So my way of trying to keep myself calm about this whole "underbelly of the house is screwed up" thing is to look at real estate listings. This is my brain's way of soothing me about the whole ordeal. "If it's too awful, we can just move."
The problem is, I can never find a house that really suits me. I want a modest house, but one that still functions well. I want two bathrooms and three bedrooms, but not some huge house that is too big or daunting to clean or deal with. I'd like a garage or carport. I want a small yard. I'd like central heat and air because that's just easier to deal with. I'd like everything in the house to be functional.
Oddly, that's hard to find.
Beyond that, what frustrates me most about online house shopping is that people rarely do their listings justice. It's pretty common these days for most people to browse for places online before they look physically. It saves time and effort. With that in mind, a seller can do a lot to make their house get tons of traffic. They can also do things to annoy the piss out of people and keep everyone away from their property.
Here are some tips for getting the most out of your online listing.
1. Just the facts. Don't embellish your listing with smooshy stuff. No one is going to be inspired about how many parties they can have on your deck. They'll get that when they see the deck in the pictures. What they want to know is the stuff they can't see in pictures, like the age of the roof/windows/AC unit.
2. Include pictures. This is VERY important. In fact, I don't even waste my time looking at a listing without pictures. Or even one with only a few pictures. Have lots of pictures, at least two of each room from good angles so people get an idea of what the room really looks like. Include pictures of the outside as well.
3. Don't make your pictures confusing. Take wide angle shots. No phone pics. Label each shot. It doesn't take much to photo edit "Kitchen" onto a picture. This is especially helpful when you have empty bedrooms. A list of empty rooms doesn't have much implact but if you label them as 'Master Bedroom" "Smallest Bedroom" people will have a better grasp of what the house has to offer. Make sure the room is well lit. Don't upload the pictures upside down.
4. For the sake of all that's holy, clean your house. No one wants to look at pictures of your messy bed or your dirty dishes. Clean the house. Put things away. Make the beds. Even if you're selling the house 'as is' people will be more interested in it if it's clean.
5. Really think about what people want to see when you take the pictures. No one wants to see your shower curtain. They want to see what your bathtub/shower looks like on the inside. Keep curtains open. No one wants to see your car. Move cars out of garages or carports so people can see how much space they'll have to work with.
6. With number 5 in mind, organize your pictures around what people most want to know. Show the kitchen first. Then bathrooms. Then laundry rooms/mudrooms/utility rooms. Highlight storage areas and places for cars. Above I said to have at least two pictures of each room, but with kitchens and bathrooms, you should include as many pictures as is needed to allow the viewer to have an understanding of the layout of the room and appliances.
7. People want to know the mobility logistics of a house. Make sure to include pictures of stairways and entrances. Show pictures of hallways.
I think most people know that there are very few houses that will completely suit one's needs. Yes, even me. However, it's important to find a place that you know you can work with (or around). If you plan to sell your house, it's very important to communicate to potential buyers that your place is worth considering. A good reception online can do wonders towards that goal.
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