I would be interested in feedback on how my property is being listed. The initial photograph used to obtain bookings is of the canal in the backyard. I think a picture of the front of the house with the new landscaping , or a picture of the inside would grab the attention of people than the canal picture.
I agree with you. You might ask some friends to look at the outside then walk in with an eye toward telling you what caught their eye positively. I note that you call it a fishing getaway so you should definitely include some water views.
On the pictures, I agree, the canal view is not the best. Iâd start with the front of the house and maybe one canal picture, preferably not of the RV. Then Iâd head inside the house. Your inside pictures are good, and I like the order, it walks through the house. You captured all the pictures Iâd need to make a decision on booking or not. Iâd add the rest of the canal pictures at the end. For me, I think the captions are overly selling, and sometimes donât even match the vibe of the picture. For instance, I wouldnât consider the laundry room/bedroom the perfect place for an afternoon nap.
Could you add into the listing the size of the beds? In one picture the laundry bedroom looks like a full, in another it looks like a queen.
As for the laundry room, any way you could block the washer dryer so it doesnât look like you are sleeping in the laundry room? Maybe a screen or curtain? Iâm not sure if there is room, but itâs always nice to have a bedside table on both sides of the bed if you expect two people to sleep there.
It does look like you are trying to shove more guests in than the property can comfortably hold. Even if you count the laundry room bed shoved against the wall a bed for two, I donât see 8 beds, or even 8 dining chairs. You might consider dropping it to 6.
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Itâ a nice property!
On the initial photo, itâd be nice to see the view of the outside, from the inside. I looked at a few other listings and one striking difference between those listings and yours is that theirs showed the views of the outside from the inside. You donât. Often the windows of the other listings were larger; their rooms seemed bright from natural light.
Observations:
â Maybe (? â is the living room sofa a pull out?) you could fit eight people but didnât feel comfortable [âeasily accommodateâ Hmmmpf] for eight (dining table for four plus three at counter; outside dining table for six); living room not for eight people; grill chintzy, especially for eight [grilling under a covered porch, so near combustible materials would be illegal in some places] I think this really hurts credibility of listing; kept looking for 8 and it didnât fit, felt I could not trust this listing.
â Wish I knew bed sizes: are those full beds or Queens? [Look like maybe one Queen, one full bed, two twins?]
â Wish I knew how much sq footage there is; wide-angle lens look gave me impression that rooms were smaller than they appear (that would make me hesitant to book)
â Donât know how competitive the property is with all the others; looks like thereâs no restaurants within a few blocks, and I saw a few similarly priced places closer to where you could walk (seemed like a better location to me); donât see your property âstanding outâ (sorry)
â Interested in what new landscaping looks like; wondered whether lawn was made greener with photography; imagined if the grass were very dry it would just be dreary.
â No house rules? So parties OK?
â Pets ok? Pet fees?
â Access to those garages (is that what they are?)
â Looks like whoever wrote your text wrote it for the other properties too
â Wondered how well equipped the kitchen is
â Looks like youâre about 6 miles/10 minutes to town (used GoogleMaps and 528 Copano Cove Rd, so I had to work to find this; downside of guidebook/blog for all the properties).
â Can you do better than the dangling cord from the TV? Is cable included? HBO?
â Surprised that it would be 30% less by direct booking
â That stone walk-in shower is beautiful
â So can you close the doors on that washer/dryer? Looks like an eyesore â and then in that bedroom they have no real closet?
â Attractively decorated; I like the wooden ceilings, open kitchen/living/dining layout; arcade game looks fun (is it free?)
â Are there deck/porch lights at night? What does it look like at night?
â Whatâs up with 3 Bedrooms Bedrooms, 2 Baths Baths?
â Like the name âBay Breezeâ [Is there often a breeze?]
â Show where you are âgreeted with lush landscaping and palm trees.â Donât see that at all. I see some palms in the distance. I donât see ANY landscaping, just some grass with a few bare/dry patches.
â Just one review, with no words; does not inspire.
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If you are going to say your place is suitable for eight then your dining spaces indoors and outside need to fit eight people. @BayBreeze
It doesnât say anywhere where the 7 and 8th person is going to sleep.
It looks from your photos that the table inside and out fits four.
You canât see living room furniture that seats eight.
I like the photos of the outside space with water view but why so many similar ones?
Why no photos of a boat at your boat dock?
Having the washing machine and dryer in a bedroom is rather odd by European standards.
You need to dress the table for the outside so you can easily see 8 can eat outside.
It seems incredibly cheap - what are others with similar places in your location pricing etc.
Your description of the house and location needs more work.
Rewrite your description with your target guests in mind.
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Description reads like an impersonal real estate ad. First part language is too flowery.
Arcade game placement next to dining table very odd, as is thinking a washer/dryer belongs in a bedroom.
As others have mentioned, your guest count is too high and doesnât jive with the available living room and dining room seating.
I like your second photo as the cover photo, showing the canal and also the porch seating. That one gives a good feeling for the place and why people would book it.
I disagree with using the front of the house as the cover photo unless you have put in nice landscaping and those palm trees you are otherwise falsely advertising. As it is now, the house and property, apart from the front look generic, hard, and not particularly attractive.
Itâs odd by any standards, unless itâs a studio apartment. Even then, it would be odd next to the bed.
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If it made sense to invest more in this property, I would consider landscaping (or at least planters on the porches) so that the property feels more âalive.â Of course, that would add to maintenance costs, might need irrigation to make it automatic.
IF and where you have good views Iâd consider much bigger windows to show that off.
Iâd also like to see the closets in all the bedrooms â donât know why youâre not showing the guest everything.
Thanks for clarifying re having a washing machine/dryer in the bedroom - itâs very strange to our European eyes but I didnât know whether itâs common to do this in the US.
Bay Breeze, I personally prefer the water views. Folks renting your place most likely want to go boating, kayaking, etc. Therefore, the water views would be more eye catching than the landscape.
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If thereâs no specific laundry room, it would be common to have a washer/dryer in the bathroom area (perhaps converting a linen closet in the hallway) or even in the kitchen.
This listing seems like they were just trying to cram in more people. If thereâs nowhere else to put the laundry machines, Iâd turn that room into a multi-purpose room- put the arcade game and other activities in there, with some casual seating, maybe a work desk, not have it be a bedroom.
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Helsi, I just went to an open house in my area and they had the laundry room in the bathroom. I thought it was strange.
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In my first condominium the laundry machines were in the bathroom.
Itâs not ideal, but there was no other place.
I think the bathroom is better than taking up a bedroom closet.
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Iâve seen washing machines in a bathroom in small flats in the UK as there isnât enough room in a traditional Victorian galley kitchen, But I have never seen a washing machine and dryer in a large three bed house.
What was your thinking @BayBreeze in terms of putting these laundry items in a bedroom? Is this something that is pretty standard in your location.
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Iâve seen laundry rooms in garages. I wonder if Bay Breeze considered putting those appliances in the garage to free up the bedroom closet.
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I once read online that there are some Americans who think that having the washing machine in the kitchen, as is normal in the UK, is somehow gross.
âEww, dirty underwear in the same place as food prep. Ewwâ.
My reaction was to wonder what it was about American underwear that made it so dreadful!
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Itâs more likely to have the laundry in the garage or basement than in the kitchen. Which I find weird. In the garage I have to put out machine washable rugs in case you drop the laundry as you are pulling it from the dryer.
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Whatâs going on with the ground floor?
Is that developed?
Is it prone or vulnerable to flooding/inundation?
Or it could be the other way round. Thinking it weird to deal with folding clean laundry in a place where surfaces may have food or grease on them.
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At some point I would like to finish out garage and make it into a game room. It is a three door garage so there would be plenty of space for washer/ dryer & arcade games and poker table.
I got a quote for 30k to finish out the garage. At this point I want the property to cash flow. It is not ideal, but it is a great place if you are into kayaking or fishing. I can drop my kayak in the backyard and fish Saltlake or cross the street and kayak a semi private lake.
Maybe it was an elderly personâs home before it went on the market. Perhaps one who had an Occupational Therapist in the last few years. It sounds like the work of one of my peers.
Weâre big proponents of having a washer and dryer installed somewhere/anywhere on the ground floor of a patientâs home. Washers and dryers are typically installed (in the US) in places that introduce âuneven surfacesâ. That can be stairs to a basement or just a couple of steps down to a garage or utility room.
Uneven surfaces are the primary cause of falls, especially in the home and even especially doing laundry (because of the location of the machines). However, laundry is otherwise an ideal functional activity that keeps people strong and helps maintain their balance and flexibility: carrying or pushing, reaching, bending, standing, weight-shifting, etc, so we donât want to take it away from anyone who is still able to do it. So, yeah, we have machines put in the main part of the home, most often in a bedroom.
And @Helsi and @jaquo, I will never stop shaking my head at this but you cannot get Americans to put a washer and dryer in the kitchen. I used to argue and argue about it and finally gave up because everyone acted as if I was deviant for suggesting it. Not only is the kitchen nearly always quite large in US homes but the water connections are clearly already right there. But, nope, people will not do it. They will pay the extra money for the plumber to extend water pipes to a bedroom, of all places. Not even the charity that funds this kind of stuff for low-income elderly will consider it, they too would rather spend the money, âAh, no, we can fund the additional plumbing, you canât put it in the kitchenâ. 
Of course, when my in-laws were in their late 90s (crusty New Englanders) and weren no longer safe to take the stairs to the basement I recommended a W&D upstairs for them. I lost the âin the kitchenâ fight not only with them but with all of my brother-in-laws too so the new machines ended up in the guest bedroom on the first floor. My father-in-law loved it so much that he declared basements as âcompletely unnecessaryâ
That being said @BayBreeze, itâs not so usual at an Airbnb. However, your place is offering so many other things that it should be fine as long as you find a way to close them off from the rest of the room. A curtain will be better than nothing but it would better to build out that frame a bit or inset the machines into the wall so that you can add a folding door.
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