11546 The art of house dressing for the Abruzzo real estate market.

Somehow reminds me of a few B & B websites I've seen Nielo.

I just hope that you wasn't referring to ours!:bigergrin:

Russ
[url=http://www.lagrandequercia-abruzzo.com]La Grande Quercia Bed & Breakfast[/url]

I doubt it very much Russ, yours is coming along very nicely. :winki:

Better still, Nielo...

Allude to the fact you have five bedrooms, a terrace with a sea view and a swimming pool and then only show a photo of the dusty cantina.

Save all the bother of taking those photos.

I promise you, the aerosol can of cleaning stuff in the foreground of any promotional photo is essential in other regions, too! I now get out the magnifying glass when perusing interiors in estate agents' magazines to ensure myself it is a serious offer: no 'anti-polvere sprai' means they are just playing!

I totally agree, Nielo. Many of the photos depicting real estate in Italy, which are supposed to be a tool for selling the property, seem to have been taken by the owner's worst enemy!!!!! When you compare these pics with the ones that appear on the US real estate webpages, where they have companies whose business is to "stage" properties for sale, you can only laugh!!!! Buyers need to have an "expert eye" to detect those homes which are worth a visit.

And for a really professional job, just make sure that whatever photos are taken don't load onto the website properly and distort when enlarged:bigergrin:

Nielo, you may have forgotten to add to your list a visible mop and bucket, which never fail to appear as a decorator's special feature.

And the very attractive photo of the loo with the lid and the seat in the upright position!.
A

No estate agents rising to the bait?:nah:

[quote=Russ;109345]No estate agents rising to the bait?:nah:[/quote]

Not unless you pay them!

.

There was one that left me a bit speechless: there was a sinister-looking flag pinned to the bedroom wall. Not QUITE a swastika, but something along those lines.

Like this Steve??? That;s the Isle Of Man flag!!!

[IMG]http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z294/sallydonaldson/images-4.jpg[/IMG]

[quote=Russ;109345]No estate agents rising to the bait?:nah:[/quote]

Oh go on then! I have a friend and rival local estate agent whose car appears, without fail, parked in the driveway of every house.

As a bit of a Photoshop wiz, I've become adept at retouching photos to remove kids toys and clutter, 'green-up' missing patches in the lawn, and - my favourite challenge - put shiny blue water into swimming pools which were photographed when covered-up for winter. Of course, sooner or later we have to face ethical dilemas, such as whether to airbrush-out overhead cables and satellite dishes. When it comes to telegraph poles though, a well-placed cypress tree is always a great blessing.

The flip side of producing beautiful photos is that clients are sometimes disappointed when they see the real thing. So perhaps those Abruzzo guys are on to something after all!

You will not necessarily find the bucket and the mop in the bathroom (together with an assorted bunch of detergents, all purpose cleaners and the inevitable spray for mozzies). Most of the times they appear right in the middle of the living room or the entrance as if they were a feature of the property. It only helps to remind you that there is nowhere to store the cleaning aids......
Now, if you really want to "sell" the house, train a black scorpion to stand right where you can see it, preferably on some white wall. I had two of those encounters while house-hunting..... certainly, I did not buy.
By the way, this does not happen in Abruzzo only.... you can add some of the Tuscan and Ligurian beauties to the list as well.

Particularly the large amount of empty wine bottles in the cantina, some dating back about 100 years...... it all depends on how old the house is.

I enjoy the interior photos - you know - the ones with the vendors kids standing in front of the fireplace. :bigergrin:

[quote=Gala Placidia;109428]
Now, if you really want to "sell" the house, train a black scorpion to stand right where you can see it, preferably on some white wall. I had two of those encounters while house-hunting..... certainly, I did not buy.
.[/quote]
You didn't buy because there was a scorpion?

Well, after inspection, the house was not exactly what we were after, but seeing the scorpion was a very bad omen from the start.

[quote=Sally Donaldson;109378]Like this Steve??? That;s the Isle Of Man flag!!!

[IMG]http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z294/sallydonaldson/images-4.jpg[/IMG][/quote]Yes, those Manx people are very frightening. And don't get me started on the cats.

[IMG]http://www.rainews24.rai.it/ran24/immagini/fascisti_stadio.jpg[/IMG]
[I]Italian Manx sympathisers at
last Autumn's Italy-Bulgaria match.[/I]

It seems to be unheard of to tidy somewhere up for viewing. We saw lots of empty houses full of rotten furniture and junk and old newspapers and letters. We practically needed a hatchet to beat our way through the cobwebs in the house we eventually bought. I kept expecting to find they had all filled the house again after we returned after a several weeks gap, but luckily there are only a few friendly ones now that can often manage to escape my notice.