When selling your home, one of the most important, and hardest, decisions you will make is how to price it.  Many people want to test the market and see if they get lucky with a buyer whose desperate to live in their neighborhood.  Others have lived in the home for many years and have a nostalgic attachment that makes them unrealistic about what their home is worth to others.  Regardless or the situation, sellers must be very thoughtful about the price they decide on.  Here are some of the top reasons not to overprice your home:

- Your target buyers won't even see your listing.  Even a home that is overpriced by $10,000 will likely be missed by many prospective buyers, as price is generally the first parameter they'll use when conducting their search.  If your home is valued at $450,000, but you want to list it at $460,000 so that you'll have some room for negotiations, any buyer that also wants to land at $450,000 will miss your property because your asking price will exceed the maximum price they've set in their parameters.

- You'll waste the critical first 30 days on the market.  The best chance you'll have of selling your home will be in it's first 30 days on the market.  This is when a home will get the most attention from buyers and when you'll have the most leverage. Homes that are listed for longer are often seen as stale, and most buyers won't even bother to schedule a showing because they'll assume something is wrong with it.  Once a house is stale, not even a dramatic price decrease can give it the appeal it would have had if it were listed at the right price from the start.

- Your high price could make buyers more likely to purchase from your neighbors.  If a buyer sees your high-priced home, they'll think they're getting a much better deal by purchasing your neighbors more reasonably priced house.  In an apples to apples comparison, they might like your home better, but everyone likes to think they're getting a deal.

- Your appraisal won't match your high list price.  This is a big problem for buyers who are working with a lender (and most of them are).  If the appraisal price comes in lower than the price you and your buyer have agreed on, they won't get the mortgage, and unless they can pull together enough cash to cover the difference, you'll have to put your house back on the market at a lower price point.  

If you're looking to sell your home you've likely been keeping an eye on what other sellers in your neighborhood have been asking for their homes, but the best way to pinpoint the perfect asking price is to talk with a knowledgeable agent who has experience selling in your area.  For more information about quickly selling your home, or to learn more about the agents that specialize in your neighborhood, feel free to reach out at 617-236-0353 or through our website.  

 

Good news for pattern lovers and those looking for new ways to add a little flare to their home, wallpaper has made a comeback!  BUT, just because wallpaper is all the rage in the here and now, doesn't mean that it will be here to stay or that everyone has jumped on the bandwagon.    So, it's critical to be thoughtful about the pattern and material you select, and to consider the long term.  You might be in a particularly bold or funky mood, so a chartreuse owl pattern may seem like a great idea, but will you still feel connected to the look in 5 years, or 10?  Also, will future potential home buyers be turned off by it, or by the thought of removing it (we all have or have heard a wallpaper removal horror story, so chances are they have too).  Plus, even though there have been some advances in the manufacturing of wallpaper that have made it easeir to hang, it can still be a daunting project for even the most seasoned do it yourselfers. 

Bottom line, wallpaper can be a good look, but it can also be tricky, so today's Tuesday Tip offers some great advice for tackling your first wallpapering project.  Thanks to the Zillow blog for sharing this important information! 

For more advice on the top decor trends of 2015 and how to master them, or for general real estate advice, reach out to one of our experts or visit our website at www.thecharlesrealty.com.

 

Awhile back, we wrote a post about the best places to invest $10,000 if you're remodeling.  Today's Tuesday Tip offers three good home improvement suggestions if you have half of that budget.  It comes to us from AOL Real Estate, and focuses on serious functional and aesthetic upgrades that can be made for only $5,000.

For more ideas on how to add value to your home and make it a more functional living space, feel free to reach out to our experts at 617-236-0353 or through our website at www.thecharlesrealty.com.  

There's not a single Boston resident or frequenter who hasn't, on at least one occasion, wished that parking in Boston was just a bit easier.  Well hallelujah, because today's Tuesday Tip is about a new app called Park Boston, which offers modern mobile payment for street parking in the city.  It's easy; just download the app, create your account, enter payment information and start effortlessly parking all over the city (as long as you can find a spot, that is).  If you don't have a Smartphone, you can sign up through park.boston.gov, or you can dial 617-635-2729 to pay by phone.  

When using Park Boston, the meters will still say "EXPIRED" but don't worry, parking enforcement officers will have a live feed of your parking session, so they'll be able to see that you've paid.  

ParkBoston will be rolling out it's service throughout the city, so start looking for the decals, and don't forget to make note of the zone number you're in, which will be displayed on signs and meters.  

For more tips about living and loving Boston, visit our website or feel free to reach out to one of our experts.