"Positioning" is a term used by the real estate community to describe certain changes made to a house prior to placing it on the market, which are designed to enhance its appeal to prospective Buyers.

Preparing your historic house to "show" to best advantage is vitally important, but in some ways decisions about what stays and what goes, what gets fixed and what is left "as is" are best left to your real estate professional. After many years in an old house (often decades for our clientele) homeowners often have difficulty distinguishing between patina and grime - between charm and deterioration.

One of the most important investments of time you can make before the first ad or the first open house, is the hour or two you and your Realtor take to "set the stage" for showings. A few easy changes can yield a far more compelling historic house on the market - and bottom-line benefits to you.

Collections  Most owners of historic houses own their house because they love history and antiques. As a consequence, many have period furniture and collections within the home. Remember, you are selling your house, not your antiques. If the presence of fine antiques is so overwhelming that prospects are likely to find it distracting consider lending some to a relative or close friend or placing some in storage.  After all, these items will eventually be moved anyway. You'll do yourself a favor by getting a head start on the process. Keep the focus on your house -not your belongings! More than once we have heard qualified buyers say, "If only we had beautiful furniture like this we would be happy here...but we don't. We're better off looking at something else." The reverse is the story of one of our Sellers, an learned lady who, before listing with Amercian Landmarks, cleared out a magnificent house of everything but her rosewood Steinway grand!. When we asked why, she answered "Well, I thought that was what I was supposed to do before listing my home for sale." All things in moderation.

Clutter versus Order  Just as is the case with non-historic houses, clutter should be avoided. Do a general clean out of all overstuffed closets and storage spaces. Have a yard sale for the detritus and donate some of the balance to a charity or a needy relative who will appreciate it.

Natural Light  Hemingway  loved "a clean well-lighted place." So do Buyers. Open the curtains - or, consider removing some entirely to reveal the window surrounds, sash and other decorative woodwork. Let the sun shine in. After all, your prospects want to be able to see the house. (Note: don't let strong sun bleach your mahogany furniture or fine prints. Either store the most susceptible of these for the duration, or purchase ultra-violet "UV" glass film to screen out much of the harmful effect.)

Other pre-sale "positioning" might include replacing cracked windowpanes, repainting the front door, polishing brass fireplace accoutrements, and, last but not least, a thorough professional cleaning of the whole house. This should include places like the butler's pantry shelves where Aunt Millie's favorite claret glasses have resided, undisturbed and collecting dust for twenty years. Everything should sparkle.

American Landmarks would be happy to have one of our Sales Associates visit with you to suggest "positioning" that will maximize the market value of your historic home. Call us for an appointment at (781) 729-5174.

American Landmarks, LLC
One Mount Vernon Street, P.O. Box 1050, Winchester, MA 01890 (781) 729-5174