Prep Your Boston Home to Sell

Are you in the market to sell your Boston home this upcoming spring season? One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a seller is listing your Boston home on the real estate market without preparing it first. One way to see what your home needs is to walk through it as a potential buyer. Make note of what stands out to you and repair or replace those items. Here is a list of several things you should think of before you contact your Boston real estate agent.

Clean. And then clean some more. Make sure you clean everything. Don’t forget over looked areas such as fan blades, windows, and polishing the appliances. If you aren’t the best at housekeeping hire a service to do a deep clean for you. A dirty or dusty home will turn away potential homebuyers.

Repaint. As much as you may love the custom colors you picked out for your rooms, your Boston homebuyers likely will not. Repaint your rooms in neutral tones such as grays, tans, and whites. This will allow the buyers to focus on the space and not the color on the walls. It doesn’t hurt to touch up the trim with fresh white too.

Declutter and depersonalize. Clear out all clutter so that the buyers can focus on your space and not the messes. Remove anything that detracts from your home’s positive features. Make sure to remove any personal items such as the copious family photos or kids’ artwork.

Nature. Bring some of the outside in with some potted plants or flowers in a vase. It’s a great way to add some décor that is neutral to everyone’s tastes. 
 
Organize. Tackle each closet in your home and remove 1/3 or more of the items in it and organize the rest. You can store the unused items until you are ready to move. Your closets will look larger and more attractive to your Boston home buyers. 
 
Honey-do list. Now is the time to fix all those little things you’ve been meaning to do but never got around to. Buyers will notice any minor flaws and it will detract from the value of your home as they may assume you haven’t maintained the home well.

And last but certainly not least, call a real estate agent. Once you’ve tackled all the prep work for listing your Boston home for sale, contact a Boston, MA real estate agent. I can be your second set of eyes to walk through your home as a buyer and as a professional and will recommend anything else that you may need to do to your home to boost your sale. I hope to hear from you soon!

Lucas Garofalo

Keller Williams Realty

(617) 861-3631

Lucas@LucasBostonHomes.com

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Get the Most Money for Your Boston Home

If you are looking to sell your Boston home you are going to want to get the best price for your Boston home and the quickest sale possible. Is there an optimal formula for ensuring your home will sell the fastest and for the best price? Some experts say yes and offer the following advice for selling your home for top dollar and as quick as possible.

Price it a little low. This may seem counter-intuitive to many Boston homeowners. Many think that pricing their home a little OVER market value will leave them room for negotiation. This just dramatically lessens the demand for your house.  Realtor.com, gives this advice:

“Aim to price your property at or just slightly below the going rate. Today’s buyers are highly informed, so if they sense they’re getting a deal, they’re likely to bid up a property that’s slightly underpriced, especially in areas with low inventory.”

Use a Boston Real Estate Agent.  This too may seem counter-intuitive. The seller may think they would net more money if they didn’t have to pay a real estate commission. Studies have shown that homes typically sell for more money when handled by a real estate professional. Research posted by the National Association of Realtors revealed that:

“The median selling price for all FSBO homes was $185,000 last year. When the buyer knew the seller in FSBO sales, the number sinks to the median selling price of $163,800. However, homes that were sold with the assistance of an agent had a median selling price of $245,000 – nearly $60,000 more for the typical home sale.”

My Advice: Price your house at or slightly below the current market value and hire a Boston real estate agent. That will guarantee you maximize the price you get for your house.

I’d be happy to work with you to give you a comparative market analysis of your home and speak about timing your sale just right. A Boston, MA real estate agent will have their finger on the pulse of the market and know the best way to proceed. Contact a real estate agent about selling your Boston home today! I hope to hear from you soon.

Lucas Garofalo

Keller Williams Realty

(617) 861-3631

Lucas@LucasBostonHomes.com

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New Year’s Day Brunch in Boston

It's not too early to start thinking about New Year’s Day as we are quickly moving through December. A time-honored tradition for many is to start off the New Year with a delicious brunch to rehash last night's goings on and to help ease recovery from the Boston, MA New Year's Eve festivities. Boston, MA has plenty of options for restaurants from the sweet to the savory, along with the perfect drinks to help you recuperate. Whether you’re starting the new year bright eyed and bushy tailed or still recovering from a rowdy evening out on the town, make your first meal of 2017 a good one at any of these restaurants, all of which will be open for business on New Year’s Day.

Met Back Bay. Get 2017 off to a sweet (or savory) start at Met Back Bay. In addition to their regular array of a la carte options, they’ll be serving Dutch pancakes and a special holiday patty melt. They’ll also be rolling out their Crafty Mary Bar if a little hair-of-the-dog is in order. 9am - 3pm, 181 Newbury Street, Boston, MA. 617-261-0451

Mooo…. Start 2017 with steak. Mooo at XV Beacon will be open for both brunch and dinner on New Year’s Day so you can stave off those resolutions for a little longer with a la carte decadence like blueberry beignets, Maine Lobster Benedict, and more meat than you could possible eat (though you can certainly try). Brunch offered 10:30am – 2pm, 15 Beacon Street, Boston, MA. 617-670-2515

Grafton Street Pub & Grill. Have your fill of hearty breakfast fare to start the new year, courtesy of Grafton Street Pub & Grill. They'll be serving their a la carte brunch menu and then it's business as usual for January 1st. Brunch offered 10:30am – 4pm. 1230 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA. 617-497-0400

Looking for more options? bostonchefs.com has a complete New Year’s Day Boston, MA Brunch List.

I hope that your New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are memorable and that you enjoy celebrating with your friends and family. Please contact a Boston, MA real estate agent if you have any Boston, MA real estate needs. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Lucas Garofalo

Keller Williams Realty

(617) 861-3631

Lucas@LucasBostonHomes.com

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