Whenever you are selling a home in the Metrowest Massachusetts area, accomplishing the goal of making your home stand out from the rest of the inventory for sale is a critical consideration.
Most Real Estate markets around the country are down, and the competition is fierce for a buyer pool that has shrunk dramatically. Presenting your home in the best light will give you a leg up on the competition.
"Curb appeal" is often a catchphrase that is tossed around in Real Estate circles. 1st impressions are critical! Most buyers will find your home online and if your Realtor has done a good job with photography your home should look pretty decent.
Don't disappoint them by leaving your yard looking like a hurricane just took place!
Here are a few quick pointers for your homes exterior to help create a more timely sale: 
- Clean up all debris from this past winter including any tree limbs, branches, and leftover leaves.
- Clean the driveway and walkway of any sand and other debris.
- Pay careful attention to have all your landscaping beds raked and weeded out.
- Trim your bushes if needed. Pay attention to keeping them a few feet back from the home allowing for proper ventilation.
- Consider planting some hearty Spring flowers that have lots of colors.
- Assess your driveway and get it seal coated if it looks old and worn. Seal coating really does wonders to give your home a new and appealing feel.
- Clean out your gutters. You do not want your gutters looking that could harbor creatures from the black lagoon.
- Hose down your deck and consider seal coating the surface if needed.
- The entryway to your home should sparkle! A fresh coat of paint on the front door always looks great. Make sure you remove any old cob webs.
- Consider a few potted plants at the entry with some beautiful flowers.
- Use a garden hose and spray down any areas of your siding that may have mold or mildew build-up.
Just as important is how your home looks on the inside. The properties that are punished the most in a challenging market are the ones where the buyers have to think about investing their time and money dealing with a previous sellers issues.
Trust me when I tell you that when you and I estimate the cost to repair an item is $500, the buyer is estimating $1000 in their mind. You will not win this battle.
Here are some easy things to consider for your homes interior:
- The 1st thing you should consider is taking any unnecessary possessions and remove them from your home. You want to make your home feel as large and airy as possible. De-cluttering old furniture, boxes, and nick knacks go a long way in making a house presentable. I would consider a local storage center in your area for these things, as it is well worth the investment.
- If you can not find out local storage facility, I would consider renting a storage unit from PODS (portable on demand storage).
- Next on the list should be a significant Spring Cleaning. The bathrooms and kitchen should be spotless! These are the rooms that buyers will pay the most attention to. No big mystery, as these rooms are the most costly to upgrade.
- Clean out all your closets. Buyers are always looking for closet space. Having your closets neatly organized is important.
- Wash down all your windows. Homes always show better when there is plenty of natural light. Don't let years of grime and dust get in the way.
- Consider touch up painting any high traffic areas where scuff marks and worn paint are easily visible.
- Always paint or bleach any old stains away. For example, if one of your kids took a shower without the curtain fully closed and there is a large stain on the kitchen ceiling below get it fixed. For one it looks awful, and two buyers are going to assume you have a plumbing issue.
- Clean out and organize your garage. A spacious garage will be a consideration for many home buyers.
- In areas of the home where natural light is not the best make sure you have lamps with higher watt bulbs.
- Clear your kitchen counters entirely of everything but the bare bones essentials.
- Clean all faucets, mirrors, lights, and ceiling fans.
- Re-caulk any tubs, showers, sinks, or tile work that has loose grout.
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Above all else, you want to take your emotions out of all the decision making when it comes to getting your home "staged".
Work with your Realtor and make it a team effort. Remember the goal is to get your home SOLD!
You may be taking pride in your PURPLE bathroom but the next buyer most likely will not.
While you have lived in your home for years and enjoy the way it looks like a buyer has not.
If your Realtor does not have much experience is setting the stage for your home consult a professional stager.
Getting your home to look like something out of Better Homes and Gardens is undoubtedly going to go a long way in getting to the closing table.
Don't forget though that all this effort will be for naught if you do not price your home properly and pick a top producing Realtor to work with. In a challenging market, these are the two most important decisions you will be faced with.
Overpricing a home is the number one mistake homeowners make that prevents them from selling their property with making a mistake picking a real estate agent coming in a close second.
When selling a home in this environment, the 3 P's of Real Estate don't have much of chance of working. What are the 3 P's of Real Estate? Put a sign in the yard, put it in MLS, and pray. This marketing strategy used to work for many Massachusetts Real Estate agents when the Real Estate market was booming.
What you want to do is seek out an agent that has a very strong internet presence. Someone that is going to give your home maximum online visibility. Keep in mind that over 90% of all buyers find their home from some kind of online search. You want the agent you are working with to be found in all the top real estate portals but also make your home stand out in them as well. Providing crisp photography, vivid descriptions and an excellent video tour are all part of excellent real estate marketing that all home sellers should demand.
Thinking of selling a home, condo or other Real Estate in Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southboro, Sutton, Wayland, Westboro, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton and Uxbridge, get in touch I would love to interview for the chance to represent your best interests.
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