What NOT to do to Your House

Stuff you shouldn’t do to your house

by Ryan Lundquist on April 30th, 2012 

It’s usually good to stand out in real estate – but not for odd reasons. Here are some of the fun things I’ve seen during the business day on appraisal inspections. These are probably things to avoid doing to your house.


NFL Driveway: I am a huge sports fan and diehard sports talk radio listener, but spray painting a dozen stencils of your favorite team’s logo on your concrete driveway doesn’t make the neighborhood look good.

Blue Cabinets: Most buyers aren’t looking for blue cabinetry, so if you’re going to do some painting, stick with a color that works well for the resale market. Right now I see most owners painting their cabinets a shade of white or sometimes a darker cherry wood color.

Battle in the Front Yard: This lawn gets points for creativity, but most neighbors probably aren’t hoping to find a battle scene next door.

Car on the Lawn: I understand if there is no room on the street to park a vehicle. However, it does not foster a positive image for the community to park on the lawn in a typical suburban neighborhood. That’s just how it is. If you’re interested in improving a neighborhood experiencing signs of decay, make sure to check out my “Blight Week” series. There is always hope to see neighborhoods improve.

Religious Messages: This one might feel a bit personal and I hope to not cross a professional line, but keep in mind I’m a practicing Christian. Let your actions and words show God’s love – not your garage door. This doesn’t really help a house sell and it doesn’t promote the principle of conformity in real estate either. It’s fine to decorate with religious symbols and slogans during holidays and seasons because that shows pride and helps a neighborhood feel festive, but a permanent message is maybe a bit much.

Custom Air Vent: If you plan to convert the garage, it would be a better idea to not run the vent through the Living Room to get to the garage.

Door to Nowhere: This is a door on the second story of a building with a decent drop to the parking lot below. Maybe the interior has drywall, so the door truly cannot be opened, but generally speaking it’s a good idea to have doorways lead to stairs or balconies. I took this picture on J & 20th in Midtown Sacramento.