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I emptied the house and barn, wrote a completely new description, and had new photographs taken by an excellent professional photographer. I just relisted it by owner - broker protected as was suggested here. First Open House yesterday. Zillow. Take a look:
Wow big difference in the barn. That looks much better. I know there are different views about the desirability of a home with a pool but I wonder why you included no photos of it. It's a nice looking pool and you had some good photos of it when it was uncovered. People might wrongly assume it's a disaster area as it's mentioned in the description but has no photos.
Man - wish I could import that house to Texas! While there are some interior decor choices that aren't my style, a buyer in this range (for this type of property) can probably see what $20K would do - I'd expect to see something around that number as a closing cost concession or price reduction in your initial offers.
Good job on the listing for sure. The description is a bit wordy for my taste, but I usually like just the nuts/bolts. Pics look great, but I do agree with the previous rec to include shots of the pool/area if it looks good. Also, Have you looked into power washing the exterior? (not sure if that was brought up previously).
ETA:
It'll green up quick out there, replace the photos as the lawn and trees green out to make it look more "now" - also, you may want to put a floorplan in the photos. The layout is hard to compute from the photos and I think that's a major selling point to the property.
In a couple of months if you're still not getting traction, I'd look into stripping that wallpaper and the carpet in the bathroom
Last edited by RoamingTX; 03-19-2018 at 12:23 PM..
Some good suggestions from RoamingTX, and I also agree about including at least one photo of the pool.
Fingers crossed for you that your buyer comes along soon!
Quote:
Originally Posted by RoamingTX
ETA:
It'll green up quick out there, replace the photos as the lawn and trees green out to make it look more "now" - also, you may want to put a floorplan in the photos. The layout is hard to compute from the photos and I think that's a major selling point to the property.
I emptied the house and barn, wrote a completely new description, and had new photographs taken by an excellent professional photographer. I just relisted it by owner - broker protected as was suggested here. First Open House yesterday. Zillow. Take a look:
Huge improvement for sure. Significantly better photos and they're arranged in a much more sensical manner.
Are you sure you don't want to list with an agent though? There are still tons of people who don't look at Zillow (like Surbitron ) who won't see your property. An agent will get you more exposure than just Zillow will. Plus, there's still a ton of negotiating and bumps in the road ahead that will need to be navigated. Not everyone is comfortable handling such things and if you're not you should reconsider hiring someone. If you are, then I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed that you'll have a successful sale.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2houses.oh.no
(Also, I know you are an agent. Do you cover West Newton?)
I do. I actually lived in Newton for almost 10 years before I moved to Needham. Do you have questions about West Newton?
the pictures look better. A lot better. The description is ok, but a little repetitive (built in 1825, almost 200 years old...antique - they're ALL the same)
perhaps a New Englander can figure out the layout, but I sure can't. and along those lines my personal opinion is the flow doesn't make sense from the photos.
too many pics of the open dinding space with the fireplace.
what's the photo with the black-shelved structure? like a platform bed?
is carpet in bathrooms a thing up there.
remove valances, especially the monogrammed one, unless you think your magic buyer will have the same initials
one BR's carpet looks dirty from the pic
unless it's of value somehow, remove the wallpaper
Thanks for the tips on pool, wallpaper, carpet, and floor plan!
I have a question about the furnace - maybe you can give me your opinion?
It's steam heat by oil and the furnace is old. We were going to replace it ($6k) but then had some feedback that a natural gas system may be preferable. There is gas on the street. Last week the furnace had somewhat of a melt down. Technician has it working but, should we put the new furnace in now, (it would look a lot better), or wait and let the buyer choose? Do people prefer natural gas in New England? We would have to remove the oil tank if we switched to gas. There is also a propane tank on the property for the range and dryer. Thanks!
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Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) who won't see your property. An agent will get you more exposure than just Zillow will. Plus, there's still a ton of negotiating and bumps in the road ahead that will need to be navigated. Not everyone is comfortable handling such things and if you're not you should reconsider hiring someone. If you are, then I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed that you'll have a successful sale. 
Oil heat or natural gas?
