How your home looks on the exterior can make or break a purchasing decision for prospective buyers. Many realtors will tell you that potential homebuyers subconsciously decide whether or not they will buy within the first 15-30 seconds of seeing the home. Here are a few tips on how you can make your home stand out to homebuyers in a positive way:

Exterior Color – If the paint is beginning to peel on the siding of your home you should definitely consider sprucing it up with a fresh coat of paint. Depending on your neighborhood, it might be a good idea to take a look at other houses in the area to get a sense of the general aesthetic of the area. You don’t have to paint your house the same color as your neighbor, but homebuyers typically like to see consistency in the neighborhood where they’re looking to purchase a home.

Entryways – Making sure that the entryways to your home meet standards is essential. Remove any potential obstacles blocking the walkway to ensure easy access to your home. It would also be a good idea to clean up the driveway and/or pathway to your home – sweep away leaves and other debris and maybe even pressure wash the area to make it shine.

Landscaping – The state of your front yard is another thing that potential homebuyers notice immediately upon arriving at your house. While you should be sure to maintain a freshly cut lawn, you need to make sure that the rest of the landscaping in your yard is nicely manicured. You may even consider hiring a professional landscaping crew to make your front yard look as nice as possible.

Welcoming Elements – Smaller, seemingly insignificant, details that prospective buyers tend to notice are “welcoming” elements on the exterior of your home. For instance, buyers take note of the state of your mailbox, welcome mat, doorbell, house numbers, and doorknob. If these elements of your home appear a bit outdated, consider replacing them with new ones. This is a fairly inexpensive way to give a positive first impression of your home.

These small changes can make a huge difference in the appearance of your home and ultimately might sway someone’s decision of whether or not to buy. To help improve your home’s chances of leaving a good, lasting impression make an investment to the exterior of your Boston home for sale. For further help in the process of selling your property contact a Warren Residential real estate agent today!

Looking for a fabulous Boston apartment with every amenity you could imagine (including pool access for this summer)?

Look no further! This gorgeous rental building is perfectly situated in Boston’s Back Bay right near the Prudential Center. Built in 2004, this building has been Back Bay’s most luxurious apartment rental building since the beginning. Each apartment boasts great square-footage and all have 2 or 3 bedrooms. Many homes feature spectacular views of the Back Bay cityscape or lovely, tree-lined South End streets. Since the building is attached to a hotel, residents have the option of ordering room service, maid service and more. Other great amenities provided are the 24/7 concierge service based out of the main lobby, a full gym, and don’t forget the beautiful rooftop pool and bar! Perfect for the upcoming hot summer days!

Contact a Warren Residential Group agent today for details about this amazing Boston rental opportunity!

Curb Appeal. The first and most important impression that potential buyers have of your home is their walk to the front door. It’s difficult in Boston real estate to add “curb appeal” to your apartment door within your building. A lot of this first impression is out of your control. However, if you own a home in Allston or a brownstone in the Back Bay, it’s easy to spruce up the front of your home. Just by sweeping the front steps, adding a door mat, trimming the hedges, or cutting the front lawn, you can immediately improve the odds for a positive first impression.

De-clutter. Your friends might know you as the “kooky” one who has a bunch of knick-knacks on every surface of your home. While this is a great way for you to personalize your living space, it’s not a good way to help potential buyers imagine their own things filling up this space. Try storing all those little trinkets covering your mantle in a drawer or basket off to the side temporarily to give your space a more open feel.

Keep in “showing condition.” Give your Boston home a facelift (and keep it uplifted!). You might have already done the typical scrubbing, dusting, and vacuuming in preparation for the warmer weather this spring. However, potential home buyers are less likely to appreciate the sparkling windows when they’re tripping over your kids’ toys scattered around the house. Try to keep your place clean by putting all clothes away, making beds, and keeping the kitchen free of dirty dishes. A little bit goes a long way!

Big and Bright. There are several ways to make your space seem bigger and brighter. These do not include keeping your shades drawn during the day. Obviously you can get great light by placing several lamps throughout your home, but also try to let some natural light into your space. Also, you can make your home appear more spacious by using neutral colors on the walls and ceilings. This can also help by giving potential buyers a “blank slate” to imagine their style on. Finally, the placement of mirrors can do wonders in making your living space seem larger than it is.

Contact Warren Residential today to speak with a real estate agent who can help you sell your Boston home.

Refinancing

According to vice president of research and economics at the Mortgage Bankers Association in Washington, D.C., Michael Fratantoni, mortgage refinancing is expected to experience a “very steep drop.”

Homeowners with ample equity, steady employment, and sterling credit have most likely already refinanced at least once in 2009 or 2010, which locked in low fixed rates, leaving little to no incentive to refinance in 2011.

Those who haven’t refinanced in the last two years due to inadequate equity, unstable employment, or impaired credit probably won’t do so this year either. While still-low interest rates may create an incentive, those same challenges remain to be surmounted.

Homes Loans

Unfortunately, its no secret that it is harder to qualify for a home loan today than it has been in the past, and it seems unlikely this will change any time soon.

Tight lending guidelines are the result of lenders’ new, more conservative attitude toward the risk of bad loans and the possibility that people will force them to repurchase sold-off loans. When this happens; when lenders are forced to buy back loans, they lose money.

This leads to lenders being that much more cautious when asking for voluminous documentation, such as multiple credit checks, income verifications, and appraisals.

Home Buyers

Low mortgage rates and fallen prices that make homes relatively more affordable to purchase mean now should be a great time to buy. There are plenty of homes on the market, and the possibility of future inflation could boost home values when looking at long term.

However, many might-be buyers remain dubious due to near-term doubts about the wisdom of buying a home. In a third quarter survey, 33 percent of those asked said they were more likely to rent rather than buy their next home.

Despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to keep rates low, there has still been a recent rise in mortgage interest rates, a potential alarming fact for those looking to buy in the next few years. This does mean, however, that it could be better to buy sooner rather than later. (If rates go up, prices will come down, but it’s still better to lock in at an 8 percent loan than the possibility of it going down to 3.8 percent.)

While some of this information could seem alarming, it is important to remember these are predictions and not facts. An upside seems to be that renting could be a viable option, at least for a few years. The Warren Residential Group is an excellent resource whether you’re looking to buy Boston real estate or are looking into a Boston rental in the greater Boston area, so contact an agent today to schedule a viewing.

The kitchen features all new stainless steel appliances as well as openings to both the dining room and living room.  The bedroom is accessed by a long corridor that adds extra privacy. The bathroom was also completely renovated.  All of the electrical work has been redone, and there is a washer and dryer in the basement. This truly is a perfect example of our Brookline condos.

To learn about this listing, view the listing or contact a Warren Residential agent to schedule a viewing.

FP3 Studio Loft

The View from an FP3 Loft Balcony

Exterior of FP3

The FP3 Boston luxury lofts are only a five minute walk to Boston’s South Station, allowing for easy access to the entire city and beyond with the Red Line and Commuter Rail (as well as private  bus companies.)  Whether you are looking for a luxury loft studio or a 3 bedroom condo – the FP3 lofts are an amazing project worth looking into.  To learn more about available units or schedule a rental or sale showing, view the listing or contact a Warren Residential Group agent.

At only $338 per foot, this pet-friendly Cambridge condo is a perfect investment property or first home.  It is just minutes to the MBTA Green and Red lines, Kendall Square, and Boston!  If you missed the open house yesterday, make sure to schedule a viewing!

To learn more about this East Cambridge condo,  check out the listing, view our other Cambridge condos for sale, or contact us to schedule a viewing!

If you are looking to sell your property, regardless of whether it is a luxury Cambridge condo or a Brookline home, there is one thing that you should start doing on your own as soon as you can – staging!  Staging is a great way to highlight the strengths of your property in order to appeal to the greatest pool of potential buyers.  Here are a few tips to get you started.

De-Clutter and Edit: This is the most important step in staging.  Clutter will distract any buyer from seeing the actual room and space.  Remember that not all clutter comes in the form of knickknacks, big items like furniture needs to be trimmed down too.  When a professional stager works on a home, they often take away as much as half of all the furnishings to make the house look larger.  When staging, think in terms of bare essentials.  Remove the big heavy pieces that make rooms look smaller.  Put them in storage, sell them, or even put them in the garage.

Curb Appeal is Key: If you are selling a house or townhouse, make sure that the outside is as appealing as the inside.  Remove any clutter from your yard and put a little effort into landscaping.  Some homeowners will go as far as to paint the house just to grab a buyer’s attention immediately.  This is costly, so take into account the cost and the gain and make sure it is worth the investment.  Repairing walkway cracks and throwing some fertilizer onto dead grass patches is an inexpensive way to up the curb appeal.  If you are selling a condo, the management company and the building association are responsible for maintenance outside of your front door, so just focus on the inside.

Designate Functions: Make sure that the formal dining room is staged as a formal dining room – not a catch all for clutter or an office.  If you have a room that has always been just a “junk room”, repurpose it into something that will add value.  Adding a chaise lounge with ambient lighting and a small bookcase to a nook will add a cozy reading area to your home’s amenities.  A large point of staging is to help the prospective buyer see the potential of the space and to guide their imagination.  Another tip is to float furniture away from walls.  Reposition your seating into distinct groups in such a way that the traffic flow is clear to the prospective buyer.  Chairs and sofas that are pushed up against walls make rooms feel stiff, under styled, and bulky.

Create Ambiance: This part of staging is the most subtle, but infinitely important.  You want a prospective buyer to feel at home, and to spark their imagination.  The property should smell fresh and clean, be light and airy, and also be a comfortable temperature.  You can always fall back on the old “baking cookies before a showing” trick to make the kitchen smell homey.  Otherwise, pick candles and air fresheners that are not overpowering (skip the mango madness and pick something like clean linen or cotton.)  If you are a smoker or you have pets, this step is especially important.  Repainting walls and cleaning carpets and furniture (don’t forget blankets and curtains) are ways to avoid that stale smoke or kitty pee smell.  As far as lighting is concerned, replace all old and burnt out light bulbs and remove any heavy drapes or curtains.  The more light the better! Be sure to leave the heater on a comfortable temperature in the winter months and the A/C on in the summer.

Listing your home or investment property takes innovation and the knowledge of professionals.  If you are currently looking to list, click here to learn about what Warren Residential can do for you.

Not every For Sale by Owner seller is to be criticized, many are knowledgeable and fair.  The risk, however, lies in those that are not acting in the best interests of the buyer, the property, or the neighborhood.  The simple fact that For Sale by Owner sellers are not required to divulge information (good, bad, or irrelevant) about the property lends to the fact that all real estate transaction should involve and buyers agent and a sellers agent.  Such an important transaction should not be left in the hands of a stranger with no obligation to you.

Warren Residential Group has some of the most qualified and experience agents that would love to help you find your next home.  Feel free to check out our current listings. Please contact us to learn more about finding your dream home or click here to learn about our customized marketing plans and some of the techniques we use to sell your home.

The units at 15 North Beacon feature hardwood floors, balconies, updated kitchens (many have stainless steel appliances) and renovated bathrooms.  It is a quick walk to the MBTA green line, and the bus stops right outside.  There is also amazing access to convenience stores, restaurants (almost every ethnic cuisine you could imagine has a restaurant in Allston Village) and entertainment (Allston is home to some of the best small music venues, bars, and clubs in the city.)

For more information about this luxury Allston real estate, check out the listing or contact a Warren Real Estate agent to schedule a viewing of 15 North Beacon or one of our other luxury building listings.