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I have spent so much time on my listing I’m afraid my eyes may be crossed permanatley. I’m not sure if I gave enough information or way over did it. I know I need more inside pictures - which I will get after my handyman and painters get through with their work. I also feel like I’ve got to many pictures but the iPhone wouldn’t stop ;-).
I’d like to ask that anyone who has time and is gracious enough to offer a newby advise, to take a look at this listing and give me a critique of the listing.
Wish me luck but for now I have got the whole year blocked. In a short while I will delist and hopefully add more pictures and try and implement everyones advise.
As you already know you have way too many pictures. I would refrain from using photos with people. I mean, are these people included in the price, or do they cost extra?
The pig roast photo may be a bit off-putting to many. Include a picture of the grill it’s available for use, but not the food itself. Not everyone finds meat on a grill appealing.
Are motorcycle, sports car and airplane rides included with the rental? I’m sure they’re not, but from the photos, it looks like that’s what being offered. Same with the winery photos.
There aren’t enough pics of the actual rental space. Did I even see a bed and bathroom? Maybe I did bit I’ve since forgotten after viewing your 700 photos
As for the text, I’d break up your “About this listing” into several paragraphs for readability. People see one long paragraph and will skip right over it. This is perhaps the most important space you have. Make people want to read it.
I have to agree with Colorado. If I’m going to book my family there I need to know where we are going to eat, sleep and go to the restroom. Are those spaces not ready to be photgraphed yet? You have some lovely, artsy photos that are great on instagram but don’t put them all on your air listing. I also have to agree that not everyone finds animal carcasses on the grill appealing.
Find the balance between a rule that says no parties or events in the rule but calling it a gathering place for friends in the description. Maybe put a top limit on number of people that can be there.
The description is too long and too repetitive. You mention Adirondack chairs at least 3 or 4 times. I just couldn’t read to the end. That is probably a function of working hard on it and worrying a bit too much.
I’d say you have roughly 3X too many photos, and not enough of the inside. Use a real camera, not a cellphone, and use a wider angle lens setting, and wide photos, so that the place does not look tall and narrow. The scenery is great but your first 8-12 pictures need to show the rooms, not the woods and mountains. Ditch the pix of guests, unless you have signed Photo Releases from them.
Your descriptions are 'way too wordy. If you’d like help with them, drop me a note – I’m a professional wordsmith…
I agree with the above. I stole (I think it was dcmoony’s) advice to use bullet points for the description. What I wrote (actually this morning) was a brief description highlighting the location and amenities and then used bullet points under “What You Need to Know”. Then I gave the details under “Read Further”. If they only read the first two paragraphs (which includes – “Please Read My House Rules Before Booking”, they will know the most important information.
If a potential guest is looking for a place to stay on their app, they won’t read the whole thing.
If I keep typing details in this reply for a thousand more characters, would you actually read the whole thing? I wouldn’t.
Love your listing and unlike others find the pictures hugely beneficial but I am not the type to read much…pictures are everything to me… I get a real sense of what your listing is about and who it would appeal to by looking at your pictures.
Lovely house lovely listing and I wouldn’t change anything
you have a house in a pretty area with a kitchen, a staircase, a piano, a bear and a ladder? You don’t have a bathroom, a bed or a bedroom?
Sorry, I need to see where I am going to sleep and bathe. I need to know if there are window coverings in the bedroom so I know it will be dark.
I need to see if it looks clean.
I think your listing is missing much of the important stuff.
However I agree with the majority on here, you are long on descriptions and photos but short on focusing on the key items that make people book
Photo’s
Cut down to about 25 - focus up front on what people want to know - photo of outside to show setting, bedrooms - where will I sleep, what facilities do the rooms have, bathrooms, kitchen and living space, outdoor space - so I can imagine living in your home. Then you photo local attractions and surrounding areas.
Words
It’s like reading a novella You need to edit down substantially - you will put people off.
Focus on painting a picture for your guest.
Location
Local attractions and transport links
Home
Describe who it would suit and key facilities - what’s in the kitchen how many bathrooms, what’s available in the living space.
Hey! Dohlenega! We love that area, so much. I had an ancestor who went there as a boy and began work in a general store. He learned the Cherokee language and would write letters for them to Congress to help fight for their rights. I believe they even visited him when he returned to his home in Greenville, SC.
Anyway - yeah - have spent a lot of time this past year shopping Airbnb listings for my family, and I can tell you, by photo 15 I would ‘x’ out your page and move on to something else.
I really really really don’t need to know there is a piano, or a pretty photo of a fence.
I need to know two things right up front - Where am I going to sleep, and where am I going to pee?
Then, it’s nice to know - where are we going to eat/play games/hang out, then, where am I going to cook? But I only need a few photos - maybe 3. There was a listing in Oslo that I rejected several times because he has, like, 10 different photos of his dining room table, slightly different angles. UGH!!!
Then, give me some info about the outside beauty, a big selling point. But just a few, now - I don’t have all night, there are many listings for me to look through. Don’t suck my time and energy.
Reading your listing I’m unclear if you welcome families or not. You have family friendly crossed off but then say guests under 21 are welcome with an adult. I would be confused.
Good luck! I would love to stay there with my family if you allow teens. My folks live in Mobile and sometimes we drive home that way and just love the area. Last time we were there there we had a lovely mean in town, and enjoyed the gold mind tour.
