There could not be a better time to sell your home than right now. With Spring right around the corner, the market is getting hotter than it’s been in decades with houses on Boston’s South Shore selling for almost 30% higher than they had been in the past. In fact, on average they’re selling at just 1% below the asking price, and many are getting over the asking price and waving inspections – especially if presented in the best way! Making it even more of a seller’s market is the fact that inventory remains low in the greater Boston area, so this truly is the perfect time to sell your home and move into a stress-and-maintenance-free lifestyle such as at Fairing Way; one of New England’s best senior living communities.
Before you can cash in on this market and be free of homeownership, you’ll want to know how to best present your home. One of the smartest things you can do is work with a home staging company. Most likely you’ve heard of home staging because it’s been popular for some time now. Home stagers are experts on how to get your home prepared not only for a swift sell but one that produces the biggest numbers.
Home staging itself is not inexpensive. However, an investment of a few thousand can yield tens of thousands or more in gains! And while your home will in time probably sell given the market, nothing is guaranteed. Plus, you deserve to get the most equity you can out of your home and not have it linger on the market and sell for a lesser price.
Time for home staging 101. We will go into a little more detail but first and foremost the two biggest principles home stagers follow are 1. Decreasing or eliminating clutter. And 2. De-personalizing the home. The reason behind the 2nd principle is that buyers want to be able to imagine themselves in the house and they can’t easily do that with all their family’s personal stuff around no matter how nice it may be.
Typically, home stagers will remove and replace most if not all personal items such as books, artwork family photos and mementos, exercise equipment, and more. There’s a good reason it’s called staging as the home is intended to feel staged. That’s staged as in ready for a buyer to move into and start creating their life there. Home staging makes your house more appealing to many – not just you. It’s meant to make the house feel inviting, but not lived in. Like you were setting the table and/or “stage” for a nice dinner party but the kitchen and dining area were never used to prepare the actual dinner. They just look like they could!
Furthermore, stagers will make recommendations on whether certain repairs need to be made, and rooms need to be repainted. They often will remove furniture and replace it with new and lesser amounts of furniture. Plus, they’ll add current on-trend design touches throughout which could include everything from rugs, curtains, pillows, artwork, and much more. Finally, while some people can live comfortably in a staged property, many home stagers recommend you enjoy the comfort of a hotel while your property is properly staged and on the market.
Beyond home staging, you’ll also want to do your due diligence when selecting a qualified realtor to work with to help sell your home. Many home stagers can guide you in this regard and recommend the best realtors who have a strong track record on selling homes in the area quickly and for top dollar.
If you do decide to take advantage of this red-hot sellers’ market, then please visit our floor plans and pricing page and explore a retirement lifestyle that truly is second to none.
