Choosing the Right Neighborhood

  Need help finding the right Melrose area neighborhood for your home search? Here are five factors that should figure prominently in your thinking.   Schools Even if you don’t have kids, the quality of the schools in a given neighborhood should be high on your priority list. That’s because property values are higher in Massachusetts communities with strong school districts, meaning that your home will appreciate more. That said, you may have to settle for less house due to higher prices. Property Values Independent of school quality, you should look at local trends in home prices to get insight into that community’s future. If property values have been in steady decline for a decade, you’ll likely face issues when it comes to reselling down the line. Instead, look for up-and-coming Melrose area neighborhoods where home prices are climbing. Traffic Remember: if you’re buying a Melrose home, chances are you plan on living there for a long time. Heavy traffic may not seem like a big deal now, but in five years you (and your wallet) may feel differently. Congestion can also have health and safety implications with respect to air pollution and car accidents. Emergency and Medical Services In the event that something bad happens, you want to be sure that emergency responders can reach you quickly. It’s one thing to be close to a hospital, and quite another to be close to a good hospital. If possible, concentrate on areas in proximity to university hospitals, which tend to have more modern equipment and resources. Crime Don’t rely on looks alone when evaluating the safety and security of a neighborhood. Information on local crime rates (and most common types of crime) are commonly available from your local police department and the FBI website, and real estate sites like Zillow aggregate data from several sources to provide their own reporting.

View more

Preparing to Sell

  Selling your home doesn′t just mean hiring a realtor to stick a sign out front. There are a lot of preparations you should make to ensure you get the best offer possible in the shortest time. Repair. Just because you’ve gotten used to the cracks in the walls and the rattles in the radiators doesn’t mean a buyer will too. If you have hardwood floors that need refinishing, be sure to get it done—hardwood is a huge selling point. Buyers like to snoop around, so be sure to fix any sticky doors or drawers as well. Finally, don’t forget to address any issues with the exterior—fences, shingles, sidewalks, etc. After all, without curb appeal, some buyers may never get to see the inside. Neutralize. You want buyers to see themselves in your home. If your living room has lime green shag, wood-paneled walls, and all your collectibles and personal photographs, this will be much harder for them to do. Try replacing any bold color choices in your floors and walls with something more neutral—beiges, tans, and whites. Repainting and reflooring will make everything look fresh and new, and help prospective buyers imagine all the possibilities. Stage. Once your house is clean and updated, it’s time to play dress up. Home stagers can add small details and décor touches that will bring out the possibilities in the various spaces in your home: lamps, mirrors, throw rugs and pillows, flowers, decorative soaps and towels, patio furniture. Home staging can be particularly useful if your home is especially old or if the exterior looks dated. Think of it as a little mascara and rouge—if it’s done right, you notice the beauty, not the makeup.

View more

​​Quick Tips for Staging Your Home

  Staging your home is a proven strategy for speeding up the sales process in the Melrose area. It can even help boost your home’s value when offers start coming in. By highlighting your home’s strengths and giving prospective buyers a sense of how they’d utilize different spaces, you can help these prospects develop emotional attachments to your home.   Here are some quick tips for helping you along with the staging process: Pay attention to lighting Great lighting is crucial for making your home look warm and welcoming. If you notice that some areas of your home are dark and dreary, increase the wattages of the lightbulbs in the fixtures and lamps. A good rule of thumb is to have a total of 100 watts of lighting for every 50 square feet of interior space. Also, you should strive for three different types of lighting per room: accent lighting (on a wall or table), task lighting (such as a reading or under-cabinet light), and ambient lighting (overhead). Update your appliances Alright, so you might not be willing to spend thousands of dollars on installing new, stainless steel appliances just for staging. However, studies show that new appliances in the kitchen garner high returns for sellers, especially in different areas of Massachusetts. This means you increase your chances of getting a better price for your home! A great, inexpensive solution is to apply stainless steel stick-on coverings to all of your appliances. These coverings can quickly transform an outdated kitchen into one that screams ultra-modern. Get rid of unnecessary furniture It should go without saying that, when staging a home, tackling clutter is a must. However, Melrose area sellers often forget about some of the biggest causes of clutter: couches, chairs, and tables. Having too much furniture in your home can make it seem small and cramped. Before you start showing your home, take a walk around and remove furniture items that you can live without. You don’t need to get rid of everything (after all, you want the space to look lived-in), but you want to make sure you’re maximizing available space. Not sure you’re much of a home staging pro? Brad Hutchinson Real Estate, your local realty specialist, can connect you with an interiors expert! Let us know if you’re looking to stage your home for selling or to redecorate your home, so we can follow up with our top recommendations.

View more