegal drugs shouldn’t be out in the open is that the buyers might bring their kids with them and the children might walk off to wander the house and might swallow or take them.

Montel Drakford from Drakford Real Estate Agents and Brokers in Santa Ana, California said: “I was showing a house to a young family and the son ask the dad ‘dad, what is that?’ the seller obviously didn’t even try to straighten the place up”