I think the house Janice is looking at is staged with a bare minimum of furniture to show scale.

No, yours does not look cheesy.

Oh your house shows beautifully in the pics. I love your mirrored cabs. I hope the market is kind to you and your lovely home sells quickly and at its value!

Does not look cheesy at all. Looks fantastic. Not that you asked, but I would get better pics. Some are out of focus.

No, I think it looks great. And not in a fake, stagey way. Super job.

You didn't ask, but the thing I might be worried about is listing at only 2% over what you want. Is a 2% discount to the selling price common in your market? If it is, fine. But it sounds like very little room to me.

Good luck in any event!

The link doesn't work for me but just wanted to give my 2 cents.

Being THO (totally house obsessed) I like looking at listings in my area. It makes me crazy to see blurry or bad photos. Also sometimes the info on the house is wrong. Read over your listing and make sure its correct and sounds inviting.

One person will love your decor (kitchen, whatever) the next will hate it. Don't take it personally.

I feel like too much of an expert in this regard these days after obsessively poring over real estate photos for the past several months. I will honestly say that I would or would not want to see a house based on what I saw in the photos, especially when there was more inventory. If you have several houses that are for sale in your area, the pics become even more important. Sometimes I was pleasantly surprised at the quality vs the photos (and said I wasn't even planning on looking based on the photos), sometimes disappointed because the pics were distorted. So let me give some honest feedback coming through the eyes of the potential buyer. If this is way more feedback than you wanted, please ignore.

Your house is lovely, really quite beautiful! I would recommend better photos.
1: The house with the gate...awesome!
3: Gorgeous yard but pic a bit blurry
4: I love that you provided the floorplan, when I was looking I would just try to piece it out from the photos so this takes out the guesswork. Maybe it will turn off a couple of potential buyers right off the bat if they don't like it, but personally, I think it will save you the trouble of being out of the house for showings if it is the floorplan that they have issues with
5. Pretty walkway and landscaping
6. Highlights the architecture but a bit blurry and dark (and it looks like a house that gets plenty of sunlight) so I would reshoot.
7, 8, 9: I am not quite sure what you are highlighting here with the detail shots, but I try to get a wide shot or two of your lovely kitchen
10: Nice room, furniture looks great, plenty of space...but again looks blurry and dark. Like the perspective of the shot though.
11, 12: Blurry, and I can see that this is a large room based on the reflection in the window, can you get a different angle to highlight that?
13: Blurry and dark
14-16: Great
17: Blurry and doesn't look like it shows the entire yard?
18-19: Nice room
20: Can you get a longshot of room including the windows to highlight the architecture? It looks lovely
21-23: Again, they just look a bit dark.

So overview, house is gorgeous, I want you to shop Craigs List for me, pics could be improved!

No cheese for you my friend. That's a good looking home.

I think your home is lovely, and decorated very nicely.

I also agree that sharper photos might make it look more polished.

The only decorating suggestion I have is to "tighten up" the bedding/bed making. In most of the photos I have seen on listings, the beds look like no one ever sleeps in them. I know that rationally that is silly, but I think it helps buyers imagine themselves in the house more easily.

You have done a great job.

i'm so disappointed. i was all excited hoping to see a really cheesy house ...but it's NOT!

Hi all thank you so much on the pictures feedback good and bad. I like constructive criticism. I have to admit that I took the pictures and I know IâÂÂm not a good picture taker (husband agrees). WhatâÂÂs pathetic is that I actually dragged every light in the house around with me when I took the pictures and they still bite. I have been thinking of getting some professional shots but I have no idea how to find someone good and if I do how much I should pay. Unfortunately the majority of reality shots around here are not better than mine so I have no one to ask in Realtor world. Heck, we have some laziness around these parts; you wouldnâÂÂt believe the real-estate pictures where people are not asked to remove their junk (and I mean junk) off their countertops before the picture. I do have some connections with one of the art centers so perhaps IâÂÂll start there.

Hi Mtn, ItâÂÂs a bit tricky in my area on how to price. I did talk to several agents to get the pricing right though. My neighborhood is in a transitional phase. Back in the 70âÂÂs I95 didnâÂÂt even go this far, the land in Palm Beach Gardens was cheap then because nothing was here. In fact there was only one recorded resident in 1960 and he was a squatter. In my neighborhood the early residents (1970âÂÂs) were horse lovers/owners and nature lovers and built wood frame structure homes. This was before it cost a fortune to insure Florida wood frames. Fast forward, during the real estate boom those wood frames were affordable to some and at the same time some big lovely slightly over a million dollar homes were being built as well as many in the 500,000 and up. Shortly after, sidewalks, paved roads and city water went through (paved roads are still in the works). The surrounding area in Palm Beach Gardens went wild with a new downtown area, plazas, a zillion trendy restaurants, Scripps research center, an honors University, new country club and golf and country club communities. Fast forward againâ¦BUST! The investors are buying up the old 70âÂÂs homes in my neighborhood for land value when the people that could barely squeeze in here lost their property to foreclosure. The wood frames do appraise differently but all in all itâÂÂs not a good reflection. Hence the price and⦠hence not pricing too high to scare people off. ItâÂÂs very deceiving around here, all the trendy restaurants are packed, there is lots of moneyâ¦yet there is still that little bust thing going on. If I do not get any good offers I will stay. My husband wants to down size to a smaller house and a smaller piece of land. Me, I LOVE it here, the neighborhood is unique in that it is the only place this close to the ocean and amenities where your house is on at least an acre .4 and not a little postage stamp lawn like the new builds. It will all be worth some bucks in the future. However, husband thinks we should prepare for old age and...

JT,

I have no idea about pricing, I was just commenting on where to list vs where to sell.

For cheap but decent photography, call a local universoty's photography dept and ask them to recommend a student. I've done that for lesser events and parties and been very happy!

Furnishings do not look cheesy at all. However, as I look at the pics, I'm just not seeing the ROOMS, I'm seeing the decor. The rooms appear small since you're focusing on a furnishing as the detail.

The family room pic is great, but I can't get a good perspective of the dining room-I'd shoot the pic toward the window-it looks enticing, and I want to see more.

Don't understand the photo of the sink (beautiful granite) and the angle on the kitchen makes it look cramped. Ditto the gray bedroom area. Don't need a full shower or vanity shot, how about an overall on how they relate to one another.

Get a tripod, too-that will help. Your home is lovely, tho!

Your house looks lovely - around here it would sell for 5x that price! I do support the recommendation of getting pro photos, though.

We spent a year looking for a house in Florida and bought on the West Coast.
Your house does not have a pool, is wood framed and 2 story. At least in this area, most people want pools. We did not look at houses which were wood framed and 2-stories because insurance costs were high and difficult to get coverage.
I don't know if there is a difference between coasts, but houses without pools, wood framed and 2-story were not desirable and were priced lower.

Jane

I think some one else mentioned the bed linens so I don't think I'm being obsessive. Think about how the bed looks in a nice hotel room. Sheets and pillow cases look pressed. That's the look you want.

Also, I would advice you edit your initial post indicating what you're willing to take for the house. You never want to show your hand when you anticipate negotiating a price. When I worked as a RE agent I always told my clients to tell no one what they were willing to take for the house--not even me.

It's a lovely home.

I'm confused about the photos. Why would you have to take them? Your agent should do that. If thet can't take good photos then they need to hire a pro not you. You are paying them enough money.

Great home! Just research a good photographer (try using Angie's List) as it will make ALL the difference! It would be worth the money a million times over.

Good luck!!!!

Hi Jane, no my house is not a wood frame or two story, its cement block filled with concrete and a roof with strap tie downs that are cemented into the blocks interior as well as bolted in. I would never buy a wood frame down here. In my earlier post I was referencing the original wood frames the investors are buying cheap for land value. For my next house I want a pool. However, only 50% of people looking to buy a home want a pool. You only get up to an additional 12,000 on the appraisal for a pool no matter how fancy and just a couple of grand if anything if it has big fancy screening. You lose money putting in a pool. It did not used to be that way though. There is one house in the neighborhood up for 1m, I know they have close to $150,000 into the pool areaâ¦they got a total of $15,000 on appraisal toward the pool area.

Rrah, point taken! But really it does not matter to me about playing the numbers game. Bank appraisers are very tough here in Florida at the momment. ItâÂÂs all about the appraisal value, not what I want to get out of the house. Human nature will prevail and people will not pay over that. I know my appraisal value.

Dbrak, I did a flat fee listing to get on MLS. My house is basically for sale by owner but there is a 2.5% commission to licensed realtors. So far that is working out. However, the pictures were up to me and that is one area IâÂÂm not particularly good at.

To all, Yes, a professional photographer is needed!!! I will start looking today.

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Wed, Feb 27, 13 at 9:18

Can you host a broker's open? Invite all the realtors in the area? Make up a nice packet of marketing materials with photos, etc. and drop them off at offices along with the invitation? The brokers seem to love lunch, so that's always an idea.

The only comforting words we got from an agent (who had nothing to do with real estate in our area) when we were selling our last house (77 showings :o) was this:

"There's a seat for every a$$"

Funny how that made me feel better. And guess what? Finally the right buyer who didn't care that the home was only a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath home came along. Someone will come along soon.

Your house is very lovely. Not cheesy. The new photos will really make a huge difference. And after you get them, then I really would suggest the broker's open.

Good Luck!
Bee

PS--my DD1 is in West Palm right now. She's a golf pro. Need a lesson? ;)

Thanks Beekeeper! I do a little marketing each day with sending my zillow ad to Realtors who service the Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens area and have been thinking of an open house as well.

I'm not in the market for golf lessons myself but your daughter might want to connect with those involved in the Club Managers Ass for the area. I know private lessons within an upscale golf and country club community fetch some $$$$. However, this is not a good time of year for that as many of the residents will be going to their other homes up north for the summer.

I used to live in West Palm Beach back in my wild young adult age, itâÂÂs only about 20 minutes south of me, or less depending.

I echo what everyone has said about the pictures. Less decor, more "space." It's a nice house and I think with improved pictures it will show quite a bit better online.

And Bee is also right about the broker's open house. They love free food and they have the clients you want to see. Just be clear that their interests are protected.

Great advice here. This is such a good example of why the posters who say "if you cant's say something nice, say nothing at all', are all wet.

I looked at the photos, and really just used them to get a sense of the house and your interior question. I did notice the beds looked a tad messy (read --- they did not look like a magazine), that some photos were fuzzy and that some photos seemed to emphasize the wrong thing.

But I did not say any of that.

The people who took the time to notice that and to write about it, are really doing something so helpful to the OP! She has a lovely home that she has done an amazing job on. Now, we can focus on getting the best photos to convey them.

A perfect example of why GW feedback, even if it has a tiny bit of criticism, is far kinder then a dismissive "oh, that looks nice".

Good luck with the sale (although it sounds like you want to stay!) and don't be disheartened. If Bee's house took 77 showings, we know it's a crazy world out there, LOL

Thanks Mn, and I so agree!

Two things.

To take good photos of rooms, you need strong daylight, or lighting that approximates it.

You need to stand back as far as you possibly can to show as much of the room as you can, and you need to squat down a bit so that you are shooting from below eye level. That will give you the most spacious effect for the room, and the most balanced view of its contents. (And, yes, tighten up the bedmaking.)

The second thing is not what you asked, nor is it my affair, but I strongly suggest that you consider engaging a good broker. If you have experience, and have thought this through, I apologize, but you sound like someone who can do many things yourself. This may not be a good place to do that.

Homeowners take terrible risks when they have no means of prequalifying or investigating buyers. There are many stories of people who discovered too late that the people they contracted with can't actually pay for the house, or that there are contingencies in the offer or protections that should be in their contracts and aren't, and they find themselves holding a very expensive bag.

Experienced brokers know that dealing with someone who is listing themselves is more difficult, and will often not take their buyers to those houses unless the buyer asks specifically.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse with the picture point, but, in addition to agreeing that you should get professional pictures taken, if you're not going with a RE pro, I would suggest that you spend a lot of time looking at professional RE listings and where and how the photographers set up their shots. It seems kind of weird sometimes (and can result in funny angles), but there seems to be an art to taking full shots of rooms.

Also, as a potential buyer, I would be super grateful for a floorplan (I still refer to the one the POs had done professionally for my current house), but if you have the time and the inclination, it may be worth learning how to put together a more professional looking one. I actually haven't done this and do the old grid paper thing myself, so hopefully others will chime in -- but I think Sketch-Up is popular. I'd also strongly consider adding room dimensions to the floorplan itself.

In case you're interested, this is the company that all of the big RE firms use for photos in my area (they did the floorplan in my current house, too): http://www.vht.com/index.aspx.
[I don't know what the prices are or what areas they serve or what they're like to work with as a layperson. I was just around when a guy came in and took photos, ha ha.]

Finally, I wanted to end by reiterating that your house is really lovely and very well done. I don't think it looks cheap or cheesy at all. I do "prejudge" $800k houses with just a few Ikea pieces, but it really stems from a concern that people got in over their heads and didn't keep up with general maintenance. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't care for any of the furniture in the house I bought, but loved the super detailed maintenance records! :)

Good luck!!

Hi, Bronwyn and Stella (love that name). I have sold my other homes myself but think it more likely that as I am somewhat out in the country without drive-bys that a realtor will sell it. I shouldnâÂÂt say I get no drive-bys, I do get some due to the fact that IâÂÂm in an A rated school district but its not as much. My plan is to keep things as they are with the flatfee for three months and if I have no good offers IâÂÂm going to take it off the market until this summer after the new paved road goes through and the nice new house is started across the street. I am then going to list with an agency. Back in the day houses on the paved roads went for an average of 10 grand more. IâÂÂm going to up my price by 5 grand when or if I list after the 3 months. Realtors in my area used to get 6% but when the BUST came they started doing listings for 4%, if another agency sells their listing itâÂÂs a split 2-2 %. So far my 2.5% has worked well with realtors showing my home as it is more than the split fee. We have a lot of starving Realtors around here and a handful have copied my craigslist ad and my zillow ad as their own listing and are advertizing it. Fine with me as IâÂÂm getting lots of coverage!
Yes, I do think my floor plan could use some improvement! (Thank you)

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Wed, Feb 27, 13 at 14:10

Your home doesn't look cheesy, it does look well kept, and loved. I think it shows well, someone can imagine living there with there own things which is what you want. Good luck with the sale!

Sounds like you do know what you are doing - I'm glad, and hope you didn't mind my meddling.

And I agree that your house is great - so with better photos and a cleaner floor plan, I think you'll be there.

Your house is beautiful. Don't second guess yourself!

I agree with everyone to get better photos.

I can't tell you how many times I've looked at the online listing of the house we are considering -- I think I've stared at them for hours. :-)

You all have helped shirk my paranoia lol. While I have seen perfectly nice houses sit on the market forever due to potential buyers not being able to see past the eighties décor I wasnâÂÂt 100% sure on my Eclectica Craigslista Decora. I do not live in an area where people are generally very imaginative or creative.

About my less than perfect bedsâ¦the true me is showing through. My house is spotless but if not for my husband liking a made bed I would mostly have an unmade one. I can not sleep in a bed with sheets tucked in, cannot have my body confined (especially my feet). My husband is an early riser which is great because I can mound all the covers up in the middle and dive in across the bed so the top of my head is facing the window. *Bliss* What you see in the pictures is my idea of actually making the beds.
Ok, ok I need a little work in that area hehe.

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Wed, Feb 27, 13 at 18:20

And you thought my photoâÂÂs were bad ( no excuse I know)! This is not uncommon around here. Why oh why do Realtors not suggest to their clients to clean off the kitchen counters before a photo shot??? This house is located in a little HOA development six miles south of me, prices range $375,000 to $750,000 on small zero lot lines.

Well, if this is your competition, I think you are homefree!!! Go ahead and start packing your boxes today!

And the subject of your photos was phenomenal, it is just the actual camera work that needed improvement! I wanted to comment on some of the pictures taken which appeared dark. My camera has some sort of auto shade thing whenever there is bright light (ironic that when it is too bright, the photos look dreary) so maybe that is what you were experiencing. I have never taken the time to figure out how to turn that function off or to work around it, but maybe you will have more luck than me.

I love bad listings! There used to be a blog I sometimes read devoted to them, but it appears to have shut down. I did find this, though: http://hookedonhouses.net/bad-mls-photos/

When I sold, my place was totally staged; IRL my idea of making the bed is throwing the duvet over it, my closets are unorganized and I can't keep flowers alive to save my life. :)

That is horrid.

That is horrid.

No, your home does not look cheesy. It is lovely, I just agree that you need some better photos.

Kellie, thanks for the info on the auto shade thing! Maybe that was the problem as I did drag a bunch of lights around with me. I looked on the camera though and see no such thing but that does not mean itâÂÂs not there.

Anyway once I get my photos sorted out I think my ad will be pretty good. I added this video of Palm Beach Gardens and heck, I want to buy my house and live here lol. Husband wanted me to think about moving south closer to his work as he has a 40 minute drive but IâÂÂm not budging on that. ItâÂÂs too congested and has a higher rate of crime south although there are pockets were you get a lot more for your money. So, IâÂÂll agree to the smaller house and tiny yard as long as IâÂÂm in P.B.GâÂÂs but closer to the beach, which means we will end up paying about as much as this house just to shave off six minutes to the ocean. Silly! However, IâÂÂm still happily married due to workable compromises. And, IâÂÂm ready to do a different sort of remodel/style.

Here is a link that might be useful: Area

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Sat, Mar 2, 13 at 12:19