a friend selling her house - please critique

[CanadianJohn]

A friend, newly widowed, is selling her house without an agent, mostly to avoid approx $20,000 in real estate fees.

Would you mind taking a look and giving some feedback. There is a link to a map on the "contact" page. Please note that it is very unusual to give floor plans, in this part of Canada.

www.12685littleriver.com/

I would retake the photos during the daytime. It makes it look far darker than I presume it really is.

No pictures of the back garden?

It looks like the outside photos were taken in the daytime so why were the inside photos taken late at night? It looks so dark everywhere. I would get the photos redone in daytime.

Stairs carpet looks like it might need replacing, shouldn't cost a lot.

I absolutely hate the armchair and tv set up in the master bedroom but maybe that's OK in Canada?

Two of the bedrooms aren't set up as bedrooms at all. I would dress then as proper bedrooms. Once appears to have two sofas in it?

The kitchen is a little dated but the person who buys it will probably just replace the doors anyway.

It's a lovely house overall, I hope she gets a sale and is able to move on

The photos are awful....even is she wants to save money on real estate fees, she needs to get a decent photographer. I feel awful saying that, but I think it would help.

It's all a bit gloomy - lots of darkish wood with photos taken in the evening/or there's so little natural light in the house that there's a permanent need for side-lights. The laundry room photo should go - makes it look incredibly cramped. Second floor bathroom is lovely. Why is there a sofa in plastic wrapping? Looks really odd. First decking photo reveals close proximity of other houses - I know that can't really be hidden but you don't necessarily need to draw such immediate attention to it - could there be another angle for a photo? And 5 photos of the basement - a strangely high proportion of the total number of photos.

But having said all that, it's a really lovely house :)

Fafoutis, there are pictues of the rear deck from all angles. The back "garden" is just grass and more grass, with a fence all round.

www.12685littleriver.com/

If she's keeping that wrapped sofa, it would look better in master bedroom to define the sitting area for two, not one person.
Retake photos in daylight.
Too many photos of back yard
Lose those purple curtains in bathroom
Suggest she looks at professional photos fo similar properties to, ensure she covers the essentials.

It's a nice house but isn't being presented very well

There's a little person sitting in the basement.

Bloody hell there is too!!

She needs to get herself a proper Sex Bear

I thought that was a headless scarecrow.

I think the pictures need to be re-done, removing the clutter, for example from the bathroom, and those awful purple curtains from the bathroom. Take away the green chair from the master bedroom, and don't have the back of the TV in the photo, or the garden swing blocking the view of the decking, and tidy up the planks around the shed. Little things that could be over looked on a RL viewing, but aren't good in in on-line photos.

The house seems generally un-loved. It's not screaming happy "home", apart from the child's bedroom. But hopefully someone will see it's potential! I can, but not everyone's me.

Wow, I've just looked at some similar properties in the same area....crappy photos seem to be a thing there. Sorry, I may have been a little harsh.

www.point2homes.com/CA/Home-For-Sale/ON/Tecumseh/349-BARRY-/19662410.html Actually, these photos aren't too bad. You get a clear view of the rooms. Probably a wide angled lens or something.

Any photo of a room with curtains or a blind closed screams 'Hiding an eyesore!'

I rent moved a bit, the pics wouldn't put me off, one thing would however the fact the lamps are on in the pictures and taken at night. I'd be thinking what is the house like in the day in natural light. She should take pics in the daylight, and put the main lights on if the rooms look dim rather than lamps, because it will make a buyer think this house lacks natural light.

décor doesn't bother me, people need to look past that. its fairly neutral walls, ive seen houses with loud walls where its hard to envisage how you'd have the house, but this is fine, pretty cosy.

I don't think the photos are horrendous or that theres too many, I prefer lots of pics. But if she has the budget professional photography always makes things look more enhanced so will draw buyers in for a viewing and she wants maximum viewings for a quick sale right? If she doesn't have the budget, then redo photos in daylight.

It's a huge house for the money by UK standards. It's a family house so it needs to look like one.

I agree about the interior photos needing to be taken in daylight and from better angles. It'll look a million times more welcoming. The two bedrooms not set up as bedrooms should be properly and the clutter can be moved to the cellar.

I also think it could do with an injection of life and colour - flowers in the kitchen and the main living room and some nice flowering plants - potted orchids, etc around the place.

The decking is quite barren and could do with some planters to soften it and make it more welcoming. How about putting the barbecue out there in a prominent position (looks like it's squashed into a corner by the white chairs) and setting up a table and chairs?

I would take a picture of the front from the other diagonal, emphasising the front windows. The first / front photo makes it look like a massive garage with a bit of house attached.

That theme goes through all the pics with the wrong thing foregrounded. Like the close up of slightly wonky blind slats in the bathroom, and pics of rather non descript plumbing, rather than getting a vista of the room, and conveying space.

I want to live in Canada!

Thanks for all your comments. This is a low-price area of the country; that house would cost twice as much in a big city, and four times as much in Toronto or Vancouver.

Photographs on English sites such as Rightmove are much better than Canadian real estate pix. I don't think Canadians have quite got the hang of these new-fangled "camera" thingies.

The deck is bare, of course; usually in February it would be covered with snow. We are having a very mild winter, but it still goes down to -10º some nights, so planters, etc, are out of the question. People store most of their "deck furniture" during the winter.

People looking at a house have to use their imagination to appreciate how the deck would look in summer, and how rooms would look with their own furniture. Fortunately, in this part of the country, prices are so low that people can buy enough space for their needs.

I think people are put off by poor presentation though. They may not have much imagination. They need to see the house as it should be utilised. If some furniture is not really required and is in wraps, can it be stored? Definitely daylight photos and no closed blinds or drapes.

Have a look at the photos used by up-market real estate agents here. For example, Savills, Knight Frank, Hamptons, Humberts, and you will get an idea of how to photo a room to best effect. It is not necessary to have lots and lots of photos, or even every room, but good light photos highlighting space and appropriate use of rooms is good. Avoid photos showing plumbing and clutter and the fact it is close to other properties. Don't worry about the decking. You cannot hide the garage. Good luck.