20 quickest ways to lose money on your house- (taken from a show I watched recently)-

• 20- carpet in the bathroom
• 19- themed rooms
• 18- laminate floors ( odd- I have that as my booth flooring and...well... maybe this one should be up for discussion)
• 17- too much pattern
• 16- fake period detail- I agree, most of the time- be true to your architecture
• 15- overgrown gardens
• 14- gigantic sofas
• 13- pine
• 12- toilets in wierd places- ?
• 11- neighbour nightmares- had a few of my own- tip- show house when they are working, that is provided they do work
• 10- avacado bathroom suite- never been blessed with that, but I did have the harvest gold kitchen appliances- yippee
• 9- bad DIY- be honest about your skills- please- attaching a dimmer switch with yarn to the gas line is not acceptable- yes, I have encountered this.
• 8- pets- what?- I have cats, rats and fish, so I take offense- they are family-wierd family, but family just the same. However, I agree, never put the litter next to their food or in the kitchen-gross!
• 7- U.P.V.C.- in other words, vinyl windows- that's wierd, we, just last year, put all new vinyl windows in our house and supposedly our value went up. Maybe another one up for discussion.
• 6- textured finishes- I dare you to take one off a wall- and it just makes you wonder what they are covering up- hmmm....
• 5- X- rated exteriors- garden gnomes anyone? Or, how about the fusia garage door- I think you get the picture.
• 4- out door swimming pools- ok, this was an English show, but honestly, we live in Canada; do we really have more time to swim out of doors? Right, save your money and buy a trampoline- nobody drowns and you don't have to heat it.
• 3- smoking- no comment
• 2- bad extentions- and I'm not talking hair- remember this is an English show, and they are talking additions; make sure it's worth adding on ( do not build a 6x6 room if you intend to use it as a dining room to seat 12 guests). Another thought- build it properly so you are not having to rebuild said room again 2 years from now.
• 1- structural disasters- mould anyone?; how about cracks due to settling?

Happy house selling, if that's where you find yourself, and if you have those infamous garden characters in your front garden, remember, I'm only a phone call away! Looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, jennifer.