Are there more pictures, less underexposed, that would indicate what needs updating, and just show more altogether? And just curious whether it's a standard feature of your realtor to put in "Disability Features" when there don't seem to be any (unless there are and they're not spelled out tho' should be) - is it necessary to have that heading in there if there are none? You can't do much about floorplans, though if you have e.g. something set-up to be a bedroom in a place where an office makes more sense, you might consider rearranging. And are you prepared to make a serious price drop (little ones are ineffective and just take up time) at some point?

I would remove the disability features statement. That can trigger mental pictures of clunky assist handles everywhere, perhaps putting off potential lookers.

And I would definitely get rid of that photo of the electric blue bedroom. What was your agent thinking when she included that one?

I would remove the disability features statement. That can trigger mental pictures of clunky assist handles everywhere, perhaps putting off potential lookers.

And I would definitely get rid of that photo of the electric blue bedroom. What was your agent thinking when she included that one?

Wow, I never noticed the 'handicap features' line. There are none, unless you'd count a first floor bedroom with attached 3/4 bath (so someone wouldn't have to go up stairs?) but there are no ramps, assist handles, or

And yes, the electric blue teen bedroom is on the list to 'update' with neutral paint, in addition to the dining room which is currently painted a dark green.

I've also asked the realtor to update the pictures, as you can tell they were taken on a dark and dreary February morning, and the snow pictures are screaming 'been on the market a LONG time'

Have the photos retaken by someone who will do a better job of it. The backlighting from the windows is giving you the dark photographs and that can be fixed by someone with some basic photography skills and equipment. I would go for fewer and better photos, I would remove photos 5 and 18; redo photo 4.

I suspect that a contemporary house is a hard sell in NH. Your selling point may be that the wonderful windows fill the house with light. If that's the case, you want to bring that out in the description and the photos.

It looks like a really nice house but many of the pictures are bad. I never understand why realtors include pictures like that blue bedroom in the listing pictures. Yes, you need updated outside pictures showing it in the summertime.

Yes, I would paint the blue bedroom and dark green dining room a warm beige color. I notice there is wood over the fireplace. Is that also dating the house? It might look better painted, also.

I agree the pics are bad. As far as updating - here are some of the things I could see would be the reason for those comments (besides things already mentioned.)

Oak Cabinets in the kitchen - painted or cherry seems to be the in thing if you look in magazines
Cabinets in kitchen all in one straight line across the top (newer kitchen tends to stagger them), could you add some stuff on top of the cabinets in a few groupings to counter the linear affect.
Oak Trim - white trim is what everybody tends to see in magazines nowadays
Bathroom tiles - The maroon and not sure what's around the tub
Tile with darker grout - although practical when you look in magazines you'll see a grout that blends with the tile
The window treatments - I would just remove them as they don't tie to anything in the room except maybe the kitchen one, but the others just look like something was left behind since the rooms are otherwise empty.

I agree that the pictures are not taken properly, in terms of lighting and angles...they need to be taken again by someone who actually knows how to take photos.

Also, as the home is empty, the REA needs to describe each room under in each picture, as it is very difficult to tell which room is what....

The REA should mention whatever feature in the room is a plus, and the pic with the wall A/C has to go...as it calls to attention the lack of central air.

Other than the suggestions made above, the only other thing to do is to rent or borrow classic pieces of furniture to stage some of the key rooms in order to make the home look more inviting.

Ditch all the window treatments, they are dating the house. It's better to have bare windows with more light coming in any how.

Normally I'd say leave the paint to the new owner BUT in this case because of the way the walls are constructed you need to change the color to something more modern and neutral throughout.

Paint the front door give it some zing.

Trim up some of the shrubs and add some color with pots and flowers.

I'd remove any and all furniture. Better to make it seem larger than dated.

The spa area really screams dated, the mirrors just don't cut it.

I'm guessing you don't have hardwoods under those carpets BUT incase you do I'd take out all the carpeting and show off the hardwoods.

To me the kitchen is fine.

The bath is a bit dated BUT in that price range for your area is it worth changing out? That's something only you can decide.

You might also want to think about what you can do to update the color of the exterior of the house. It may be my computer but it seems awfully drab looking.......cold. A cold exterior will not generate a positive response from buyers.

I second the curtains-they are an easy fix and are very dated. I also think the kitchen is fine.

The outside of the house does look a little tired. The blue is a bit of a dated color, IMO.

Thank you for some wonderful suggestions! The curtains will be out of there before the new pictures are taken.

Carol_from_ny - there are no mirrors in the spa area. Those are all windows, so we'll try to get a better picture that won't make the windows seem like mirrors.

No hardwood under the carpet, and the majority of the carpet was replaced so that it's all new. Most of the houses in this price range do not have hardwood - that will typically cost buyers another $50-$100K (which would include the updated bathrooms)

The exterior pictures do look really drab as they were taken in February. The house is green, not blue, so again the need for new pictures seem to be a recurring theme. And as logic pointed out, labeling the pictures would be extremely useful, especially to highlight some room features (huge MBR suite) and windows and light galore.

Graywings, I think you're right in that a contemporary in NH is a more difficult sell. We loved it when we bought in 2005 (coming from California) because it had the most windows & light than any other of the other houses we looked at. But it also makes me really uncomfortable thinking about a price change, as I don't think that dropping the price will make someone buy a contemporary if they don't like contemporary. Also, with so few lookers....it's not like we're getting passed up time and time again.

Thanks again for all your suggestions!

I like Contemporaries (just sold mine), and I like your house. Your listing mentions an in-ground pool. Do you have one out back?

You need new pictures taken with the trees in leaf so you see color out the windows. The house needs some staging. I wouldn't lower the price, I think its a great house for the price.

I don't know your area, but are you near MIT? I would think you are trying to attract young couples/families. I would do some minor staging, maybe using some things you already have. Stick some artifical flowers on the kitchen table. Maybe a few framed prints on the walls. Take off the window treatments. Maybe a few green plants in corners or on counters.

The house looks dreary. The lighting is terrible. You have a lovely house with beautiful property - 2 acres? Show the property, pool and anything else with color.

Get someone who knows how to take good photos.

Jane

Hi Jane,

Yes, we have an in-ground pool in back, which is not a huge selling factor in NH. It wasn't opened this year, and I haven't been able to find any pictures of it without people in the pictures. We should get some current pictures of the property though, as many of the lookers have said that they've really liked the lot & location.

We are about 1.5 hours from Boston, although there are people in town who make that commute. Due to the size of the house, and the great school system, it would be perfect for young families. However real estate taxes are high (to pay for those great schools) and it's mid-market for Bow, not a starter home.

Thank you for your kind words, it helps as we wait for that "right" buyer to come along to appreciate it. I'm just nervous about how long that will take though.

Hi Jane,

Yes, we have an in-ground pool in back, which is not a huge selling factor in NH. It wasn't opened this year, and I haven't been able to find any pictures of it without people in the pictures. We should get some current pictures of the property though, as many of the lookers have said that they've really liked the lot & location.

We are about 1.5 hours from Boston, although there are people in town who make that commute. Due to the size of the house, and the great school system, it would be perfect for young families. However real estate taxes are high (to pay for those great schools) and it's mid-market for Bow, not a starter home.

Thank you for your kind words, it helps as we wait for that "right" buyer to come along to appreciate it. I'm just nervous about how long that will take though.

I'd change listing agents. This one isn't too interested in aggressively promoting your house. Even in NH, it's been months since there's been snow on the ground. Your agent should have been back to take fresh, sunny spring pics to replace those gloomy ones that shouldn't have been put up in the first place. Find an agent that can either take brighter pics or will hire someone to do so to get more showings. Even better if you can paint the blue bedroom first.

I agree with riverspots. You have been on the market for a year now, so I don't understand the snowy pictures anyway. The agent is not marketing your house.

I've been thinking. You said that the house has an unusual floor plan. I think this is a good thing; I don't like cookie cutter houses. I might suggest lightly staging some areas where it is not apparent what the use is for that area.

Our house went on the market last June. Realtor took pictures around mid-May when many of our trees were blooming. We had an in-ground pool with a large patio. Even though we opened our pool in May for the photos, the pots around the pool were not flowering yet. The lawn didn't look great in May and trees were just leafing out. Our RA came back the beginning of July and took new pictures of the property and pool to replace the earlier photos.

Our home was a Contemporary with large windows. Once the trees were in leaf and the hillsides green, it made such a difference with the indoor pictures.

We sold our house to a couple who wanted a pool and fell in love with the property. I don't think they would have looked at our house if the listing used winter photos.

Have pictures taken fast!

Jane

Nothing says "I've been on the market a long time" as loud as pics that are out of season!

The buyers have told you what is wrong... awkward floor plan, and the home is outdated. Do not take this feedback lightly. These are the people with the checkbook.
If you can not change the floorplan and can not update, then you know what you have to do.
I would think that two showings a month is not too shabby, especially since it is a stale listing. This tells me that the property is interesting enough to get them to schedule a showing, but once they see the that it has an awkward floorplan and needs updating, the list price scares them off.
And no matter what anyone tells you, an awkward floor plan is never a plus when trying to appeal to a small amount of buyers.

It (the swimming pool) wasn't opened this year, and I haven't been able to find any pictures of it without people in the pictures.

If you have an otherwise good photo of the pool, it may be possible to remove the people using Photoshop. Or leave them in and fuzz out their faces.

It's only marketing, but maybe referring to your home as a California contemporary, complete with an in-ground pool sounds more enticing. (In New England, pools are not always considered desirable.) I'd aim for some dramatic, even artistic, shots of stairwells or other unusual architecture. If there are any 'quality' or 'green' features, I would highlight them.

Do you have a basement? Something about the listing makes me question it.

Somewhat counter-intuitively, you may want to link to pdf's of the floor plans. As a buyer, if I can see the floor plan, I may be able to refine the plan in a way that I would really like.

Another thing I noticed is that your realtor's photos are small. I compared to a listing for my town, and the photos display much larger. The realtor may have sized the photos incorrectly when uploading them to the website.

ncrealestateguy said: "The buyers have told you what is wrong... awkward floor plan, and the home is outdated. Do not take this feedback lightly. These are the people with the checkbook." I think he is absolutely right. You can either reduce your price to the point that buyers will take on the updating themselves, or you can update. One way to decide would be to have someone with real estate/interior design talent walk thru' and make a list of suggestions. Then price them and decide whether it makes sense to do them. Sometimes spending money will net you money, with so long as you don't spend too much and you spend it wisely. Based on your photos, I know some things that I would definitely change, but you really need someone on-site. Also it sounds like you have lovely grounds, and I would definitely photo that.

Trim back those bushes trees, etc...and can you reseed or sod those bad areas? It looks like a jungle. The inside is nice except for the cheap looking kitchen tile. Is that some sort of hot tub? It's a nice home, I guess just over priced.