How Do You Sell Your House in Massachusetts or New Hampshire in 2026?
The quick answer: To sell a house in Andover MA, Haverhill MA or Salem NH, you get the home ready first, then choose your price with real numbers. Launch it to as many buyers as you can at once. Pick the offer most likely to close. Your attorney handles the P&S and closing. Most of the work happens before the sign goes up.
Your home can show beautifully and still lose buyers before they ever step inside.
Most buyers meet your house on a phone screen first. They scroll past the price, the first photo and the first line. Then they decide if it's worth a drive.
If you feel a little nervous about selling, you aren't alone. You've lived your life in this house. Now strangers will judge it in a few seconds. That's a lot to carry.
Here's the whole plan, start to finish. It's the same one I walk sellers through at their kitchen table. You'll know what happens, when it happens and why.
When you choose your price, you're choosing how you'll feel on Monday.
In this guide
What should you do in the 30 days before you list?
Get the house ready before anyone sees it. The month before launch shapes how buyers feel on day one.
Start with the stuff. Clear counters, tables and floors. Empty out half of each closet, because buyers open them. If you wouldn't want a buyer to take a photo of something, pack it.
Then walk the house with me. We sort repairs into three lists:
- Fix: things a buyer will worry about right away, like a ceiling stain, missing shingles or a broken gate.
- Leave: normal wear for a home of its age. Fixing it rarely pays you back.
- Tell them up front: things you know about. Saying it early saves a fight later.
The goal is the most money for you at closing, not the most money spent before you list. Fresh paint on scuffed walls almost always pays. A brand new kitchen rarely does.
Which repairs and papers does Massachusetts require?
If your home was built before 1978, Massachusetts requires a lead paint notice. You give it to the buyer before you sign the P&S.
The P&S is the purchase and sale agreement, the main contract after your offer is accepted. Along with the lead notice, you share any lead reports you have and tell the buyer what you know. The state's form is free online.
Beyond that, be honest about what you know. Your attorney will tell you what to put in writing. In New Hampshire, ask your attorney about that state's forms too.
How do you choose your list price?
You choose it. I don't set your price. I give you the facts so you can pick the number that feels right.
Here's what I walk you through, in this order:
- What sellers near you accepted lately, for how much, why they chose that buyer, and what the buyer did to win.
- Every home for sale within 10 miles in your price range. That's what else a buyer could choose. It teaches us how to make your home stand out as the best of the best.
- The accurate similar sales from the last 30 days.
Most sellers then pick Energy Pricing or Market Based. Each has its role. Energy Pricing builds the most momentum, especially when lots of homes are coming to market. Market Based sits right at what similar homes sold for. You can read more in the three pricing models.
When you choose your price, you're choosing how you'll feel on Monday after the open houses. You want to feel proud, excited and ready to look at offers.
What's the 6 Day Selling Strategy?
It's how we launch every listing. Almost all of my sellers accept their chosen buyer on day 6, right on time.
That isn't luck. The home is ready. The price is one you chose with real facts. The marketing reaches as many buyers as possible in the same few days. My listings reach over 40,000 people on average.
When buyers see a home at the same time, they make offers at the same time. That gives you choices, and choices give you power.
What marketing does your listing get?
Your home goes into the MLS, the shared system agents use to find homes. From there it flows to the big home search sites.
We write the listing with care: the words, the room sizes, the photo order. We use photographers who shoot real estate, with bright, honest photos. Buyers who feel fooled by wide-angle tricks walk out fast.
We also reach buyers and buyer agents directly before and during launch week. A buyer who hears about your home on day one moves faster than one who finds it on day ten.
Should you be home for showings?
No. Buyers relax and look longer when you're not there.
We set up a lockbox and handle every appointment. After each showing, we ask the agent for feedback. One buyer's opinion is just an opinion. When three agents say the same thing, we pay attention and tell you.
How do you pick the best offer?
Pick the offer most likely to close, not just the biggest number. Price matters. So do the loan, the deposit, the dates and the strings attached.
A higher offer with a weak loan or a long list of conditions can fall apart. A slightly lower, clean offer can carry you all the way to closing. We lay every offer side by side so you can see it clearly. Our seller negotiation guide goes deeper.
What closing costs do sellers pay in Massachusetts and New Hampshire?
In Massachusetts, sellers pay a deeds excise of $2.28 per $500 of the price, which is $4.56 per $1,000. Barnstable County has a different rate.
In New Hampshire, the transfer tax is $0.75 per $100 of the price. The buyer and the seller each pay that rate.
You'll also pay your attorney, any credits you agree to, your mortgage payoff and the real estate commission. We give you a full estimate of what you'll walk away with before you list.
What happens between the accepted offer and closing?
Your attorney and the buyer's attorney write the P&S. Then the buyer does an inspection and their lender orders an appraisal.
An appraisal is the lender's check on the home's value. If it comes in low, there are a few paths: a new price, the buyer covers the gap, or you meet in the middle. We talk through each one with you.
In the last week, the buyer does a final walk-through. At closing, your attorney signs the deed with you, and the money goes to your account. We stay with you the whole way, and long after.
Which homes are for sale in Andover MA, Haverhill MA and Salem NH right now?
Here's every home for sale in Andover MA, Haverhill MA and Salem NH right now, live from the MLS. This is what buyers compare your home to. Tap any home for photos and details.
For sellers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire
Want your walk-through and pricing facts?
Sign up and I'll come see the house, then walk you through the three pricing facts so you can choose your price.
About Lisa Sevajian
Buying, Lisa Sevajian makes sure you don't overpay. Selling, she makes sure you don't say yes to too little. Lisa Sevajian is a Realtor with the Lisa Sevajian Group at eXp Realty, licensed in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She has guided almost 2,000 families through buying and selling and has ranked in the top 1.5% of over 1.4 million Realtors nationwide verified by RealTrends. She serves Andover MA, North Andover MA, Amesbury MA, Newburyport MA, Haverhill MA, Methuen MA, Salisbury MA, Boxford MA, Topsfield MA, Georgetown MA, Groveland MA, Tewksbury MA, Wilmington MA, Reading MA, North Reading MA, Middleton MA, Danvers MA, Salem MA, Peabody MA, Windham NH, Salem NH, Londonderry NH, Derry NH, Pelham NH, Plaistow NH, Nashua NH, Manchester NH, Atkinson NH, Hampton NH and Portsmouth NH. Call Lisa Sevajian at 978-457-3406.
Home, for me, is here
This is home for me. I grew up north of Boston. I raised my two daughters here as a single mom while I built my business. When they were little, they hosted open houses with me.
We lived at Mill Pond in North Andover MA. I hiked Weir Hill with my dogs. I launched my kayak on the pond. A lot of my mornings started at Good Day Cafe.
So when you ask me about a town, you get more than numbers. Ask me about a school, a street or your commute, and you get someone who has lived it. If you're making a move here, you won't make it alone.
Lisa is an expert negotiator and we were able to get everything that we wanted for our offer.
Kevin Liu, bought a home in Georgetown MA, verified Zillow review
She listened to me and understood what I needed in this home sale.
Elizabeth Reifsnyder, sold a home in Andover MA, verified Zillow review
Read real client storiesSee all reviewsMore about Lisa Sevajian
Featured by HGTV, Forbes, HousingWire, Boston magazine, RealTrends Verified and Boston Agent Magazine, syndicated by The Globe and Mail and Yahoo Finance, among many others.
Questions people ask
How do I sell my house in Massachusetts?
Get the home ready, choose your price with recent accepted offers, homes for sale and the last 30 days of accurate similar sales, then launch to as many buyers as possible at once. Your attorney handles the P&S and closing.
How long does it take to sell a house in Andover MA?
With the 6 Day Selling Strategy, almost all of Lisa Sevajian's sellers accept their chosen buyer on day 6. Closing usually follows a few weeks later, once the loan and paperwork are done.
What do sellers pay at closing in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts sellers pay a deeds excise of $2.28 per $500 of the price, or $4.56 per $1,000, outside Barnstable County. Add attorney fees, any credits, the mortgage payoff and commission.
What's the transfer tax when you sell a house in Salem NH?
New Hampshire's transfer tax is $0.75 per $100 of the price, and the buyer and seller each pay that rate. That applies in Salem NH and every other NH town.
Should I fix things before I sell my house in Haverhill MA?
Fix what a buyer will worry about right away, like leaks, missing shingles or broken parts. Leave normal wear. Tell buyers up front about things you know.
Do I need a lead paint form to sell my house in Massachusetts?
Yes, if the home was built before 1978. You give the buyer the Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification before you both sign the P&S.
Who sets the list price when I sell with Lisa Sevajian?
You do. Lisa Sevajian walks you through recent accepted offers, homes for sale within 10 miles and the last 30 days of accurate similar sales, then you choose.
Should I be home during showings in North Andover MA?
No. Buyers look longer and talk more freely when you're out. In North Andover MA and everywhere else, a lockbox and set appointments make it easy.
Is the highest offer always the best offer?
No. The best offer is the one most likely to close. Look at the loan, the deposit, the dates and the conditions along with the price.
What happens if the appraisal comes in low in Methuen MA?
The buyer and seller can agree on a new price, the buyer can cover the gap with cash, or you can meet in the middle. In Methuen MA, your agent and attorney walk you through it.
What does a P&S mean when selling a house in Massachusetts?
P&S means purchase and sale agreement. It's the full contract signed after the offer is accepted, and both attorneys review it before you sign.
Sources
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue: deeds excise rate, $2.28 per $500 (checked October 14, 2026)
- New Hampshire RSA 78-B: real estate transfer tax, $0.75 per $100 from buyer and seller (checked October 14, 2026)
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health: Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification (checked October 14, 2026)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: when the appraisal is less than the sale price (checked October 14, 2026)
This is general information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Check with your attorney, lender and CPA before you decide.
I'll guide you home.
Lisa Sevajian