Real Estate Search Blog

Thinking of selling your home in the near or distant future? There are several things you can do to make your home more appealing to potential buyers that don’t require a lot of effort or expense. These tips were pulled from a video on HGTV’s Frontdoor.com.

Tip 1: Hire it out

Hire a designer or realtor for about an hour to check out your home. Though you’ve always liked that art deco backsplash in the kitchen, a potential homebuyer might not. See what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the taste of the general public. If you’re not comfortable doing the work yourself, see these helpful tips for hiring a contractor or remodeler.

Tip 2: Get an Inspection

I’ve spoken with several real estate agents in Massachusetts, and most of them recommend having your home inspected before you do anything else. The inspector can point out major and minor problems that you can fix, before potential homebuyers see them.

Tip 3: Get a Fresh Look

Paint each room in a different earth tone. Doing so will give each room its own distinct feel — a house full of white rooms isn’t very appealing and doesn’t inspire buyers to imagine how they will decorate each room. Make sure to draw attention to accents like crown moldings. Below is a picture of the hallway of one of the homes for sale in Newton MA. The earthy, sandy color that the owners chose for the walls draws sharp contrast to the banister, the moldings, the small window, and the gleaming hardwood floors. Sometimes plain white paint just doesn’t do a home justice.

Tip 4: Decorate

Pick up a few home design magazines and see what you can do to improve the aesthetics of your home. Don’t go overboard with trends and embellishing — after all, when you move out the decor goes with you. Stick with basic decorating details. If your larger furniture has a busy or bright pattern, throw a few neutral slipcovers over them and add a couple of brightly colored pillows. Upgrade bland window blinds to neutral-colored drapes. If you can’t afford to overhaul your bathroom, paint it a neutral color and choose one bright accent color for the hand towels, shower curtain, and rug.

Tip 5: Get an Energy Audit

Visit your energy provider’s website to evaluate your home’s energy efficiency. You can find tips to quickly and inexpensively decrease your home’s electricity costs, like replacing regular lightbulbs with energy-saving ones. If you’re not planning to sell your home for some time, consider replacing windows with better-insulated ones. Take advantage of this federal tax credit which allows for 30% off your home energy-improving expenses (in effect until December 31, 2010.)

These basic tips should put you on the right path to selling a home.

If you’re looking for Newton real estate, one of the things that you’re going to want to focus on is finding the right real estate agent. There are a number of great reasons why working with the right real estate professional is important, but the simplest of those reasons is that, well, your Newton real estate agent is going to be your eyes and ears, the person who sets out to find the home that’s everything that you and your family need and want.

When you’re looking for a real estate agent in Newton, one of the things that you’re going to want to take a look at is the experience of past clients that will often be posted as a testimonial. When you read that a past client’s experience included working with someone who knew what they wanted from the get go and was able to find a great home right away, you’ll find that you’re going to have a lot of confidence in the agent you’re going to work with.

You’ll want to look for a Newton real estate agent who’s going to:

• listen to your wants and needs
• know the area and have a strategy for finding new properties as they become available
• provide the information that you need
• be available with answers when you have questions
• focus on your needs and not on simply making a sale

The more that you’re able to work with a real estate agent who knows Newton and who is going to be there for you, the easier that it’s going to be for you to find a home that you’ll love.

If you’re going to be searching for real estate in Newton, MA, you are going to find that there are a wide variety of homes available. In other words, chances are good that you’ll be able to conduct an initial real estate search online, but then you are going to need to move on and start working with a Newton real estate agent.

Of course, in order to benefit from working with a Newton real estate agent, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re working with an agent who is a great fit. When you’re looking for a Newton real estate agent, you’re going to want to find:

• Someone who has experience working with buyers like you. If you’re looking for a condo as a starter home, your needs are going to be different than if you were looking for a luxury home in the Newton area.
• Someone who knows the area. Especially if you are going to be relocating to the Newton area, you’re going to find that it’s a good idea to know that your Newton real estate agent is familiar with the area, the communities, schools, shopping, transportation and other services.
• Someone who will help you to connect with the right people. Maybe you aren’t sure of which lender to go through or you don’t know which company offers a better TV/Phone/Internet service; the right real estate agent will be able to connect you with the contact information that you need.

By taking the time to make a connection with a Newton real estate agent, you’re going to find that you are in a great position to get the advice that you need. Specifically, however, you’re going to find that with the right Newton real estate agent, you’re able to get the best service and to know that you’ll be able to get into a home that you’ll love.