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Tuesday Tip: Preparing Your Home for Market

In today's real estate market, if you've got a nice home in a coveted area, it's likely to sell quickly, but here are some tips for getting your home ready to fetch top dollar.

First things first, remove all personal items.  When you've created memories in a home, celebrated holidays there, and marked your children's growth on the walls, sometimes you forget that prospective buyers won't feel the same nostalgia that you do.  So while you might think your perfectly arranged shelves of framed pictures and memorabilia are creating a "homey" mood for the buyer, it's important to remember that each visitor touring the property needs be able to visualize their own life fitting in to the space, not take a trip down your memory lane.  This is why it's important to de-clutter and remove as many personal items as possible.  In the kitchen, remove all pictures from the refrigerator and all large appliances like toaster ovens and coffee makers that take up valuable counter space.  Your potential buyers might be animal lovers but they could also be allergic to pet dander, so it's a good idea to remove dog beds, food bowls and any other signs of animals.  The same goes for high chairs and baby toys, which have a way of making a room feel very cluttered and small.

It's a difficult first step to start removing yourself from a home that you've invested much of yourself in, but it will make a big difference to prospective buyers.  That being said, if removing pictures from a wall will leave it discolored and vacant looking, it's better to leave them be.  The key here is identifying where your personal items add character to the home itself, and removing anything that might get in the way of the buyers imagination. Items left in a space should not be a distraction to the buyer.  They should leave remembering the abundance of counter space in the bathroom, not the line of skin care products you share in common.   If you have a hard time being objective about what should stay and what should go, contact a staging company or invite your realtor to assist you.  They are experts at creating spaces that are minimal yet inviting.  For more information on how to make sure your home sells for top dollar, call us at 617-236-0353.

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