Congrats! You’re ready to move on to the next phase of real estate ownership! The steps in this blog will assist you in staying ahead of everything required to complete a sale. You’ll be prepared - or know what questions you need answered - for all the moving parts in a real estate transaction. And we, The Creative Living Team, would be honored to be partnered with you on your adventure!
The first step in selling a property for the best price is assessing the current condition and how this differs from what is expected in the marketplace for whatever price point you would like to list for.
Buyer expectations vary based on what type of property (single family, multi family, condo, etc), neighborhood location, current market trends, and at what price the property is offered.
Our team brings you decades of experience and up-to-date knowledge of the Boston area real estate market. We will create a CMA (Current Market Analysis) for your property. We’ll go through this with you so you can ask any questions and understand the driving market conditions.
As we walk through your property, we’ll look for items which are a possible issue and discuss them to decide whether it is worth fixing them before sale or simply choose to adjust the price when we list it.
Most sellers need to take care of:
- Addressing deferred maintenance items (i.e., roof cleaning, exterior painting, heating systems, decks).
- Completing major repairs, if needed and in your budget, such as replacing your counters or appliances.
- Doing minor repairs, such as all electrical outlets working, cabinet doors hanging correctly, appliances which are part of the sale in good working order, caulking tubs and windows.
- Painting some or all walls, interior and exterior.
- Clearing out “clutter” so space is inviting and shown to best advantage, including all surfaces and storage spaces.
- Reorganizing closets and packing excess items.
- Removing personal items such as family photos.
- Eliminating odors by cleaning the fireplace or shampooing rugs.
- Creating an appealing color scheme with curtains or pillows.
- Upgrading lighting or light bulbs to make the rooms brighter.
- Sprucing up the landscaping.
- Power-washing decks and sidewalks if needed.
- Cleaning deeply.
- Staging furniture to showcase your house’s best features.
We will also talk about your time frame to get all of the necessary items accomplished in conjunction with when you need to move to your next place.
Please know we have connections to many vetted local companies who can do part of this work for you if you would rather - and we can coordinate scheduling for you.
Once we get a list of “to do” items put together, I’ll check in with you every week to see how it’s going. We can adjust time frames and who’s doing what at any point in this process. Consistent communication is the key! We’re here for you!
Can I Track the Market Myself?
Yes, you can by using our KW app! First download it on your phone here or click “Log In” in the upper right corner of this page and create an account to search on your phone, computer or tablet.
You can search by neighborhood or school district or map area with layers of options only available on our app. Your neighborhood is an extension of your home. Our app provides background on neighborhoods you won’t find anywhere else – including lifestyle trends, walkability ratings, local restaurants, sales data for the past six months, and more.
You can also create a “saved search” in our app. This is a filtered search which updates automatically with any new homes listed for sale. Simply fill out your desired search criteria (neighborhood, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.) and tap the “save” icon. You will receive alerts through text or email whenever a newly listed home meets your criteria.
We can also add you to a MLS (Multiple Listing Service) search of similar properties to the one you are listing so you can watch market trends. You will receive email alerts whenever a property is listed that matches your criteria.