7 Outdated Offenders in Home Design That Will Throw Off Home Buyers
Features in the home that were hot back in the 70s and 80s aren’t necessarily going to be attractive today. Interior decor trends go through cycles, just like everything else. If you’re happy with your red velvet wallpaper or bright orange shag carpets, that’s fine. But if you plan on selling your home in the near future, you’re going to do nothing but scare home buyers off with these outdated feature.
If your home features any of the following 7 outdated offenders in home decor, consider making a quick change before you put your home on the market.
1. Wood Paneling
Traditional wood paneling on the walls that was popular many, MANY years ago, but it’s a feature that will most certainly leave a bad taste in a buyer’s mouth. You’ve got a few troubleshooting options here. For the best look, you’ll have to completely remove the paneling and rebuild the walls with drywall.
If you don’t want to spend the time or money on this method of treatment, then you can either sand it down and prime it to make it look like drywall, or just paint over it (just remember that the grooves of the old paneled surface will still show through in this case).
2. Popcorn Ceilings
The ‘cottage cheese’ spray-on ceiling treatment that was pretty much standard a few decades ago is so passé now. These unappealing dust-attracting ceilings may have been the affordable choice among home owners back in the day, but they are no longer a finish that home buyers like to see when viewing a home.
Popcorn ceilings can be moistened and scraped off with a putty knife. It might sound like a messy job, but your home will thank you for it. Just make sure that there is no asbestos in it (if it’s from way back in the 50s), which should only be dealt with by a professional.
3. Wallpaper Borders
Nothing screams the 80s more than wallpaper borders. Sure, wallpaper itself is huge in interior decor right now, but only the type that covers walls from floor to ceiling – not the 6-inch trim at the beltline or top of the wall. If your home still has this feature, rip it down. It’s just not doing anything for the room.
4. Ugly Carpeting
You’ll rarely see any wall-to-wall carpeting in more modern homes, but they still exist. While carpeting is fine if it’s well taken care of, any carpeting that’s stained, wrinkled, worn out, or is a nasty color, it will definitely turn buyers off and make the place tougher to sell. And if there is any shag carpeting anywhere, you can be sure that buyers will turn around and run.
5. Outdated Hardware
The hardware on your cabinets makes a huge difference in the finished look. If you’re bathroom and kitchen cabinets still have old, ugly, tarnished brass knobs and handles, they’ll throw off the entire look of the space. Luckily this is an easy fix. You can find all sorts of more modern, appealing hardware from your local hardware store to replace all these outdated ones.
6. Colored Porcelain in the Bathroom
If your toilet is still pink, or the wall tiles are still baby blue, you’re committing a serious offense. Your bathtub or sink should also be free of these Easter-egg colors. Instead, they shouldn’t be anything but white or cream in color. This is one outdated feature that definitely should have been replaced years ago if it still exists in your home.
7. Peeling Vinyl or Laminate Kitchen Countertops
More and more buyers are expecting to see granite countertops in homes they visit. This material has become increasingly affordable, making it more feasible for the average home owner to equip their kitchens with granite.
But even if your kitchen still has the old vinyl or laminate material on the surface of the counters, that’s fine as long as it’s in decent condition. No one wants to see any cracks or peeling anywhere on the surface. It just makes the kitchen look old, dated, and dirty.
If you plan on staying out in your home for years to come, then live in the lap of outdated luxury as much as you like. But if you plan on putting your home up for sale any time soon, you’re going to want to narrow the generation gap as soon as possible. Your realtor will be able to point out features in your home that should be changed to make it as attractive as possible to buyers for a quick sale.
