Massachusetts Real Estate

With the Spring selling season fast approaching now is the time to get your mind set on accomplishing the goal of making your home stand out from the rest of the inventory for sale.

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 catch phrase 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 look like 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 left over 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 color.
• 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 entry way 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 nice 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 home 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 major 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 in 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 completely 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.   
• 

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 a buyer has not.

If your Realtor does not have much experience is setting the stage for your home consult a professional stager.

 

 

Here is an excellent video that illustrates many of the points I have mentioned in this article.

Getting your home to look like something out of Better Homes and Gardens is certainly 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.

See selling your home in a buyers market and why your Metrowest Massachusetts home expired  for explanation about proper pricing and picking web savvy Realtor with a great track record.

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 agents when the Real Estate market was booming.

See Social marketing blogging short sales and the seller I never met for an explanation of how a Realtor with a dominant internet presence can be your best friend!

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About the Author: The above Real Estate information on preparing your Massachusetts home for the Spring selling season was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. 

Have a home to sell in Metrowest Mass? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise! 

For Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate and homes see Metrowest Mass Real Estate. Want to have MLS access to beat other buyers to your dream home? Sign up with no obligation at my MLS Property Finder Site.

I service the following towns in Metrowest Massachusetts: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Franklin, Douglas, and Framingham MA.

Click here to view Bill Gassett's Real Estate profile.

 

 

 

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There are many who have thought about selling their home but have not due to the decline in market values over the last few years. This is understandable UNLESS you are going to be buying another home under the same market conditions!

Sure market values have dipped quite a bit here in Metrowest Massachusetts. The value of homes in many towns has dropped by 20% or more since the peak in 2005. The $600,000 home you bought in 2005 may now have a value around $500,000. The point is if your are staying local it does not really matter. Why? Simple... you will be buying under the same market forces that you did while selling your home.

Here is a simple example. You bought your home for $600,000 and using a round figure of 20% it has dropped in value to $480,000. You have lost $120,000...ouch! Not really because if you are moving up in the market what used to be an $800,000 home is now worth $640,000.

If values had remained flat you would be going from a home valued at $600,000 up to a home worth $800,000. A difference of $200,000. In the present buyers market scenario the difference is $480,000 to $640,000 or a spread of $180,000. If you are moving up you saved yourself $20,000.

What if you are moving down? Lets turn the example around. You owned an $800,000 home that is now worth $640,000. It is too large for your needs and has become expensive to heat, maintain and pay taxes on. You desire something more manageable. Well guess what the house that you planned on buying three years ago for $600,000 is now only going to cost you $480,000. So what has happened is you have lost $40,000 in buying power. A 20% loss on 800k = $160,000. A 20% loss on $600,000 = $120,000. $160,000 - $120,000 = $40,000

So moving down isn't ideal but a loss of $40,000 is certainly much different than taking a paper loss of $160,000 especially if it is going to make your payments and cost to maintain the home much more reasonable.

When a client asks my advice this is the kind of information I ask them to look at when considering what is the best move for them. You would run this same kind of analysis if you were going to relocate to another area where the values of homes could be a lot different.

The X factor as of this writing is the historically low interest rates. This is a compelling reason to make a move now before they move up at some point.

If you come to the conclusion that selling your home is the right move there are three very important keys to success you need to pay attention to in a challenging Real Estate market.

 

Pricing your home properly                                                                                                                 

This is the single most important thing you can do to ensure you achieve your goal in a timely fashion. Your Realtor should be going over in detail the most recent comparable properties that have sold. The sales date becomes extremely important when the market is still in a downward slope. Pay close attention to when the sale took place. A home that sold even a few months ago may not sell for the same amount of money today.

It is always best to use the most recent sales. When none are available a good Real Estate agent should be able to factor in an appropriate price adjustment based upon the difference in time when the comparable property sold.

Be careful to be realistic when you are looking at the data. Sellers are notorious for viewing their homes differently because of emotional attachment. Look at your home through the eyes of a buyer.

The fact that you used heavy duty nails on the deck you built is not going to bring you $5000 more than the neighbors similar home down the Street.

 

Picking a good Realtor                                                                                                                      

 

When the market was booming and all you had to do was put a sign in the yard and add the home to MLS, picking a good Realtor was less critical. Not so in today's Real Estate environment where there are far few buyers in the market.

One of the critical components to picking a Realtor should be their ability to create a wide net to attract buyers. Over 85% of all buyers today find their home from an online search. You want an agent that can give you a dominant online presence. Your home should be displayed on all the sites that garner the highest amount of Real Estate traffic.

Some of the better Realtors will be using blogging and video as a means of creating interest. Search engines love blogs because they are not "static". A blog can be updated with fresh content daily if desired. Video not only enhances the presentation of your home but it can usually be found very easily online.

You should be looking for a Realtor that not only has a website but one that can be found in the search engines for terms specific to Real Estate in your market.

A good method of checking on the agents marketing skills is to "Google" their name. There should be pages and pages of results with an agent that knows how to market your home well online. If you don't see much I would really start to question the agents ability to attract the most buyers.

The premise is this: If an agent does not know how to market themselves how could you possibly expect them to do a good job marketing your home?

Marketing of course is very important but you should also look at the agents track record. References, market share, and an agents list price to sale price ratio are all worth consideration. Here are some excellent questions to ask Realtors you are interviewing.

Be careful of the agent who tries to "buy" your listing with an over inflated list price. What you will be stuck with is a Realtor with poor skills and a home that doesn't have a prayer of selling. This is why the agents list price to sale price ratio becomes important. It should also be pointed out that the ratio should be from the original list price.

 

Make your home presentable

 

Is staging your home with a staging company a must? I do not believe it is. Does it help you sell your home in a timely fashion? Absolutely! At the very minimum you should make sure your home is presentable. It should be neat and tidy. Having a clean and organized home that is visually appealing is important. There should be no ungodly smells present.

Getting rid of clutter and organizing closets are usually activities that will help generate a sale. Curb appeal is also important. Your yard and landscaping should be well maintained. Walk ways should be kept clear and your entry way should be spotless. 1st impressions go a long way in selling a home.

These are the basics. A professional staging company can really make your home stand out in a good way.

 

In the article top ten mistakes to avoid when selling your Massachusetts home there are seven other pitfalls to watch out for as well. Also never settle for Realtors that like to push Real Estate gimmicks like saying they will sell your home in 70 days or buy it themselves. See sold in 70 days.

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The above information on selling your home in a buyers market was provided by Bill Gassett, the team leader for the #4 RE/MAX Team in Massachusetts in 2007. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 22+ Years. Bill's office is conveniently located in the center of Hopkinton MA at 77 Main Street.

I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise! I would welcome the opportunity to earn your business.

For Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate and homes see Metrowest Mass Real Estate. Want to have MLS access to beat other buyers to your dream home? Sign up with no obligation at my MLS Property Finder Site.

I service the following towns in Metrowest Massachusetts: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Franklin, Douglas, and Framingham MA.

Click here to view Bill Gassett's Real Estate profile.

 

 

 

Subscribe in a reader

 

SUBSCRIBE TO MY METROWEST HOMES BLOG via email.

Building lasting relationships by helping people move in and out of Metrowest Massachusetts for the last 22 years.

 

As a Hopkinton Realtor representing home sellers in and around Metrowest Massachusetts, it is very important to give my clients proper advice as to what is really vital to improve their chances of getting a timely sale in a challenging market.

Besides a proper list price and marketing the heck out of their home, another top consideration is making sure the seller knows we need to make a good 1st impression on the buyer.

Most buyers today have the option of looking at lots of homes. As a seller you want to make sure your home stands out and I don't mean in a bad way! Here is some good advice on what NOT to do when selling your home: