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Original poster

Please critique my property that's for sale - how would you improve marketing?

41 replies

FreckledLeopard · 26/03/2013 09:34

So, the house went on the market on Saturday. No enquiries yet. A floorplan is in the process of being added to the advert.

Could you please give me honest feedback - how can I improve its chances? Also, we don't live there, it's currently rented out, so the photos are from the period before the tenants moved in. Agent says it's possible to go back and get further photos (with furniture etc).

So, any more ideas please?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-26404206.html

OP posts:

LIZS · 26/03/2013 09:36

I would have furniture in pictures to help identify which room is which and not start with bathroom - which pic is the lounge (if any)

Jaynebxl · 26/03/2013 09:36

Ask the agent to put a floor plan in. I think that makes a big difference.

MerryMingeWhingesAgain · 26/03/2013 09:39

I know little about buying and selling houses. But it looks kind of cold to me. The kitchen looks nice. The cords from the blinds look like cracks under the windows on the photos. and the wires from the plug sockets in the last pic would bother me. Are there pics of just one bedroom or both? I would try to get furnished pics if you can, at the moment it wouldn't make me want to view it TBH.

Original poster

FreckledLeopard · 26/03/2013 09:41

Thank you! Keep the comments coming!

OP posts:

hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman · 26/03/2013 09:43

The photos aren't great, they give no idea of the size of the rooms as the photographer seems intent on capturing the corers of rooms, I'd definitely get them to redo them.

AliceWChild · 26/03/2013 09:43

Definitely floor plan. I've tried to look through the details and really can't get a feel for it. No idea which room is which, the layout, size etc. The pictures don't tell me anything either. And then the details has a summary with no measurements, with measurements not appearing till I'd nearly given up. Then the description is poorly structured still leaving me none the wiser.

So I'd say floor plan, photos with things in that tell me which room is which.

hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman · 26/03/2013 09:43

'corners' not 'corers'.

CheeseStrawWars · 26/03/2013 09:44

The floor plan would help. The photos make the rooms look really small, like the photographer could barely get in there to take the shot. Pics 2, 3, 5 and 6 especially. Photo 6, is that supposed to be a room that fits a double bed in? It looks tiny. And usually estate agent photos make the rooms look bigger than they are...

7to25 · 26/03/2013 09:48

Stage each room with the minimum of furniture to identify the room ( and cover surface fixed electrical wires)
In what I presume s the living room, change the light shades for white/ivory drum shades, lose the curtains and pellet and replace with a pole and long ivory drapes, from IKEA. Get rid of any artificial flowers
Hang a large mirror in this room,

Hattifattner · 26/03/2013 09:49

You have attractive neutral decor and horrible patterned curtains....lose the curtains, but something neutral and modern up.

SOme furniture would give a sense of scale to the rooms...right now its hard to see how big they are.

Original poster

FreckledLeopard · 26/03/2013 09:50

Will try and replace curtains..... and not tell my mother her curtain taste is horrible

Hopefully if we can get photos with furniture in, that will help

OP posts:

MandragoraWurzelstock · 26/03/2013 09:50

Pic 3 needs the mirror taking down, and the lighting makes it look a bit dingy throughout - sorry! Bathroom and kitchen VG, you want a nicely made up bed in the space between wardrobes, and last pic deffo needs different lighting and possibly curtains.

What have the tenants done - does it look nice with their stuff in it?

MrsJamin · 26/03/2013 09:50

The photographer should have been using a fish-eye or wideangle lense, the photos are too close up and don't get enough of the room in. They need furniture in to give a clue to the function of the room and also to perceive the size accurately. Particularly photo 7 is not great - I would open the windows as wide as possible as it looks a bit dingy. Hope this helps and good luck - I think with a bit of dressing and better photos you should be able to sell?

Original poster

FreckledLeopard · 26/03/2013 09:52

I have no idea what tenants' furniture is like. Haven't been to the property for a year or so. Hoping to go next week....

God, this house-selling business is stressful!

OP posts:

Cambam2010 · 26/03/2013 09:57

This is a picky comment, but I would remove the curtains and lamp shades in the lounge as they are too busy and distract.

Is the space between the fitted wardrobes in bed 2 for a single bed or will a double fit? The room will take a double but if the fitted wardrobes are restricting that then I would consider adjusting the layout to fit a double bed in.

GemmaTeller · 26/03/2013 09:59

Rooms look small and overall it looks a bit boring.

Is it the one over the three garage doors? cos that would put me off right away

Original poster

FreckledLeopard · 26/03/2013 10:03

The fitted wardrobes were designed for a dressing table to go in the space, and the double bed to go parallel to the wardrobes.

Flat is the one above the parked cars, not above the garages.

OP posts:

Cambam2010 · 26/03/2013 10:04

It is not clear if it is the one over the 3 garages or over the car port. Is the garage picture just to show that it comes with a garage.

The first picture needs to make it clear which property it is.

orangepudding · 26/03/2013 10:06

Agree with needing a floor plan. Also odd pictures as they just show a tiny part of each room.

twolittlemonkeys · 26/03/2013 10:07

I was going to say the photographer needs to use a wide angle lens. I'm no expert but pretty sure I could have taken better pictures of the rooms than those! I agree that furniture helps to identify rooms - apparently for viewings people find it easier to envisage living there if the bedroom has a bed in it, for example. Can you do something about lighting as the pictures look quite dark, making the rooms seem poky?

sweetkitty · 26/03/2013 10:09

Kitchen and bathroom are nice. Other rooms need furniture and I really don't like the curtains in the last photo.

lalalonglegs · 26/03/2013 10:19

I got absolutely no sense of the house - I would use another agent because this one is obviously a fool if he thinks he can stick some photos that don't show you anything about the property other than that it has floors and walls, not bother with a floor plan and expect to get lots of enquiries. Sadly, it will have pinged into the inbox of anyone looking in that area and price range and I don't think they will bother to follow it up because they can't understand what it is that's for sale - you've missed your prime marketing window. Definitely rethink the way it is presented and start again.

purplewithred · 26/03/2013 10:23

TBH I'd take it down until you have better photos and a floor plan. At the moment it looks tiny and confusing, and anyone who looks now and rejects it may not come back and look again when you've improved the listing.

specialsubject · 26/03/2013 10:32

agree with others, plus:

parking - don't care what Salisbury council allows, where's the parking for this flat?
measuring bedrooms into wardrobe - don't want to sleep in the wardrobe! How big is the room?

any outside space? Quiet location? Any reasonable views?

freehold is now 105 years, but I had to work that out. Why not just state it?

and yes, you may wish to change those curtains. :-)

annh · 26/03/2013 10:45

Everyone has already made good comments, agree that the details are very confusing and your agent has managed to make what might be a good-sized flat look like a couple of connected cupboards. The bathroom photo needs re-doing because the first thing I thought when I looked was - why are they not showing the actual bath and toilet, are they miniature-sized like the rest of the flat appears to be?

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