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Critique my MLS listing please
Synopsis:
Our house is in a rural, secluded golf community and is a one level villa-style French Country home with a full basement that is only partially below grade, so it gets good daylight and adds an additional 1700 sq ft of custom finished space (gym staged w/equipment, walk in wine closet, hardwood-look tile, subway tile in the bath, granite on the bar w/Thomasville cabinets, etc.). Total square footage of 3600+.
We have been listed 9.5 months. This area has very low activity in the market right now. In the meantime, 2 additional homes on our same street have come on the market, but they are of varying sizes and upgrades. Ours is low priced considering the nearby one for $445K doesn't have a finished basement or walkout, and has a house backing right up to it, whereas we have no one behind or in front of us - and never will. A recent comp showed up at $460K and it had only a minimal amt more of square footage and was a very similar layout, but with a lot less updates.
Our agent for the past 3.5 months is stellar, definitely a mover and shaker around this region, with advertising in all the seemingly right places. We just need that special someone to walk through. It's been about 1-2 showings/month on average.
Our belief is there's always room for improvement, so please send any comments my way, keeping in mind that our home should be targeted to retirees because they are the primary buyers here (one of the many reasons we're moving!).
http://www.trulia.com/property/3033443193-14-Garrison-Falls-Dr-Gettysburg-PA-17325
Thanks!
Re: Critique my MLS listing please
"active adult home" - makes it sound like you're in a retirement community which might turn off some buyers, but if that's your market, work it. If you are targeting older adults, I'd get rid of the picture of the back with the stairs. If I was looking for a retirement home, I might see that and think it's a fall risk/too many stairs. I'd also change the picture of the bar downstairs that has the stairs in the background. I wouldn't want someone to see the stairs in the pictures and cross it off the list. The deck isn't too high for me, but for someone older who is avoiding stairs, you may want a picture that makes it look more level with the ground.
Also, someone with kids may think those outside stairs are too steep, I'd really consider getting rid of that pic.
I love your house, and you can tell it's lovely in the pictures. However, I think that's b/c the house is great, not b/c the pictures are that great. I would replace the picture that's taken looking back at the house from the backyard, it's the only picture that I really look at and think, eh, nothing special.
The spare bedroom is a little plain compared to the rest of the house.
I think it's a great house.
Gorgeous home!!! I do think the pictures of the bedrooms make the bedrooms appear tiny. That picture with the black 4 poster bed shows none of the room--just the bed and side tables. I want to see the room. Also, I don't really get the point of the outdoor picture of the stairs leading down to the door.
I agree with pp about the "active adult home" = old people.
I would definitely get new pictures taken and look at them before they go online. The pictures are a bit all over the place and I would take the best 10-12 and put those online. I would have just one front and one back photo.
Some areas make your home look small, like the living room photos and the bedroom photos. Then you have other photos where the house looks too big and you don't have furniture for the space, I'm thinking these are maybe the basement photos?
Also, I probably would move the workout equipment to an area that's closed off, the area it's in now look more like an open office setup with the columns.
You may want to paint the kitchen, it's a lovely color, but the green may turn some people off and the kitchen is not the easiest room to repaint. I would also look into adding a backsplash as that is something a buyer will be looking for in that price point.
Wives Unscripted
First off, gorgeous home! I really think new pictures are the biggest key here, like everyone else said. From the picture, it looks like your master bedroom is tiny, but I'm sure if they took it from another angle (from the corner of the room), it would make it look as big as it probably is.
I think your verbiage should be changed. "Active adult home" should go. Can you talk up some of the things the people can't see from the pictures? I can see SS appliances - but I can't see any....fireplaces, double vanity, etc.
Good luck!
You need better photos. The ones you have now don't give a sense of your home's layout (although your virutal tour addresses this somewhat) and I feel like I'm only seeing bits and pieces of the house. I particularly dislike the bedroom photos, but all of the rooms were photographed in a way that makes them look less spacious than I'm sure they actually are. The last 3 pics are just unnecessary. I think it would be better to have one of the back of the house and one that shows the yard. You can also do with just one shot of the front of the house.
I think the biggest issue with the presentation of the house, is that the basement is under utilized. Not many people want a house this size to begin with, so it's really important to make every space look usable. I would set up what is currently the exercise room as an office and move the exercise equipment to the area where you currently have a desk. I would also bring in a sofa and a couple of chairs to showcase the basement as a true entertainment space.
Finally, you need a listing description that describes important selling features that buyers can't see in photos. For example, do you have walk-in closets in every bedroom, or a double vanity in any of the bathrooms? Are the appliances included? Do you have a subdivision pool? Also, what does "maintanence free" living really mean? Does your HOA take care of mowing the lawn? I think it's also important to mention things that you are close to, like restaurants, shops, parks and if you have good highway access.
I agree with everything that has been said.
"Active adult community" = retirement community to me. Your house is definitely suitable for a family, but buyers with young kids might think it's not a family friendly area.
Some of the photos aren't necessary. Why are there so many photos of the bar area (4), especially when the rest of the room has no furniture? Just the first one would do.
The exercise area also looks a little weird, like that's not what the space was meant for.
The dining room looks like it's a nice big room, but it also looks kind of bland and empty. A pop of color with the drapes might help, the current ones blend into the wall. The table is kind of small for the space, it's dwarfed by the huge rug. Are there leaves you can put in the table to make it bigger? I think buyers looking for this kind of house might host family holiday dinners with lots of people ... let them picture big dinner parties in there, not just dinner for 6 a couple of guests.
There's a lot of heavy, dark furniture in the living room - the sectional, the armoire, the chair, the tables ... all are dark. Maybe remove the glider/rocker in the corner to open things up a bit?
As others have said, the bedroom with the 4-poster bed looks tiny in the photo because you see only the bed and night stands, but it probably isn't really a tiny bedroom.
I don't have a problem with any of the paint colors, they're all neutral enough, they aren't bold enough to put off buyers. I know someone mentioned repainting the kitchen but I don't think that's necessary.
Mr. Sammy Dog
I have to agree with the other posters about it being an absoulutely beautiful home!
What I was looking for in the pictures were more shots of the rooms from "farther back". The picture with the four poster bed seemed as if it was just a picture of the furniture, rather than of the room. I was also curious to see what the yard looked like. I couldn't find any photos of the back yard. I personally like seeing photos laid out in order, just as the foyer, to the sitting room, to the kitchen and ending with the back yard or basement.