1. Remove all personal pictures
2. Make sue your prospective buyers have at least 4 feet on all sides of furniture to navigate around
3. Hire a professional cleaning company
4. Declutter all closets, pantries, cabinets and countertops
5. Caulk and declutter the bathroom pay attention to under the sink and any cabinets
6. Dress your windows
7. Remove vines, trim scrubs and rake leaves around the house
8. Clean the yard, driveway, patio/deck and shed -toys, tools and misc are not attracive to buyers
9. Hire a portable storage unit or rent a storage unit to store extra furniture and personal items
10. Paint or refinish interior and exterior areas that show wear and tear.
For more tips feel free to visit my site or add to this list.
Everyone is aware of the Government Stimulus Program for 1st Time Home Buyers. And I've helped and meet these buyers. They are young and enthusiastic but also well schooled and cautious. Today, I ran a search in the following towns: Burlington, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Tewksbury, Wakefield, Wilmington, Winchester, Woburn, Billerica and I found 41 Condos priced under $175,000 average days on Market 100.
What does that say to the market.. it says some of these condos are OVER Priced. I could be wrong...but when a property is on the market more than 14 days without offers all the trainers, mentors, brokers and buyers say the same thing. Why??? Does this person know their competition? Did they not get the memo that properties have depreciated?
If your currently considering selling your home, please interview at min 3 Local Agents. The reason I suggest this is if they all come back with the same price or within a few dollars either way. Then that's the price. Remember not only does the buyer have to find value in your property but the banks appraiser does too. And regretfully, if you had a apprasial yesterday for a re-finance that price is now nil and void. If you read the fine print on the apprasial you paid for it say's it's the price we thnk your home is worth TODAY.
Another Tip, I would like to share is be careful when selecting a real estate agent, and don't choose your agent because you went to school with the person and they were recently laid off and were just licensed. This may sound harsh but, think of it this way. Would you trust the most expensive purchase of your life to a person who isn't skilled in friendly negotiations?
Anyway, in closing I wuld just like to add that there are only 80 days left to the program so, if your seeking or selling. Take Action
Best of Luck
Lisa Coates
So often I speak with people that ask "How is the market?" Well that's a great question and if you listen to the media they say it's a national crisis. People are upside down and are facing foreclosure. I'm not here to say ' not true. But instead to remind you that it all depends on the supply and demand. In my coverage area the market goes from extremely active to extremely depressed. For instance if you want to purchase a condo in Middlesex county the selection is vast and prices range from $41,000 to $1,940,000 there are over 9000 units for sale. With so much selection the question isn't "How's the market?" which my reply would be"Great if you want to buy" Instead the question should be " Where should I buy?" As many of my colleagues have said it's a great time to buy. Prices are low, selection is fabulous and interest rates are low. The government is working tediously to build consumer confidence and the banks are eager to lend for the rebuilding of the "American Dream of Home Ownership"
No one has a crystal ball to know if we've hit the Bottom of the Market or if the Bubble has Burst. But there are allot of home owners that are eager to sell for a variety of reasons. And if your tired of renting or relocating to Massachusetts this is a Great Market. Working with a experienced agent that understands your goal will make achieving it easy and seamless. However, if you think the bubble hasn't burst and it will in fall of 2009 or Spring 2010 you may or may not be right. In my opinion the market prices can only remain constant or go up. Why? Well, that's easy let's go back to supply and demand. Most developers have ceased building or planning new projects until they sell off the current inventory. They are offering free upgrades and extremely motivated to negotiate with serious buyers. With the decline of inventory in high demand towns and areas the prices will have no choice but to increase. Hence, the condo available for $1,940,000.
People choose where they will live on variety of reasons. The school system, commute time to work, area amenities or lifestyle. If you'd like to be a community that has horse stables or paddocks and there are only a hand full of homes that have the living space, school system, commute to the office and updates you like then the prices may be close to or over the current tax assessment. This situation is not uncommon, especially here in Massachusetts. However, if your a first time buyer and attracted to just the price and would like to just own your first place in any town for the lowest price. Then a condo in a up and coming neighborhood for $50,000 may work for you.
Do you remember the saying" If you think your can or can't - your Right! According to the January 27, 2009 Wall Street Journal article Boston's Metro area Inventory is down 17% from this time last year. So in my opinion we have had the bubble burst and it will only get tougher to find bargains. Because remember you're not the only person looking for the "Great Buy"
Ironically I recently discovered I was not the only soul in Boston, that felt like being stranded on a deserted island. A close friend moved to Boston from NYC yes Manhattan. And asked "What do you do besides work? I replied the usual shopping, running errands and venturing to the occasional yoga class when time allowed. Well, after 10 days of each others companionship while her furniture was being delivered and the finishing touches applied to her condo. Oh, did I forget to mention she was a house guest during this time. She casually mentioned " You know so many people, how come you don't hang out with them? I thought about the question before offering a reply. Then I responded with " Like you I'm not a native of Boston although for the past 10 years since I returned from Canada, I've lived in 3 communities Salem, Swampscott and Burlington MA most of the people in my circle are either Realtors, Home Appraisers, Home Inspectors, Real Estate Attorneys and past clients. I shamefully had to admit I don't know anyone that shares my outside interests.
She was silent for a moment and then said " I lived in Manhattan for the past 15 years and within that time I have hundreds of friends there. She continued to add that although Manhattan is busy and to an outsider it seems cold and unfriendly. The truth is that people in NYC love to socialize. It's very common to dine out 7 days a week and spend hours if not days shopping the many stores and boutiques scattered over the island. So why is it so difficult to do the same in Boston?
Perhaps, you noticed what we started to notice over the proceeding days. Bostonians tend to do the same thing day in and day out. Especially if your single, between 25 - 40 yrs old. You develop a routine. When you need cloths you go to the mall, when you need food you go to the local grocery mega store and when you need to socialize you find yourself at the mercy of friends from the office and pray they have time to join you for one. Before rushing home to their families. Oh and my all time favorite. They set you up with a "Friend"
This is not a cure but a bandage on a broken leg. Now, don't get me wrong it's great if you like to live in a cocoon. Yes, I said cocoon! Think about it... we do it everyday. We screen our calls with caller ID, we screen our mail, we screen our email and direct any unknown email to spam. We like in gated communities or have garages so people even our neighbors don't know if we're home or not. If we go to bars we give fake names and phone numbers to people we're not interested in that waste hours of our time trying to woo us. Then we complain we don't have any friends.
As you can see this is a double edge sword, so how do we cure this? Meetup.com Yes, here is the answer. If you have an interest in Horses, Dogs, Spiritual Growth, Knitting, Scuba Diving, Shopping, Dance, Business Networking, Gardening or what ever...this is the place. It's not like "My Space" or "Face book" that are only on-line to help you connect with people you already know it's a site that you can actually join for Free and based on your interest attend a local meeting. Even if you just like to do Sunday brunch but don't like to do it alone. They have a group of folks that do it and you can also attend and learn about Local Restaurants that you may have never visited otherwise.
Please understand this is simply my opinion of a resource I found extremely useful in making lasting friendships and perhaps it's not for you. But if of my clients said they were tired of spending too much time alone and they wanted to expand their horizions I would absolutely recommend this site. But if your not that adventurous there are some great local magazines "the Improper Bostonian" and the "Boston Magazine"
If you know of another way for new comers to Boston to grow their social network, please add to this post.
Best wishes,
Lisa
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