Boston Condos for sale
Selling a Boston condo isn’t science it’s really an art
I like to think of selling a Boston condo as more of an art than a science.
If you’ve recently decided to sell your home, you’re likely already thinking about the various ways you can make your home more appealing to potential buyers. After all, you’ve probably heard horror stories about how long many homes stay on the market before they sell.
Luckily, you’re not going into the market blind. Throughout the years of learning tips and tricks from mortgage lender Mr. Cooper, we can help you take steps to make your home more appealing on the marketplace. Here are some ideas to prepare your home for the market and potentially make it stand out to potential buyers.
Getting Ready To Put Your Boston Condominium on the Market
Before you put your home on the market, there’s always some prep work you need to oversee. You’ll want to make sure you’ve completed all the necessary paperwork for the legal deed transfer. Additionally, you’ll need to ensure your home is in good condition and take care of any major repairs before bringing in potential buyers.
However, there are plenty of other things you can do to try to make your home more appealing to any potential buyers, all without breaking the bank.
Boston Condo Interior Staging
Often, potential buyers know what they’re looking for from their future homes. However, it can be difficult to tell if an empty house meets your needs, which is why many realtors strongly suggest staging your home before you start showings. Luckily, when it comes to staging, less is more.
Individuals who took mortgages with Mr. Cooper have quite a lot of insight on preferences for home showings. For instance, many of these individuals found that homes that were clutter-free, well organized, and minimally staged were preferable to houses without any staging. Staging your home with open curtains and lots of natural light also helps set the mood and can make your home feel more energetic and appealing.
Finally, an often-overlooked aspect of staging involves creating focal points in each room that draw attention to the best features your home has to offer. One of the most important things you can do is help potential buyers notice the great things about your house. Consider putting pieces of art, throw pillows or indoor plants in areas you would like to draw attention to, like the dining room, kitchen, or fireplace.
Increasing Your Chances of Market Sales Success
Obviously, there’s no way to tell exactly how long your home will stay on the market before it finally sells. Still, advice in blog posts from Mr. Cooper suggests there are some less conventional ways to potentially make your home more appealing to buyers.
Make Minor Repairs to Your Boston Condo
One of the first things you should do is consider making minor repairs around your home. For instance, if you’ve had a few showings where buyers have commented that one of the kitchen drawers sticks or you have a leaky faucet, take care of that repair! Doing so helps make your house more presentable and shows that you care about the quality of your home.
Bake Some Cookies for a Boston Condo Open House
Did you know that before major showings and open houses, realtors often bake cookies? It may seem silly, but this is a selling tactic that has proven results. Baking cookies right before your open house fills the home with a warm, comforting aroma. Plus, offering viewers fresh cookies is a great way to leave a good impression.
Take Advantage of Real Estate Social Media
Realistically, almost everyone is on social media. Moreover, many potential buyers look to local Facebook groups for recommendations on potential properties. If you have social media profiles, consider going online and interacting with your local buy, sell, and trade groups. The additional exposure can help attract potential buyers who may not know your property was available otherwise.
Boston Condos for Sale
These tips and tricks may not guarantee your home’s success in the marketplace, but they have the potential to make a huge difference. Each property has unique obstacles to overcome – but you’re not alone in trying to find the best ways possible to improve your chances of securing an offer on your home.
Boston Condos and Real Estate for Sale
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Downtown Boston Real Estate Story
I knew this elderly couple that owned a small Boston condo who wanted to sell their condo but it took a while to move their belongings out. My goal was to sell the condo as quickly as possible so that I would not have to be responsible for it and like all sellers I wanted to get the most money possible for it. Almost immediately a family member suggested pricing it higher so that we would have room to negotiate.
The Importance of pricing a Boston condo
I told them that was a bad strategy because it almost guarantees the home will stay on the market longer, and it goes without saying the longer it is on the market the less likely it is that someone will pay the fair market value for it.
I have over 20 years of experience selling Boston condos for sale which really helped because I know what works and what doesn’t as a result I was confident that they were making a bad decision. Eventually, they agreed with my pricing strategy instead.
Preparing a Boston condo sale
Once we worked on getting the place mostly cleaned out I replaced the thirty-year-old carpeting with new carpeting, replaced the flooring in the kitchen, and painted the bedrooms, living room, and dining room to a neutral color. I stored some of the furniture and boxes so that they were out of the way and could be dealt with while the condo was on the market.
There were a couple of repairs that were needed too and I had them done. The front door had peeling paint on it and was repainted before the for sale sign went up and I had the bathroom and kitchen inspected and some repairs were made, for example, I had a plumber fix a faucet in the bathroom. Buyers have a tendency to want to pay thousands less if there are hundreds of dollars of repairs needed.
The condo was “dated” but fairly neutral. I was concerned about the fact that the bathroom and kitchen both had wallpapered walls. I decided that if the wallpaper proved to be a problem in selling the unit I would have it removed. In general, I did not want to spend money unless I had to, and only if I could expect a reasonable return on the dollar.
We ended up spending about a thousand dollars but it was worth it because we got more money for the place than I had expected and it sold fairly quickly. I left a few pieces of furniture in it and some plants and chairs on the private patios. I used professional photography to market the place and did all of the marketing on the internet because that is where the buyers are, and because of the location of the condo I put up a flyer box and kept it as full as I could.
Boston real estate and the Bottom Line
We received multiple offers in less than a month. A condo with the same floor plan and a lot of nice updates was sold earlier in the year for about 15K less than what ours sold for.
In most cases, I can look at a property and tell owners just what they need to do to sell it. Often the owners have ideas of their own. But when it comes right down to it: Selling a Boston condo isn’t a science. It really is an art.
