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Original poster

Trying to sell - Critique my house!

117 replies

WhoLivesInAHouseLikeThis · 31/03/2011 13:07

House has only been on the market a couple of months but I have seen a wreck I love and want to get moving (so to speak).

We have had about 8 people around and feedback has been very non-specific so I'm after honest opinions on my rightmove ad. I have namechanged so as not to out myself but am fairly regular here.

Thanks,

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32555795.html

I do have a man coming at the weekend to repaint the front of the house and the downpipe as I know it looks a bit tatty.

OP posts:
tethersend · 31/03/2011 13:14

Can you take the slide out of the garden? It will make it look much bigger.

Otherwise, I think it's fine.

TheVisitor · 31/03/2011 13:16

I think you need to do some tidying in the front garden as it looks a big scruff on that pic. That big hedge on the right is quite overbearing and seems to get in the way of the gate. The inside looks nicely neutral and can't see anything that would put me off. The back garden, it would be useful to take down the climbing frame and slide and store so you can retreat the grass underneath. Cut back the ivy and trim the dead looking bush. Take your washing line down when you have people looking round. Hope that's okay!

WalterFlipsticks · 31/03/2011 13:17

I wrote a reply to this and then MN went offline!

The gist of it was, it looks great and I would say 8 viewers in a couple of months in this climate is excellent going, it could be they have something to sell or aren't in an immediate position to proceed, hence the non specific feedback

Harimad · 31/03/2011 13:17

It's odd that they've not got any pics of any of the bedrooms up, but all looks fine: neat, bright etc. - agree with tethersend re: slide.

Just remember that the whole market's been slow this year, but is hopefully picking up now that the budget's out of the way (she says crossing fingers as her house is about to go on the market too!).

NoseyNooNoo · 31/03/2011 13:18

I love threads like this!

I think the front hedge needs cutting back.
The kitchen looks very small - is that just a poor photo?
Could you get a floor plan - I don't have a good impression of the layout of the house.

FattyAcid · 31/03/2011 13:19

Like the house but I would change the photo of the kitchen which mainly shows that the window needs cleaning!

FattyAcid · 31/03/2011 13:20

just want to say my windows at home are all shocking so no offence intended

pooka · 31/03/2011 13:20

First thoughts are that the photos are terrible. Seem to be focussing on the furniture rather than the rooms IYSWIM. Kitchen photo in particular is diabolical - flash on the window and no sense whatsoever of scale or shape of the room. Ditto the sitting room and dining rooms.

peeriebear · 31/03/2011 13:20

I agree- the inside is fine (love the kids area!) but the garden looks a bit neglected. Bright flowers in pots perhaps :) and I third taking the slide down to open up the space.

AliceWorld · 31/03/2011 13:20

I think there could be more details online. No floor plan, no pics of upstairs. So people won't necessarily know what to expect, so imo you'd get more views from people who don't actually know whether it's what they want, or people not viewing cos they can't see whether it's what they want. If that makes sense...

strandednomore · 31/03/2011 13:21

You have similar taste to us. We have that IKEA chair (although it's now put away), the IKEA children's storage and the same spotty tablecloth (ours is red not blue). I like your blue tiles. £165,000 sounds like a bargain but I live in an expensive area.

I would prefer to see a pic of the bedrooms. Pic 5 (with the 2 doors) doesn't add anything - it just looks like a small messy room.

minibmw2010 · 31/03/2011 13:22

Its a lovely house, but I think you need a better/bigger picture of the kitchen, to me it feels like it must be tiny if all you can see if a tiny corner of it. Also there are no bedroom or bathroom pictures? I'd always want to be able to see the bathroom.

DastardlyandSmuttily · 31/03/2011 13:22

To be honest, I think the photos are pretty terrible. The house looks nicely presented, but the photos don't do it any favours. Does your estate agent not own a wide-angle lens? He needs one. Or failing that reshoot each room from OUTSIDE the door. At the minute all you can see is wierd close-ups of some bits of furniture in the sitting room, and some kitchen units, you don't get any kind of impression of the actual room.
Front of the house picture needs taking 'straight on' - the funny angle doesn't do it any favours either. Agree about tidying up the hedges too.
Other than that I think you've done everything right, and the agents' are pretty shoddy at how they're marketing this.

notso · 31/03/2011 13:24

Agree with better photo of the kitchen, also you should make the conservertory less playroomy, not all buyers will have DC.

piprabbit · 31/03/2011 13:25

Odd photos - pointing at random bits of wall or window, so it is near impossible to get a feel for the scale of the room, height of ceilings, any original features etc.

Also the way that almost every room descriptions starts with "UPVC" is a bit off putting, especially if people are looking for a character house. I'm not saying that UPVC is a problem, but listing it as the main feature of every room makes it seem as though the EA couldn't think of anything more positive to list as a feature.

Original poster
WhoLivesInAHouseLikeThis · 31/03/2011 13:25

Great tips! YY ref the gardens now the weather is better I'll get out and give everything a good tidy and trim.

My agent doesn't do floor plans, how can I find one do you think as I could add it as a pic I suppose.

Would love advice on how to take better pics

OP posts:
RockinSockBunnies · 31/03/2011 13:26

I'd do something about tidying up the front garden. Also take the slide away. Could you take off the oil cloth from the dining table so that it appears more neutral (I'm assuming you have a wooden table underneath, not something garish!)?

ruddynorah · 31/03/2011 13:26

The pics don't show much. I mean it does look nice but needs a floorplan and wider angled pics to show the house off.

TheCrackFox · 31/03/2011 13:26

The photos are bloody awful.

You have a lovely home and fairly decent room sizes but the photographer has managed to make the rooms look tiny. It is like he has stood in the middle of the room and taken the photo when he should have been standing in the corner.

Floor plans are essential.

Original poster
WhoLivesInAHouseLikeThis · 31/03/2011 13:27

Kitchen is tiny though!

OP posts:
LittleWhiteWolf · 31/03/2011 13:29

I'm always put off by there being no pictures of the upstairs rooms. And I agree with those who've said the kitchen looks poky thanks to that picture. Can you get new pictures done of the inside rooms? The exterior shots look fine, but your house looks tiny inside thanks to the naff pictures.

QuintessentialShadows · 31/03/2011 13:29

Shoddy photography and bad presentation is my opinion!
The most important pictures, the living room and the kitchen, are taken in such a way that it looks like the photographer has nowhere to stand! The result is that the rooms look tiny!

I would like to see pics of a bathroom, and at least one bedroom! And floorplan.
It does not help that the text is really poor.

"We are delighted to offer for sale this three bedroom situated in Elson. "
3 bedroom what? Barn? Flat? House? Dwelling? Home? He/She could not even be bothered to complete the sentence! And then he just copies and pastes into the next paragraph below!

DastardlyandSmuttily · 31/03/2011 13:32

Also, have a look at what else is on the market This is what you're up against
Ok it's a bit more expensive, but there are a lot more photos showing whole rooms, there's a floorplan, it appears to be a much bigger house.

Re photos, say you're not happy and ask for them to be re-taken. Basically you want the room to look as big as possible, so take them from the furthest corner of the room, or literally just inside the door way, preferably with a wide angle lens and try and avoid that 'looking down into a corner' feeling.

Don't be shy about moving furniture around so there are no awkward looking corners. Close other doors and cupboards to make walls look uninterrupted. You seem to have decluttered well so you've done the hard but. And reshoot the garden on a sunnier day!

crapbarry · 31/03/2011 13:32

the photos are really bad - need to show more of the rooms, and less flash glare off dirty windows - who took the photos? Can you get someone with eyes to take them next time? (sorry :o)

also, a floor plan would be useful.

but back to the pictures - do you have anything other than a sink in your kitchen? and more than just a wall in your dining area? and could you take photos of the bedrooms and bathroom to show they aren't vile abominations? the house does look nice, despite the bloody awful photographs, so I suspect that your EA has some learning to do, but you seem to be doing the right things! If we lived in the area, and weren't nearly exchanging contracts on a place, we'd be round to view like a shot, it's exactly the kind of house we would like (we're in the SE though, so are getting a smaller, more expensive one. oh well!) :)

TheCrackFox · 31/03/2011 13:32

Your kitchen isn't huge but it is not tiny - your EA has actually stood right next to your counters and taken a photo of a dirty window?? Confused

Have you thought about changing EAs? You need one that has the vaguest clue about marketing and a decent camera and floor plans are a must.

Does your house have any orginal features? If so, why has your EA chosen to ignore them?