If you don't want to endure the frustration of having to wait years for someone to buy your home, it's important to be aware of the things that could be putting potential buyers off the property. Here are two things that can make it harder for you to sell your home.
Asbestos in your property
Asbestos in your property could significantly extend the length of time you have to wait for someone to put in an offer on your home. Even though it is widely known that undisturbed asbestos does not represent any significant risk to a person's health, most potential buyers will still usually avoid putting in offers on properties that are known to contain this substance because the first thing that most people want to do after they have bought a property is renovate it so that it better suits their personal tastes.
However, renovating a property that has been built with asbestos can be both complicated and expensive, as any construction work that disturbs the materials that are made from this substance (such as floor or ceiling tiles, for example) could potentially result in some asbestos particles becoming airborne (if this happens, there is a high risk that someone could end up inhaling the particles and become ill in the future). Because of this, the new owners would have to spend time and money having a specialist remove the asbestos before they could begin the renovation work. This is why most potential buyers will simply not bother putting in offers on properties that contain asbestos.
As such, if you don't want to deter potential buyers, it is best to contact a company in your area that offers asbestos services and arrange for them to safely extract this substance from your home prior to advertising the property for sale.
Excess clutter
Excess clutter scattered around your home could lead to you waiting far longer for an offer than you initially anticipated. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, clutter on every surface in a room can make the space look a lot smaller and more cramped than it really is. This could be a problem, as most potential buyers prefer spacious, airy properties.
Secondly, it can be much more difficult for people to visualise themselves living in a specific property if it is covered in someone else's clutter. The sight of another family's trinkets, books, clothes, gadgets and other personal items on every table, windowsill and worktop may make it harder for potential buyers to imagine how they might transform and customise the property to make it suitable for their lifestyle.
As such, it's best to spend some time de-cluttering before you begin hosting viewings. If there are lots of items that you don't really want or need, you can donate, recycle or sell them. If there is clutter which is actually useful, you might want to temporarily put it into a self-storage facility until after you have sold your home.