Moving Out Early to Make Selling Easier and Safer

Problem: This winter, my clients closed on a home in another state and hired me to sell their home in Billerica. The plan was to let their children finish the school year in Massachusetts, sell the home and then move. But the pandemic threw a wrench in their plans: they felt uncomfortable opening up their home to potential buyers.

Solution: With school now remote, after-school activities called off and social distancing the order of the day, I counseled my clients to move early, which would make selling their home, which we listed for $649,900, far simpler and safer.  Now that the home was empty, we had a blank canvas for staging and it turned out gorgeous. It was the height of the pandemic, so every potential buyer underwent a COVID screening with a questionnaire, we did block showings, and required gloves and masks. We received five offers, all well over asking, after the first weekend of showings.

Result: Interestingly, my clients ended up accepting an offer that wasn’t the highest. They went with these particular buyers because they were friends of friends. And then the deal fell through. Back on the market it went, and this time we listed it for $675,000 because the market had spoken. The winning bid was $685,000 and my clients couldn’t have been happier.

All in a Day’s Work: Solving Real-Life, Real Estate Problems for our Clients is a regular feature brought to you by Marie Presti of The Presti Group. Our agents specialize in luxury homes, rehabilitations, multi-families and condominiums in urban, suburban and exurban areas throughout the Greater Boston area. Marie Presti is a Certified Negotiation Expert. Reach out at to find out how "We go the extra block.”

 
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