Boston Real Estate for Sale
Preparing Your Midtown Condo for Sale in 2021
Boston downtown condo sellers fixing up their homes to list this spring will have to decide where to put their time and money to get the most bang for their buck. Zillow has been there, and the practical tips and tricks their experts have learned after selling 10,000 homes could help you sell yours.
Pick the Perfect Paint Color for Your Condo
Painting is one project nearly all sellers take on before putting their home on the market. It is an affordable home improvement project that has a high return on investment. But when you’re thinking about resale, you’ll want to be strategic about the colors you select.
When Zillow needs to freshen up the walls before listing a home for sale, it uses Behr Premium Plus paint in either Aged Beige, Campfire Ash or Polar Bear. Neutral greige or taupe paint colors appeal to the widest group of buyers and don’t distract from a home’s best features.
Fix your Faucets and Fixtures in Your Condo
This could boost your home’s value. If you’d rather hire a professional, a Zillow and Thumbtack report finds you can expect to pay, on average, $205 to replace a faucet and $380 to replace a light fixture.
Clean the Midtown Condo Carpets
A clean carpet is critical if you want your home to make a great first impression. Steam cleaning will often do the trick, but if your carpet is torn or has permanent stains, you’ll want to replace it.
Zillow uses Mohawk brand carpet in either Charger Classic or Scout Highgate. Selecting a high-performing, stain-resistant carpet in a neutral taupe color will appeal to the most condo buyers and add value to your home.
Sweat the Small Stuff
Zillow takes care of all the items that make life easier for the home’s next owner. These items include landscaping, servicing the HVAC system, and replacing all light bulbs and batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
By taking care of these items before putting your home on the market, you can boost curb appeal and give a potential buyer confidence that your home has been well-maintained.
Say No to a Full Condo Renovation
Home improvement TV shows often suggest you need a gut renovation to get top dollar in resale. However, Zillow research finds big renovation projects hardly ever pay for themselves when it comes time to sell, with a few exceptions.
Zillow rarely completes any major upgrade to a home that would dramatically alter its footprint or its value. Instead, Zillow focuses on the projects that make a home clean, safe and functional for a buyer, repairing items instead of replacing them when possible.
“Buyers often want to put their own stamp on a home and have it reflect their taste,” says Lindsey DellaSala, a broker with the DJ and Lindsey Team in Jacksonville, FL. “Let’s say you decide to upgrade your backsplash before selling. The trendy statement tile you love may not be what a buyer is looking for, and that could hurt, rather than help, your chances for a speedy sale.”
“When a buyer walks into a Zillow-owned home, they know it is move-in ready and they can add their personal touches over time,” says Claire Caldwell, Senior Director of Renovations at Zillow. “By creating that same kind of blank canvas in a safe and clean home, you can help buyers better envision their lives there.”
Embrace Real Estate Technology
Online curb appeal is more important than ever, as most home shopping has gone virtual. Zillow-owned homes are listed for sale with professional photography, a floor plan with dimensions and a virtual 3D Home tour that gives shoppers an immersive experience of a home from the safety and comfort of their own living room.
Sellers can harness the power of tech to showcase their home’s best features by using the free 3D Home app to create a virtual tour, and explore other digital tools such as virtual staging.
Of course everyone wants their Midtown home to be more organized, but many continue to live with clutter because they don’t have the time going through old belongings. Do you need to get your home organized before the Spring weather? Follow these tips to get everything looking neat and tidy in just minutes, brought to you by the professionals from 92101 Urban Living, the experts to call on when you’re looking to buy or sell real estate in downtown Boston
1. Clear Surfaces
One of the simplest ways to get organized is to look at the counter-tops and surfaces in your downtown condo. This also includes tables, desks, and shelves where clutter piles up. All you have to do is pick a flat surface and quickly put away items, throw away trash, or even just shove stuff in drawers.
2. Put Small Items in Bowls
This simple trick makes it easy to find things and reduces a lot of visual clutter. The bowls can even make it easier to find small items in you home.
3. Place Items Back Where They Belong
Of course it would be ideal to always put an item back after you use it, but in the real world, that almost never happens. A better rule is just making sure you pick up something and put it away each time you leave a room. Doing little things like this can keep clutter from piling up.
4. Deal With The Main Cause of Clutter
Every home owner has one thing that’s always causing clutter. Whether it’s junk mail or charging cables, find your key source of clutter. Then try to find a more streamlined way of dealing with it. Being able to identify bad habits that cause clutter can save you a lot of time.
Bottom Line
Knowing a few simple techniques for getting your Midtown home organized can relieve a lot of stress and save time. If you’re looking for a Midtown condo in downtown Boston, rely on the professionals at Ford Realty to help you find the perfect property for your needs. Give one of our friendly agents a call today at 617-595-3712.
