There’s one way to increase your chances of maxing out the sale price of your Boston luxury condo: Look as good as other condominiums on the market in your price range.

The Boston luxury condo market has been vibrant for several years, 2018 doesn’t look any different.

But obtaining top dollar for your Boston condo doesn’t just automatically happen. You and your real estate agent need to create the desire for the buyer to submit an offer at asking price (or above).

Here’s how. First, review and study comparable sales and note how those Boston condos were presented both  the verbal description and the photos or videos that were taken.  At Ford Realty we encourage our sellers to allow us to bring in a professional to take photos or a video of your Boston condo.

There are five other basic steps you need to take to obtain top dollar:

1. Paint. There are two parts to this: Paint, and do so in neutral tones. Buyers don’t want to be distracted by crazy-ass colors on the walls and schemes that are overly personal. Stick with whites and greys. You can often get away with painting the walls and baseboards and skipping the ceilings if they look presentable. Don’t force your painter to match colors. If your walls haven’t been painted in several years, they’ll be impossible to match and the result will be patchy.

2. Stage. Like it or not, your furniture probably won’t come off looking that great in photos. Let a stager create the look all the buyers want. You’re selling the dream—a well-designed, clutter-free home that most buyers won’t achieve once they move in. Staging is not inexpensive, but it’s essential.

3. Spiff up the floors. Banged up hardwood floors and dirty carpet will get you nowhere. Refinishing floors is huge; replacing carpet in bedrooms is also a good idea if need be. If you have carpeting in the living areas, seriously consider installing hardwood floors. When most buyers walk into a property that has carpet in the living spaces, their first question is whether there are hardwood floors underneath. If not, they immediately mentally knock at least $20,000 from their offer price.

4. Fix stuff. Buyers can’t help but notice things that may be in disrepair—oven burners that won’t light, an electric heater that doesn’t operate, tub grout that sorely needs to be replaced. Fix these basic things. You don’t want to leave buyers wondering what other, more substantial deferred maintenance might be in store for them.

5. Have your place professionally cleaned. This is the last step, and you can’t underestimate it. Once you move your stuff out, there’ll be dust and grime in places you never knew existed. Stagers don’t want to bring their nice furniture into a dirty house, and buyers don’t want to step into one.

For more information call Robert Veek at 617-720-5454.