Somerville is a tranquil, historic community just a few miles from Boston. With great restaurants, beautiful Victorian architecture, and a short drive into the big city, Somerville has plenty to offer real estate seekers. So, if you’re looking to put your home on the Somerville real estate market, read on for a guide to getting your gorgeous property looking its very best.
Clean, and then clean again
Cleaning your home is essential for selling your home. This can be a large project because this shouldn’t just be a superficial clean. Rather, it should be a deep cleaning of every room, every hallway, and every space that is in your home. You want your home to look absolutely spotless to attract the most potential buyers, and while this step might sound like common sense, it should still be taken seriously!
You can help yourself prepare for cleaning by making a checklist of everything that you need to do to get the job done. Wash the windows, vacuum the carpets, sweep all the floors, dust every surface, and more. Be prepared to clean more than once throughout the selling process too. Of course, you will have your initial main clean, but when you do go forward, you will likely have to clean it again as people come and see your home. After any home tours are done, you want to make sure it is sparkling clean for the next group of people that comes through. Maintaining a clean home is essential for many parts of the home selling process, from taking pictures of your home to marketing it for sale to actually selling it.
Perform any necessary repairs
Fixing anything that needs to be fixed can make your home sell a lot faster. Even taking care of minor repairs is well worth it. You may have gotten used to some of the small issues, like squeaky doors or crooked blinds, but this won’t be something that every buyer is willing to overlook. Some other small fixes may include repainting, replacing fixtures, getting new lighting, refinishing floors, and more.
Major repairs will be red flags for buyers of Somerville homes for sale. These significant repair concerns include electrical issues, problems with the plumbing, faulty air conditioning or heating, or roof issues, to name a few. Try to prioritize completing these repairs before listing. While they can be on the pricier side, you will likely be able to sell your home for higher after doing so, making them a good investment.
Whether you have major repairs or small ones, take a look through your home and check for anything that you might be able to fix or update, because it can end up helping you a lot when your house goes on the market.
Staging
Home staging is a crucial step in the selling process. You want to make a great impression on potential buyers, so it's important to make sure that each room is staged in a way that promotes and shows off all of the best features of your home.
One important step for home staging is to depersonalize the home. You don’t want to have any of your personal items or anything that is specific to you and your family out on display. While these items are important to you, they can be distracting for potential buyers.
Ultimately, you want people to envision their own lives within the space. Seeing your personal items, like family photos and trophies, everywhere can make this vision less clear for them.
Home staging also involves maximizing the space to show off your home’s most desirable features. You can do so by making sure that all of your rooms are clean and organized, making sure that a room isn’t too cluttered, and using decor and furniture in a way that highlights the room’s potential.
Staging any outdoor areas of your home is a good idea as well — especially the front of your home. Curb appeal goes a long way in inviting people to take a closer look inside. So, take some time to make sure the lawn looks nice, add some fresh flowers, spruce up the garden, and maybe even repaint the door. You can also stage your backyard, too.
Take high-quality images
With so many buyers looking online as their first stop on the home search, the photos in your listing will often make or break their first impression. Low-quality images of a high-quality space can make people immediately click away and move on without looking into the home more. So, you want to invest your time into taking the best possible images. The best way to do this is to hire a professional photographer who specializes in home photography.
Multiple factors go into a high-quality image. The actual quality and type of camera used is certainly one of these factors, but there is much more to consider. Another major factor is the lighting. Natural lighting is often considered to be the best, so be sure to have any curtains open and take advantage of the sun wherever you can! Artificial lighting is good too, and it’s okay to use multiple sources of light, especially in a room that might not have any natural light or is not typically very well-lit.
For more real estate photography tips, you can check out this guide, or get in touch with a professional near you!
Consult an agent
Working with an experienced and talented real estate agent can help you through all of the steps when selling your home. They can help you with any specific questions that you have and use their expertise in the Somerville real estate market to best strategize to get you the absolute best offers. Your agent is also essential in pricing your home accurately and competitively. They will help you negotiate offers, fill out paperwork, and close the deal.