From rental to sale

Written By Erica Christensen

At a certain point a client may decide they are ready to sell their property. We start out by notifying the tenant that their lease will not be renewed or that ownership may change (a lease survives a sale) prior to the end of the lease. In this case our client wanted to maximize the value of her property so we had all of our contractors, materials and styling pieces waiting in the wings until the tenants moved out. Then it was full steam ahead and we had the property professionally photographed and launched on the market in under 4 weeks! Our client had her plate full with family and work obligations, so she hired us and trusted us to guide her through the renovation!

Here’s a look at some of what we consulted on for this landlord-turned-seller:

  • Mood-board

    • creating a cohesive vision for the space that we knew would attract the future buyer

  • Pre-sale renovations list

    • Working within the client’s budget we outlined the full scope of the renovations that would give the highest return on investment. In this case that meant:

      • Full kitchen renovation including appliacnes

      • Replacing every light fixture

      • Painting all walls and ceilings

      • Cosmetic updates in the bathroom

  • Materials

    • If a client is interested in participating in design selections, then a document is provided giving links to three options for each needed item (ie bedroom light fixture Option 1 Option 2 Option 3)

  • Contractor scheduling

    • We had all of our vendors lined up the make the process as streamlined and quick as possible

  • Navigating hurdles

    • As with most projects and ESPECIALLY 100+ year old buildings in Boston, we can expect to have some issues. It took removing part of the staircase balluster, some scratches to the walls and three different sets of delivery people to get all of the appliances upstairs! Perseverance, a good sense of humor (and sometimes a cash tip) all help!

  • Property styling and staging

    • Post-renovations we came in with furniture, art, accessories and plants to really make the space shine!

Erica Christensen