As a matter of fact, we just moved to our second house about a year ago, so it’s fresh in my mind. Some of this may duplicate the others’ opinions, since I’m writing everything I think in response to your questions.
… how much would it matter if the garage door didn’t have an automatic opener?
Doesn’t matter. Although, oddly enough, if the garage door has an automatic opener and it doesn’t work, that bothers me (but is not a dealbreaker). More important than that is a working lock on the garage.
… how much would the color of the interior walls matter?
Doesn’t matter much; my wife wants to decorate the house her way anyway, so it’s going to change. It also means it’s not worth a lot of money to do anything fancy to the room before you move out - we’re going to ignore the decor when shopping. The caveat, though, is that it would be nice to live with current status of a room until we get to it, which means a) good condition, and b) nothing really pukey. I know not everyone feels this way - some people just like to keep the rooms the same. So if it’s in good condition and not bizarre, leave it; if it’s in poor condition, a fresh coat of white or off-white paint does the trick.
… would a fireplace be a plus or a minus?
This wasn’t a deal-breaker for us, but I know it’s important to some people. Ironically, our house in Houston had a fireplace, even though we didn’t want one, while the house we bought in NH does not, although we were interested in one. (Weather, in both cases, plays a part.) If you have a fireplace, though, it should be clean, and in good condition (not a fire hazard).
… would an eat-in kitchen, in the form of stools around the island, be a plus or minus?
A plus for us. My wife complains about the height of the stools, though. It would have been good to have shorter stools (which would not work with our bar), or a foot rail (which we are thinking of doing something about).
… would the lack of a whirlpool tub in the master bathroom be a plus or minus?
Not something we cared about, but I’ve heard it’s important to some people. I feel, though, that as a luxury item, it’s an enhancement to some people, but few people will care if it’s not there.
… would a home in a neighborhood with a mandatory association be a plus or minus?
BIG minus. We thought it wouldn’t matter with our first house, so we lived in a neighborhood with an HA. I wouldn’t do it again - there were negatives to the neighborhood from them (besides the cost!), but no positives. The few things that were done by the HA, were done better by the city in those areas where there wasn’t an HA! On the other hand, you really don’t have much choice in this while selling the house, and you can’t hide it. I wouldn’t list it as a positive, selling feature, though.
… would a major-appliance warrantee with a $100 dedictible be a plus or minus? (any appliance that fails within a year would be replaced for $100)
It would be a moderate plus - it means that the buyer doesn’t have to worry too much about the state of the appliances. If the appliances look fairly new, and don’t look inclined to fail in the first year, it’s not as important as it is if they are older appliances.
… would having a washer and dryer included affect your decision?
Both times we moved, we moved our own washer and dryer, so no. However, if I was buying the house and didn’t own them, it would be a big plus. Ask yourself, is your house an entry-level house, that first-time buyers are looking at? Or is it a nicer house, that people are moving up to? That will tell you if the washer/dryer are more likely to make a difference.
I’ll be putting my house on the market after the first of the year and apart from decluttering it, I need to consider features I should emphasize in the listing, add to the house, or just ignore. Bear in mind, almost anything is negotiable. But if you walked through a house, what of the above would you consider to be a dealbreaker? Or anything else I haven’t considered. Thanks.
You want the house to look roomy. Towards this, not only declutter it, but take out some of the furniture if appropriate. Make sure the rooms are well-lit, with drapes drawn to let outside light in. If you have to paint, use lighter colors instead of darker. All of those should make the house look bigger. And I think that most people are interested in storage, and it can be hard to judge how much storage a place has (closets, cabinets, and so forth). Try to keep some closets - especially those that are more likely to be looked in - partly or mostly empty. That gives the impression that the house has more storage than you need.
Also, make sure the outside of the house (lawn, garden, etc.) looks good. If it doesn’t, not only do I think “I need to do some work right when we move in”, I also start wondering, “Is it like this because they have a yard that’s hard to keep up?”
There are 49 houses in my development, and I think there might be one other that doesn’t have a fireplace. Now, as to how many people use theirs, that’s another question.