Massachusetts Home Sale Preparation
Massachusetts home staging is an essential aspect of selling a home today. With lots of competition for buyers, those homes leave a lasting impression on a buyer in a good way that ends up selling quicker and for more money!
One of the more critical items today when selling a Massachusetts home is the first impression a buyer gets when they walk through the front door but approach the house from the street.
Homes today that are in less than stellar condition suffer greatly when it comes time for a buyer to make an offer.
Even in Real Estate markets that heavily favor sellers, buyers do not forgive when it comes to a home’s appearance. If the home shows neglect, buyers will pass more often than not.
They want a turn-key home; frankly, if yours isn’t one of them, they have choices! Staging a home for sale has become critical in Real Estate success.
Back in the good ole days of the Real Estate market from the mid-1990s until the mid-2000 ′s preparing and possibly staging a home for sale was not as necessary as today.
Today, every home seller has stiff competition from homeowners paying attention to what it takes to sell a home quickly and for the most money!
Competition makes it far more critical for your home to be in top shape when the property gets listed for sale. When real estate markets turn to favor buyers – forget about being lackadaisical.
Home Staging in Massachusetts Becomes Even More Essential in Buyer’s Markets!
In a buyer’s market, those looking at your home are far less forgiving. It is easy for buyers to be picky because the inventory levels have grown.
Massachusetts homes that are not in excellent condition can take a severe price beating in this environment. Far fewer buyers today are interested in spending the time and energy fixing up a home’s myriad of issues.
One of the things you hear mentioned quite a bit in Real Estate circles is “curb appeal.” First impressions are a critical factor when you are selling a home.
Given that the first thing a buyer looks at when they visit your property is the yard and the home’s exterior, making sure that it is at least presentable is a must.
You Don’t Need a Professional Home Staging
Don’t be confused by the word “staging”; think that means bringing in all sorts of fancy furniture for your home. While this is an aspect of home staging a vacant home, for most people, staging a house means making your home look its best! You don’t need professional staging to sell your home. You need to make sure it looks its best.
Also, keep in mind that not every home needs staging. Some homeowners place too much emphasis on staging while ignoring other more important aspects of selling their home, such as correct house pricing, selecting the best real estate agent, and getting the most bang for your marketing buck!
Here are some tips for minimal money that will help to facilitate a more timely sale:
Exterior Home Staging Tips For Your Massachusetts Home
Remove all debris and trash from the yard, including any tree limbs, branches, and leftover leaves.- Sweep the driveway and walkway of any sand and pull weeds.
- Pay careful attention to having all your landscaping beds weeded out and presentable. Adding a fresh coat of mulch gives your home an edge.
- Trim the bushes if needed. Keep them a few feet from home, allowing the house to breathe. The home inspector will reinforce this.
- Consider planting hearty Spring flowers with many colors to increase curb appeal further.
- Evaluate your driveway and get seal coated if it looks old and tired. Seal coating is inexpensive and does wonders to give your home a new and fresh feel.
- Clean out your gutters. Leaves from your gutters create a feeling that the home has not been cared for.
- Hose down your deck and consider seal coating the surface if necessary.
- Look for any rotted trim boards and replace them as needed. This is a typical home inspection checklist item buyers asked to be addressed.
- The entryway to your home should look magnificent! A fresh coat of paint on the front door always looks terrific. Remove any cobwebs, as this is a place they often are found.
- Consider adding a few potted flowering plants at the entry with some vibrant colors.
- Use a garden hose and spray down any areas of your siding with mold or mildew build-up.
Please realize that a home buyer will almost ALWAYS estimate higher for making repairs than the actual cost for these improvements. You will spend far less money to do these things before the home goes on the market than letting a buyer try to renegotiate after a home inspection.
Interior Home Sale Staging Tips For Your Massachusetts Home
Use these tips to help stage the interior of your Massachusetts home!
De-Cluttering is Essential
When getting the interior of a home ready for sale, one of the first considerations should be removing any unnecessary possessions from the house. Having a de-cluttering checklist can be very useful to keep you on track.
This is a critical element of Massachusetts home staging. You want to make your home feel as large and uncluttered as possible. De-cluttering should be the first place you start when staging your house.
Consider removing old furniture, boxes, and knick-knacks. Doing so will go a long way in maximizing the presentation.
Call in a Junk Removal Company
If you have numerous possessions that need removal, consider hiring a junk removal company. One of my personal favorites is 1-800-Got-Junk. They are the industry leader and do most house cleanouts in the Metrowest area.
Over my thirty-seven years of selling real estate, I’ve used them successfully numerous times. They are timely and professional.
Consider Donating to Charity
Consider a free donation pick-up for items you no longer want that have value. Several charitable organizations will come to your home and take things right from your property. Organize an area in your home for the items you want to donate.
If you would rather not have donations picked up at your home, you can always visit one of their donation centers. By donating to charity, you will not only help a family in need but also continue the home staging process.
Consider a storage unit rental for all the remaining items that make your house less presentable.
Rent a Storage Unit
You may want to consider renting a storage unit, as it is well worth the money. This, of course, is if you do not have space in a basement or attic.
If there is no local storage facility, I would suggest renting a storage unit from PODS (portable on-demand storage) or one of the best moving container companies like them.
You will be amazed at how much better your home will look staged and ready for the real estate market.
Do a Spring Cleaning
Once all the clutter is gone, I suggest a major Spring cleaning if necessary. The bathrooms and kitchen should be spotless! These are the rooms that buyers will pay careful attention to. These rooms are the most costly to upgrade, so that buyers will be far pickier here.
Spruce up all the closets in your home. Buyers are always concerned about closet space. Having the closets at least neatly organized is essential.
Clean all the windows. Homes always show better when natural light is abundant. Buyers especially gravitate towards bright homes and away from dark ones.
Touch-up paint is essential in any home sale. Concentrate on high-traffic areas where scuff marks and worn paint are readily visible. Homes that have painting issues stand out but in a not-so-pleasant way!
Always paint or bleach any old ceiling stains away. For example, if one of your kids took a shower without the curtain fully closed, and there is an awful-looking stain in the kitchen ceiling below the bath above… get it removed!
The fact that it looks terrible is reason enough, but buyers will also assume you have a plumbing problem.
Clean out and organize the garage. A spacious garage will be a consideration for many Massachusetts home buyers, especially with our Winters.
Make Your Home As Bright as Possible
In areas of your home where natural light is not abundant, make sure you have lamps with brighter bulbs. Also, make sure they are on for showings. There is nothing worse than a dreary and dark home.
Clear your kitchen counters entirely of everything that is not essential. Buyers love to see a spacious kitchen, especially counter areas.
Touch-Up Other Areas
Clean all faucets, mirrors, lights, and ceiling fans. There should be no visible dust bunnies!
Re-caulk tubs, showers, sinks, or tile flooring with loose grout. If you have leaking faucets, correct them before placing your home for sale.
Having your Massachusetts home staged and looking its best inside and out will make a difference.
Home Staging in Massachusetts Video
The home sale video below offers additional home staging and preparation tips. The video does an excellent job of pointing out the necessary things to prepare a home for sale.
Don’t overlook how important staging a Massachusetts home can be to the success of a timely transaction with fewer headaches for you!
While preparing your home for the market, don’t forget how critical it is to pick a top Metrowest MA Realtor who will price your home correctly and market it like crazy!
Never forget how important it is to have proper home staging for your Massachusetts home. These things will put you on the right track to a timely and pain-free sale!
Other Home Staging Resources:
- What exactly is home staging – an explanation of exactly what home staging is via Wikipedia.
- How much value does home staging add to a home – a resource for home staging by How Stuff Works.
Use these additional home staging resources to make intelligent decisions when selling your home.
Bill Gassett, a nationally recognized leader in his field, provided the above Real Estate information on Massachusetts home staging. You can reach Bill via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns for the last 37+ Years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about Real Estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.