​Once you've decided to sell your home, be sure to seek guidance on preparing it for the market. The goal is to make your home look its best. Scroll down to learn more about:

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• Showings​

• Adjusting the Listing Price if needed

• Understanding a seller's vs. a Buyer's Market

• Accepting an Offer

• Dealing with the Inspection

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Showings

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Once your home is fixed up, de-cluttered and clean, it's ready to show to prospective buyers. Typically, we will bring the house on the market by showing the home to other realtors on a Wednesday night. Then we hold the public open house over the weekend. After your open house, we may bring in prospective buyers for private showings. Here's  what you need to know about your role in showings:

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• During an open house and private showings, we often ask people to remove as many personal effects as possible, even the bare essentials that you use on a daily basis. If your kitchen dishes are on the drying rack next to the sink, put them away and hide the dish rack. If you have pets, please take pet bowls off the floor to prevent them from being kicked or spilled. This short-term inconvenience is worth it in the long run!

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• Pleasant smells are welcoming, and fish odors are not. To help eliminate odors, don’t cook with a lot of spices the night before an open house or showings. You can also keep your home smelling fresh by burning lightly scented candles, boiling a pot of cinnamon sticks or putting a dab of vanilla on cold light bulbs before turning them on.

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• At the time of an open house, or during any private showings, please leave the house — and take your pets with you! You want potential buyers to feel as comfortable as possible and to view the property without the pressure of being interviewed or followed. If you are worried about anything getting stolen, such as expensive personal possessions or medications, don’t leave them in the house, or hide them well.

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• For an open house, which is usually for an hour or two on a weekend afternoon (between 12-3 pm), make sure the home is filled with light: Open all the shades and pull back your curtains so prospective buyers can see how bright your home is. Also, turn on all the lights in your house during any open houses and showings – light adds warmth and helps make potential buyers feel welcome.

Private showings are often conducted during business hours and in early evenings (until 7 pm or so). If there are days/times that don’t work well you, we will work around your schedule. They usually last around 30 minutes, and  again, please vacate the house and take your pets!

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Showings—Rules of Thumb:

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If you are getting showings but no one is writing an offer, it  may mean that your home is overpriced.  If you're not even getting requests for showings or your open houses have low attendance, it definitely means that your home is overpriced.

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As listing agents, if we sense that the level of interest on your property is too low for the time of year, location, etc., then we may recommend a reposition (a price adjustment) on the property after 14 days. We will also update you in regard to any recent comparable sales that may affect your property.

A Seller’s Market vs. a Buyer’s Market

The market is often unbalanced and privileges either the seller or the buyer. It is a seller’s market when there aren’t enough properties for buyers to choose from, so bidding wars occur. This often prompts buyers to bid over the asking price, and offer terms that are very appealing to you, the seller. In a seller’s market, people are often willing to buy a property that needs work, and spend the extra time and resources to fix it up a bit.

A buyer’s market occurs when there is a glut of inventory on the market, and the buyers garner more negotiating power. In such markets, buyers may negotiate a lot off the initial purchase price and/or reduce their offer after the inspection. We have noticed that in a buyer’s market, buyers typically prefer properties that are in “move in” and “turn-key” condition.

Negotiating an Offer

In Massachusetts, all Offers to Purchase will be in writing, accompanied by a good faith deposit check and a pre-approval from a bank. Most offers are good for 24 hours. You may not sleep well on the night of an offer! We will present each and every offer to you, discuss the various offer terms, and the pros and cons of each.

Sometimes the highest bid may not be the best offer if they have a very large mortgage contingency. Once you reach a decision, we will negotiate your position to the buyers in regards to price, terms, and timing.

Beware: often sellers believe that the first offer they receive will be one of many to come. There is a tendency not to take this offer seriously, and to hold out for a higher price. However, more often than not, the first buyer ends up being the best buyer, and many sellers have had to accept far less money than the initial offer later in the selling process. As mentioned above, the value of a property often diminishes with the length of time it has been on the market.

The Home Inspection

During the home inspection, we will be present to answer the inspector’s questions in regard to systems, roof, age of appliances, etc., to the best of our ability and based on information you have provided. Here's the breakdown:

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• Inspections happen typically within 5 business days of an accepted offer.

• Inspections requested by the buyer are at their expense.

• Typical inspections include examinations of structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems, and last approximately 2 hours.

• Additional lead paint, radon, asbestos and pest inspections may be ordered by the buyer, which may delay the final inspection status.

It is common for the buyer to engage in a new set of negotiations based on defects found by the home inspector. We will guide you through this process and provide experts who can validate the costs and evaluate the importance of these repairs.

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The New Regulation:​

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• The law protects a buyer's ability to obtain a "basic" home inspection, (but more specific types of tests and inspections can still be waived, such as pest, lead, radon, well, mold, and other testing).

• Sellers and their agents will need to provide buyers with a written disclosure before the signing of an offer (and it needs to be signed by all parties, like the lead paint form).

• Sellers and their agents will not be able to accept an offer if it requires the buyer to waive, limit, or restrict their right to a (basic) home inspection.

• Buyers can waive their right to inspect only if a) they were provided with the state disclosure prior to making an offer, b) the seller has already accepted their offer and c) they were not influenced by the Seller or their agent to waive this right.