Hi -
Your home is beautiful and your listing seems quite right. I noticed a couple things that might be holding folks back. I couldn't say for sure of course but these things might be worth trying to see if they boost your reservations:
1. Is it a Cottage or a House?: I was also initially curious about your choice to call it a Cottage - it looks like a house from the outside, but I see that, from the inside, it's quite cozy and definately more like a cottage.
It might be worth trying a change to the listing title to see if listing it as a House attracts more reservations and then just allow your guests to decide if they want to refer to it as a cottage.
Why I think this change could help:
Naming conventions affect user experience. Even though it may feel too subtle to matter, a house and a cottage are quite different, both in size and style. Many, perhaps most people have different expectations of a House and a Cottage, even though a Cottage is, without a doubt, a type of house.
Cottages are often smaller, and more "rustic" - which can mean quaint, or cozy and intimate but can also conjure images of small, simple, unrefined spaces, or spaces lacking modern upgrades like heat and AC. It's clear from your photos that your home is far from rustic - it's cozy, stylish and has some lovely modern upgrades, but some folks folks may not get that far because of the word Cottage in the title.
2. The first photo in your listing (apart from the cover photo) is a stack of games.
I'm quite frustrated with this "feature" myself, but to see what I mean, go to your listing page and click on View. The click on your cover photo and you'll see that the first photo to come up is the stack of games from your Livingroom.
Without being able to control this, the only thing I can think to do is to play around with the photo order in your Livingroom photos until a better image appears first.
Why I think this change could help:
Photo order affects user experience. Random photo ordering is often bad ux because it subverts context and creates a lack of prediciability. This makes is much harder for your potential future guests to navigate your listing, understand the layour of your home and makes it much harder interpret the information you're providing.
When I click on the cover photo, I'm not expecting to be taken, randomly, to some random photo in the listing (like a stack of games - that makes no sense in this context). I'm expecting the photo order to make sense and be deliberate and it's not. What's even more frustrating is that it doesn't seem possible to predict (and therefor control) the first photo that comes up after clicking the cover photo.
[For the average guest, I imagine this experience is quite jarring and makes it look like the host just didn't notice or didn't care about the photo order. Having no idea why this feature works the way it does, from my pov, this randomness creates friction that undermines every Host's credibility. I'll be submitting feedback asking for control of the photo tour, and I encourage anyone who agrees to do the same - I assume the more people that request a change, the more likly it is to be implemented.]
3. Why are all the curtains closed and blinds drawn?
I looked at the street map view of your area and it's a lovely, residential area with lots of trees and greenery. You even have an aerial photo of your house shoing its proximity to local area attractions - nothing that I saw would be at all worrysome. But yet in every photo, the curtains and blinds obscure the view.
I'm not sure why you chose to photograph it that way, and you might have a terrific reason for doing that! But that could also be something that prevents some people from making a reservation.
I know it can be a pain to re-do your photos, but I would try taking a new photos with good natural light and then see if that helps boost your reservations.
Why I think this change could help:
Closed curtains and blinds can easily make rooms look smaller and less inviting. They also can create the implication that the view is less than desirable (like "what are you trying to hide?"), which, in your case is quite the opposite!
My understanding is that, in real estate, photos with natural light are considered crucial because natural light:
:
- adds a sense of authenticity to the images by showcasing architectural details & textures, highlighting textiles and paint colors and even art work;
- makes interior spaces feel more welcome, open, and inviting;
- shows off the true size of the rooms - Some say natural light makes rooms look bigger than they are, but modern photography has been around long enough that almost everyone can tell if you're using wide camera angles to trick the eye. I think natural light feels so much more open and spacious that people think it makes rooms look bigger, when in fact highlighting all the details really shows a more true to life sense of the size of the space.
I found a terrific article that has loads of research stats that support using natural light in real estate photos. It's got a great statement about the effects of natural light that I just love:
"Natural light brings realism, a sense of spaciousness, and well-being, key aspects that trigger emotional connection and decision-making."
Here's a link to the article: https://deptho.ai/en/blog/natural-light-real-estate-photography-strategies but don't let the title f...
There are some very advanced techniques, BUT the article section titled "Professional Secrets to Capturing Natural Light" has several tips that are clear, understandable, and, with 1 exception regarding reflectors and diffusers, entirely doable by anyone with a cell phone camera
Professional Secrets to Capturing Natural Light
@Nikki-and-Brent0
