I definitely want to see an exterior shot of a home I'm considering. Your home doesn't look like it's 3000 square feet from the exterior shots and you need to have that indicated on the listing -- something like **Must see** inside, 3000 square feet!! I have looked at homes that look small on the outside only because the square footage was indicated and I wanted to see how all that space was tucked away.

If you don't show an outside shot on the MLS you're going to get people show up that are looking for that 3000 sq ft traditional colonial and will be disappointed in the home from the minute they see it. Your home is what it is, people will either like it or not, so don't try to hide what it is.

As far as critiquing your shots, I'm not fond of the rugs in the kitchen or living room. The one in the living room in particular fights with the drapes and the couch. The one in the kitchen brings the kitchen down, the kitchen is beautiful and updated and the rug is like your grandmas rug, it needs to be updated to something contemporary for the contemporary room.

To be blunt, if I saw an exterior photo of your house I would pass on it because of bad experience with flat roofs. If I found myself having to sell a flat roofed house, perhaps for a family member's estate, I would not include an exterior photo. Instead, I'd want the most flattering shots of the home's best interior features in hopes of wowing a potential buyer. The description would indeed mention the house's style, so that people wouldn't expect colonial (if they took the time to read) but would emphasize the recently updated interior and move-in ready condition. BTW, if your roof is new &/or has special features to help handle snow (both the load & melting snow/rain), you might want to mention that in a lengthier description on info sheets kept at the house (both in an info box by your sale sign & inside on the dining room table or kitchen counter.)

Your living room looks lovely. Is that a fireplace to the left? If so, I'd feature that in the sales photo. If you want to use a shot like this one also, I'd move the car (sorry - that's picky, I know, but it caught my eye.) In your kitchen, I'd suggest removing everything from the counters and then put back only the one or two items that you absolutely must have out. I assume that the photo to be used in the ad will be taken in the daytime. I would skip the foyer photo. It's not bad, but I'd rather see the master bedroom, master bathroom, dining room, and any outdoor living area.

Good luck!

The most difficult part of selling your home will be getting people inside the door for the reasons mentioned above.

Living Room  Roll up rug and show off those floors! Put away the pictures on the shelves and tidy it up a bit. Close your hutch hatch. I'd probably put away most of the items in the hutch and only leave a few. The less to distractions for people, the better. Make certain your fireplace is in the shot. Have that clean and the area decluttered too.

Kitchen- Roll up the rugs and clean off the counter tops near the sink.

I can understand why people are suggesting you not include a photo of the exterior. However, how ticked off are you going to be when an appointment is set, you have cleaned the house to perfection and scrambled to get out, only to have the buyers drive up, take a look and not even bother to get out of the car? Not having a photo of the exterior is a huge red flag.

Rug in the living room is fine - everyone can see the hardwood floors, and the room will look bare without it. I'm not sure what is being shown off in the hallway/stairs photo. I would want to see master bedroom and master bath photos.

I have a feeling that your kitchen pic isn't doing the room justice. The potlight array reflected in the window above the sink leads me to believe the room is bigger than the picture shows.

It might be worth investing in a wide angle lens or having a semi-professional photographer come in.

I like the exterior shot - very cool looking house! So maybe at least a few people in MA have my taste ;)

I don't mind the rug in the living room, but the one in the kitchen should go. It makes the kitchen look smaller, IMO, and hides that gorgeous tile. (Is that a Tapmaster I see??) I would remove some, but not all of the counter items. You want to make it look like someone actually lives there, right? I would leave the mixer, scale, and salt/pepper mills. Remove the toaster (?) next to the coffee maker, and move the coffee maker a bit to cover the outlet.

I love the red/orange peppermill. Consider a few more subtle shots of that color. Maybe a reddish framed picture on the wall in the corner where the mixer is, and something to the left of the coffemaker, like a small bowl. (or is that peppermill really brown, and just appears red in the pic? Whatever...I like it!)

The foyer shot doesn't do much for me. Could you get the curtain out of the photo, then get a different angle, like from where the plant was, so you can include the built in next to the stairs? Then get rid of the books and put some cool tschotchke there. A colorful vase, interesting statue, etc. If needed, you can get some inexpensive stuff from Crate & Barrel, Pier 1, Z Gallerie. Small hits of color that draw people's eyes.

I'd definitely want to see the dining room, bedrooms and bathrooms.

I would always include a photo of you home in your listing. Always. It will instantly weed out people who have no interest (for whatever reasons), and get the attention of people who like your house for what it is.

Personally, I think the house is charming. If I came across your listing but no photo, I would have moved right along.

If you are concerned that the main photo doesn't convey the spaciousness of the home, try to get a 3/4 angle as well. That way you can capture more of the depth of the house. Also, go ahead and say in the description that the house is much larger than it appears from the street. When they see the square footage, they'll believe you.

The only photo that I might subtract is the one of the stairwell, because it looks a little dark. Could you get a good shot of one of the rooms showing the stairs in the background?

Quoting myself, "I can understand why people are suggesting you not include a photo of the exterior."

I didn't mean that to sound as if your house was unattractive. I personally like it, but I realize that many people want cookie cutter safe houses.

My DH and I are in the process of buying a home. We're in the final stages (almost to closing), but while we were looking we saw a few homes without exterior shots. We immediately closed those listings, without a second thought. I would leave the exterior photo.

I also like your house and think it is cool. I'm sure you'll find buyers who also like your house. Especially if many of the houses in your area tend to be similar. There are always those of us who appreciate something different.

Good luck!

Include the photo. People will wonder if it is a teardown if you don't. I like your house, but you will probably sell it by having an agent strongly persuade someone to see it who is on the fence. Definitely put the sf right in the first sentence.
jo

Your house is definitely "different" for MA, but I wouldn't exclude an exterior shot on the listing--that's a huge red flag for most buyers.

As far as the interior shots, if you want to include one of the living room window looking out, either move the car or take the shot when it isn't visible. I think I might like to see a pic of the fireplace instead, though. Remove ALL the clutter on the kitchen counters--yes, someone lives there but for the MLS pics it should looks as perfect as possible. I would also take up the kitchen rugs for the listing photos. What is over the sink? A window or some kind of mirror? The reflections in it are very distracting. Maybe shoot the kitchen from a different angle?

If you have a home that for whatever reason is difficult to photograph well, consider bringing in a professional photographer who specilizes in wide angle interior shots. Our Realtor did, for the house we just sold and it made a HUGE difference. The house was vacant and we wanted to make sure the rooms were shown off to their best advantage. The results were really stunning.

Good Luck with your listing!

I would definitely include the exterior picture. There's no way I'd go look at a house without seeing the exterior first. Your house will appeal to some folks because it is NOT typical cape or colonial.

Have to agree with a few others about the kitchen clutter.

Good luck!

Yes, post the exterior with a banner stating "3000 Sq. Ft. Interior" or similar.

I'd prefer a LR shot showing more fireplace, too. (Lose the car.) Do you have a smaller rug you could use in the LR -- would make it look larger. (Actually, I'd probably get the large sofa out of sight, too.)

Does your Kitchen get sun? I love a sunny kitchen. This night-time shot seems odd. Remove the rugs to show the nice tile floor. (Makes me wonder about broken tiles being covered up.)

Stairway shot tells me nothing.

What other rooms will you feature? People usually want to see at least master BR and bath.

I think it really depends on where you are in the price range and amenities for your neighborhood. I personally would pass up your house if I saw the picture (I live in a brick colonial if that tells you anything about my taste). I have seen listings where the picture was of the dock, the kitchen or some other fabulous feature. Until this post I assumed it was just to show how great the new kitchen was rather than that there was something wrong with the outside. If a remodeled kitchen is found in less than 50% of houses in your market I would include that instead of the house itself. Also if you do use the house, take it from the other angle and lose the car in the driveway

Also it really depends where this is priced. When I bought the first time, sort of in the middle of the road (a lower trade up house) I only looked at colonials and tudors. However I am now trying to break into a market I cannot quite afford and would take any style that had the lot size and sq footage I was looking for. So if I found a bigger version of your house (I am looking for 6 bedrooms) where I wanted to be and it was priced a under what a comparable colonial was asking I would seriously consider it.

I know this is a ridiculous question but how much would it cost to put an angled roof on the house? Or is that wrong because of the style? I guess you would lose the terrace, o you use it? Would it make sense to photo shop a picture of what the house could look like with a new roof and leave it for potential buyers in the house? Although you may feel the house style is what it is and is a nice house in its own right and should not try to masquerade as something else. I personally would put in a picture of the kitchen instead (unless every house has a new kitchen) and mention non traditional or contemporary or maybe Califronia Stucco? in the listing

Bottom line the interior is very nice and not what I would have expected from the outside so how to get people in the door?

As for comments, I would remove everything from the counter except the coffeemaker, you have enough color in your kitchen, you do not need more decoration. Also it looks like you have a nice stove, I would show it off (I gage a kitchen by stoves, in my opinion you get points for having a hood above the stove.

No rugs in the kitchen! I have no real problem with the living room rug but I wonder how the kitchen rug would work in there? I might remove the side table and one of the chairs in the living room. Definitely declutter the bookshelves and the secretary and close it

If the house gets good sun, take pictures on a sunny day not cloudy

I agree with those who said to remove the rug from the LR and kitchen. You want to expose the gorgeous H/W floors and the tile in the kitchen is very nice. Both rugs are too busy for the rooms and make both look smaller.

Declutter the countertops as much as possible. The only thing I would leave on the counters is the coffeemaker and also to cover the exposed outlet.

Take a pic in the kitchen during the day. I can see the TV reflection in the window as well as a wooden divider.

Remove all the personal photos from the shelves in the LR.

I think the key to selling a house that is different than the norm for the neighborhood is to get as many agents through it as possible. It is going to take agents who are enthusiastic about your house to overcome buyer's objections to its style. So you will want to list with an agent who works at a good sized office with agents who show up for their weekly tour of new listings. It will be those agents who hopefully will be excited enough about your house to encourage buyers to see it.

Thank you for the honest opinions and feedback. I am carefully reading & considering the wonderful advice given here.

We knew when we purchased this home that it would appeal to a more limited pool, but were won over by it's location (walking distance to the commuter rail to Boston and Providence, schools, the lake), layout, features (huge closets, butler's pantry, etc) & size. Suffice to say the home was in pretty rough shape when we bought it ~ one of DH's friends came by to see the home and called from his cell phone as he was sure our home was an abandoned gas station and he was lost, lol

The roof is an industrial rubber one and the home is block constructed, so snow weight hasn't been a concern or issue for us. There is a staircase up to the roof to access & clean the gutters (the home was 'overbuilt' by an MIT engineer and architect for strength & efficiency, very scary thought).

I will remove the rug from the kitchen (thank you to those that confirmed that for me) and declutter the bookshelves, secretary & counters. Also, will make sure the kitchen is shown during the daytime (Laura, those are windows, lol) and I'll lose the photo of the stairs.

Weed, too funny - the plant WAS replaced by a statue.

saphire, we did entertain the idea of a pitched roof, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The longer we live here the more I sort of become increasingly enamored with its exterior's aesthetic, lol People will drive by and stop to comment on the home and one man actually stopped to ask us if we had houseplans he could somehow get!

I'm hoping like some of you said that buyers are looking for unique & different (we can only hope, lol).

I really like this house. I'd most definitely include a pic of the exterior. Like other posters have said, I wouldn't bother looking at a house that didn't show a pic of the front. That would be a red flag for me that the owner has something to hide. You don't need to hide this house, it looks fine.

EXTERIOR-I would trim or replace the bushes along the front of the house. It looks like you have two planters on either side of the front door. Can you put something colorful in these until spring arrives? Quality, artificial flowers? Call attention to the front entry. Perhaps a more obvious light fixture above the entrance? The lawn looks like it needs some attention. There are some sparse, brown spots. Can you have this fixed? I'd also edge along the sidewalk so it looks tidier.

LIVING ROOM- Show off that fireplace! I like that you can see out the nice large front window, but I'd try to get a shot without the car in the background. Or if there is a car, can it be a Lexus or Mercedes?! Clear most of the books and pics from the hutch, bookshelf. The couch looks a bit large for the room. Maybe its the camera angle, but it seems to take up a lot of space.

KITCHEN-Remove the rugs. I'd clear the counter of everything except the coffee maker, pepper mill and a bowl of fruit. The floor looks like it is in good condition. I would hang a kitchen towel or two, to bring attention to this. I can't tell what is behind the sink. If it looks more like a reflection of the kitchen than a view into another room.

STAIRWAY- I like the arched doorways. The hall table looks nice. What is that piece of material draped on top of it? I'd rather see the nice table with a vase with flowers, sculpture, etc here instead. The bookshelf. Have less books and use attractive bookends. Make sure whatever books are displayed are not ratty or controversial.

I'd like to see pics of the bedrooms, bathrooms and the back yard. How big is the garage? It would be a bonus to see how much space that has.

"The roof is an industrial rubber one and the home is block constructed, so snow weight hasn't been a concern or issue for us. There is a staircase up to the roof to access & clean the gutters (the home was 'overbuilt' by an MIT engineer and architect for strength & efficiency"

That is very good to know (and include in your ad)! If I didn't know anything about roofs, I would be leery of a flat roof as well. I've lived in houses with flat roofs that constantly leaked. I don't know what the zoning is in your area, but would a buyer be able to put a terrace here? How about a green roof?! www.greenroofs.com/

I wish this house were for sale in my area. I'd be interested.

Chisue, I missed your question, sorry. We're still working on the other rooms, but will show either the master bdrm or family room, still not sure.

Thanks for the excellent & detailed feedback, dreamgarden. I don't know whos car that is in the picture window ~ how dare he/she mess up my picture, lol!

We knew when we purchased this home that it would appeal to a more limited pool, but were won over by it's location (walking distance to the commuter rail to Boston and Providence, schools, the lake), layout, features (huge closets, butler's pantry, etc) & size

These are definitely features you want to convey in your ad!

I like the general shape of the house and would overlook the flat roof if I could be convinced that it was truly over-engineered.

But I do feel that the windows and doors are mis-matched and distracting. Looks like you have some steel casements (I'm guessing these are original), a big picture window with no muntins, and the two traditional-looking windows flanking the door.

I'd paint all the doors and windows (including the garage) a dark color (like a dark steel blue-grey) to try and pull them together a little more.

Was the home at one point a commercial property? My first thought upon seeing the exterior was that it was a store or a garage converted into a home. I've never seen a flat roofed house but then that's just my experience. It is interesting yes. A photo is a must to get serious lookers.

Show the exterior shot. It'll definitely turn off people but then there people like me who would LOVE to take a look at the interior. I love the Modern 1930s (LeCorbusier) style.

That said, the interior pictures don't match the exterior. They are more traditional. I would make some minor changes to make the interior more sparse and modern.

Living Room: Take down the curtain and rod. Put up miniblinds if necessary. Take away the rugs. Remove the hutch. Move the two chairs to either side of the fireplace facing the sofa. Remove the pillows.

Take a picture of the room facing the fireplace.

Kitchen: Remove the rugs.

Stairs: Take down the curtain. Put some decorative vase or bowl on the table.

I also agree with Cordovamom - in the blurb, say something like "Don't Be Deceived! Over 3000 Square Feet!"

It's a gorgeous house. Don't let people tell you otherwise or hide that fact. It won't appeal to everyone, or even a majority of buyers but the people who like this style will love it.

NOW you tell us about the over-engineering! Of course you will stress all that and the convenient location! It IS harder to sell "modern", but there are people out there who love it, and...modern is making a comeback in home furnishings. (Another turn of the fashion wheel.)

Instead of running away from the house's architecture, PLAY IT UP! I don't suppose the engineer-architect-builder went on to become "a name", did he??? This is actually the ideal situation, unlike some FLW homes that are all "Architecture" and no engineering -- impossible to maintain (and no closets, to boot!).

This is going to be an interesting sale to follow. I hope you'll keep us posted!

Living Room: Take down the curtain and rod. Put up miniblinds if necessary.

No! Don't do this. The drapes add a nice shot of color to the room, and the rug adds warmth.

I also like the drapes in the room, but think the rug is wrong for the space!! It's just a matter of opinion on decor. You want to make the home seem neutral, but warm. Sometimes that's a difficult balance to achieve but I've never not bought a home because I didn't like someone's rug or curtains.

Love the house Paulines! And I agree with ChiSue about playing up the architect - even if he's not a 'name'! (You would really have to know your architects to know who's NOT a name. I think most people would assume he's well-regarded and 'semi-famous' if you simply mention his name as if her were.) There's just no house that's better built than one built by an architect for himself. I also like the idea of playing up the size and location.

On the interior shots, I like your living room shot pretty-much as is. The rug adds warmth and color, and there's still enough hardwoods showing to let you know it's there. I wouldn't show more of the fireplace if it's wall-to-wall mirror over the mantle. Again - you can tell it's there.

We sold my MIL's house last year, a classic traditional Mediterranean style, in a slowing market, for close to asking. I found it interesting what the stager did, after we completely emptied the house:

- Absolutely NOTHING on the kitchen counters.

- Removed all curtains, no window coverings at all. Agent agreed, said people (in our market) want to see how much (or how little) light/views you have.

- Removed all rugs, put 1 in LR that was quite small, surrounded by an overstuffed loveseat and a big chair. There were two nice wooden plaques of flowers painted on a dark background, hung on one wall. Nothing else - just gleaming floors, big windows, and the barest minimum of furnishings possible.

- Put in large plants (the home had large rooms, LR had vaulted ceiling) instead of the usual wimpy little plants some stagers use.

The home looked spacious, even the smaller bedroom looked huge. Feedback was unanimously positive from neighbors, friends, and potential buyers.

Hi Paulines-
My recommendation for the pictures:

Exterior shot - get closer in as half the picture is trees and skyline. If necessary, cut off half of the garage to better highlight the house itself. Make the house larger and more substantive by filling the picture with house. Remove the vehicle as it shrinks the house by adding scale to compare to.

Living room - remove the rug. Pull the curtains a little more to the side. Ask your neighbor to remove their car as who wants to see a car instead of landscape.

Kitchen - Photograph this during the daytime. Remove both rugs and all countertop objects.

Hallway - Half of this picture is drape and a wall. Photograph this shot from within the archway, not outside of the archway.

Your house looks super, very clean and maintained, and will appeal to the right person. Good luck.

Rachel