Leaky faucets. Dirty carpets. Overgrown shrubs. Clutter.

Sid Davis has seen it all. It’s the little stuff that home sellers refuse to fix before listing a home.

Home shoppers see those flaws, and they either flee or they go into a “what else is wrong” mode, looking for defects that can knock as much as 10 percent off the price.

Ignoring these details can result in long waits without an offer, or lowball offers when they do come, said Mr. Davis, a real estate broker and author of the recent book Home Makeovers That Sell.

Addison-based real estate investor Behringer Harvard said Monday that it is teaming up with a Dutch pension fund to buy thousands of U.S. apartments.

Behringer Harvard and pension fund PGGM will invest up to $225 million in the rental units, which will be located in major metropolitan areas.

“As the investment manager for nearly two million Dutch healthcare and social work professionals, PGGM is highly selective about the programs it chooses to participate in,” CEO Robert M. Behringer said in a statement. “Their decision to co-invest with us represents a strong endorsement of our multifamily development and acquisition platform.”

A Dallas homebuilder is working on development plans for two vacant blocks next to downtown’s Farmers Market.

Builder Jim Moore – who already has one project in the neighborhood – recently bought another 4.5 acres along Pearl Expressway.

Mr. Moore said he plans to build more townhouses or condos on the property, which previously housed plant nurseries.

“We are going to do something with a lot higher density than we originally planned,” he said. “The city has asked me to put in some retail there. I’ve had to change my plans.”