Here are the top 8 ‘buyer-repellant’ items you should never have in your home when selling — especially in today’s lousy US market. How many are hurting your bottom line?

Simply put, this is a buyer’s market. Home sellers need to go the extra mile to get the best price.

Here are the top eight ‘buyer repellants’ to avoid if you’re trying to sell your home in 2025.

Clutter

Buying a home is an emotional process and you don’t want buyers’ first reaction to be one of disgust. A dirty, cluttered home makes it difficult for them to picture themselves in your property, which ultimately makes it difficult to sell.

Consider hiring professionals to clean and organize your space before you put it on the market.

Personal decor

Potential buyers need to visualize their own lives in your space. This isn’t possible when your walls are covered with deeply personal pictures of you and your family.

“The first thing I would do is depersonalize and remove personal photos,” celebrity real estate agent Ryan Serhant advised on an episode of The Rachael Ray Show.

“Your buyer will walk through, they’ll forget to pay attention to the house. They’ll just want to know who lives here. They’re super nosy.”

Unfixed damage

Given how pricey homes are to begin with these days, most buyers are exceptionally sensitive to any additional costs involved with buying your home. A potential buyer is likely to notice everything that needs to be fixed and use it to negotiate a lower price.

This doesn’t mean your home needs expensive renovations. Clever Real Estate recommends that sellers focus on repairs with the highest return on investment, such as garage doors, front doors and minor kitchen remodels or updates.

Dirty carpets or broken floors

Potential buyers can be put off by dirty carpets and broken floors. Fortunately, fixing this is relatively inexpensive. According to Angie’s List, the average cost to repair a carpet is $207. This quick fix can go a long way in your staging process.

Pets

Pet owners might appreciate signs that your home is big and comfortable enough for a pet, but not every prospective buyer fits this description. Some don’t like cats and dogs or have allergies.

Serhant advises putting away your pet’s food bowls and “if you have a 65-pound dog, maybe take the dog for a little walk so your person can come in and not see it without any kind of prejudice or allergies,” he added.

Overpowering scents

It’s tempting to make your home smell welcoming and pleasant, but it’s difficult to know if your potential buyers are sensitive to any odors. The safest option is to aim for a mild or neutral scent that doesn’t distract the viewer.

Excess furniture

Most home listings don’t include the furniture, so minimizing the number of items you leave behind in your listing is probably a good idea. You can work with a professional stager to rearrange or move furniture to make it more appealing for viewers.

Bold paint colors

Just like personal photos, bold and vivid colors are a reflection of your personality and are likely to be distracting for any potential buyer. White is a safer option.

“You want to project like an open canvas,” Serhant says. “You want your buyer to walk through and imagine themselves living there, and you want them to say, ‘Oh, I love these white walls, I could see how my own Star Wars-themed wall would look here.’"