Selling a Multi-Family Home in Somerville, MA
If you ended up on this page, there’s a good chance you own a multi-family in Somerville and you may be considering in a serious (or non-serious way) about selling your property. You likely know that Somerville is one of the hottest multi-family markets in all of Massachusetts, but it’s important to recognize that where you land on price is going to vary massively depending on which seller agent you hire to represent you. Let me run through some of the most common MISTAKES I see Somerville multi-family sellers make in our market:
#1 You hire an agent who has zero experience selling multi-families AND renting units. Here’s the reality - the vast majority of seller’s agents don’t do a lot of business. And the ones that do a lot of business are much more typically focused on pure residential sales - think condos and single families. And so the result is that most seller’s agents have very little experience in dealing with multi-families, which present their own challenges and opportunities. An agent with little to no experience in the multi-family space likely has no understanding about what the market rate is for your unit OR what updates can be made to your units to maximize the rental value OR how the tenant pool is changing in your neighborhood in the past 6 months. Focus on working with an agent who understand multi-family sales and rentals so they can sell the highest possible upside to prospective investor buyers.
A 3-family I helped a client purchase in Gilman Square area of Somerville. The agent didn’t realize combined rents were $2,300/mo under market…this likely cost the seller $100k+ in sales value.
#2 You hire an agent who has zero experience in Somerville multi-families. There is a high chance that you won’t find an agent that truly specializes in multi-family sales, there are just very few out there that actually have the experience. But even if you are lucky enough to find a sellers agent that truly knows multi-family sales inside and out, there is a VERY high likelihood that the agent does not understand the hyper local dynamics of the Somerville multi-family market. Most sellers agents will look on MLS and determine price that way. And while certainly that’s a good starting off point, if you aren’t living in the market EVERY SINGLE DAY for years, you won’t understand the nuances that massively change a neighborhood going a few blocks over. Or you may not catch that the property is listed as a 5-bed but could easily be converted into an 8-bed. Or you might not recognize that selling your property as a condo conversion in Somerville can actually be really, really hard due to extremely restrictive condo conversion laws in Somerville. Focus on working with an agent who specializes specifically in Somerville multi-family sales so they can guide you through the hyper local nuances that come up all the time in the Somerville market.
This 3-family around Union Square was sold by an agent primarily focused on towns an hour away from Somerville. The result was a purchase for my client at less than $400k/unit, the seller likely left $100k+ in sales value on the table for this particular deal.
#3 You hire an agent who doesn’t do the work to maximize resale value. Sometimes one or multiple units are neglected for a long time. Maybe a tenant lived in one of your units for a decade plus. Maybe you’re living in California and don’t have the life bandwidth to make regular trips to town or know the right vendors to do the work. Regardless of your situation, you need to know when it makes sense to make the necessary updates that are going to give you as much juice as possible out of your sale. I work as a “mini-GC” to do the work required to give you the best return on your investment, regardless of the current state of your units.
A 2-family I sold a block from Gilman Square, Somerville in 2025. Both units were in terrible shape and the owner was out of state. We made them like new at a very low cost, likely capturing $150k+ in additional value for less than $15k all in.
These above examples are just touching the tip of an iceburg of mistakes I see multi-family sellers in Somerville make. As the #1 multi-family buy-sell agent in Somerville in 2025, let me assist you in ensuring the highest possible sales price and best terms for your property! Take a look at the video below for more thoughts from me on selecting a multi-family seller’s agent for your Somerville multi:
Interested in working with the #1 Somerville multi-family sellers agent (based on 2025 buy/sell sides)? Book a FREE consultation with me Sage, below:
Check out my videos below on the VALUE of conducting a 1031 exchange after selling your Somerville multi-family, and why they are a GAME CHANGER in this market:
Past reviews from Somerville Multi-family Seller Clients:
“I've worked with many real estate agents in the past, and Sage is simply one of the best anywhere. What set him apart was that he made everything easy - went above and beyond in taking care of issues as they came up, and managed to sell my property in much less time than I thought, for a much better price than I hoped for. I also appreciated his deep knowledge of the market and efficient communication. I highly recommend him.” - Krzysztof Rybak (see review on Google Maps and more detail on the property here)
“I had the pleasure of working with Sage Jankowitz as my real estate agent, and I could not recommend him more highly. Throughout the entire process of selling my home, Sage was a calm, professional, and highly capable presence. He managed every detail needed to prepare my house for market—staging, painting, minor electrical work, house cleaning, trash removal, window washing, and was available to coordinate with tenants—ensuring the property showed at its best. When the first offer fell through, he immediately set up another open house and kept everything on track without losing momentum. Sage also recommended an excellent attorney and worked closely with him so I did not even need to attend the closing, which made the process far more convenient for me. His communication was clear and timely, and his ability to anticipate and handle challenges made the entire experience smooth and stress-free. Sage is an extraordinary agent—organized, proactive, and deeply committed to his clients’ success. I am grateful for his expertise and would recommend him without hesitation to anyone buying or selling a home.” - Noreen Hession (see review on Zillow here and more detail on the property here)
“After 40 years in my two-family home, I decided to downsize and contacted Sage as a buyer’s agent. Thanks to his recommendations, I found a wonderful single-family house. He guided me through the bidding process and helped secure the purchase. I also chose Sage as the seller’s agent for my two-family, and his marketing strategy was spot-on—the house sold over the first weekend. Sage knows the Boston area market inside and out. He’s impressively responsive, often replying to texts and emails within minutes, and has a network of great resources. Highly recommend!” - Paul Lipsky (see review on Zillow here and more detail on the property here)
Types of Multi-family properties I sell in Somerville:
If you have a multi-family property in Somerville, there’s a good chance I can help you sell it. I can help with:
2-family properties, also sometimes referred to as duplexes. I can handle all kinds of 2-families including side-by-side, Philadelphia style (where part of each unit shares a floor with another unit), top and bottom units or even single families with ADUs that may make sense to market as a 2-family (it really depends on your unique property)
A 2-family I sold on Calvin Street in Somerville in 2025, minutes to Union, Inman and Harvard Squares.
3-family properties, also sometimes called triplexes or triple deckers.
4-family properties, which are actually fairly rare in Somerville, but generally perform well in the sales market due to the limited inventory for these types of units, as well as the fact that they still qualify for residential financing.
Larger residential multi-family units, around Somerville the most typical range I see is 5-unit, 6-unit, 8-unit and 12-unit buildings, although once in a blue moon I will see other flavors
Multi-families on large lots with the potential to sell the property as a development opportunity for an outsized return
A 2-family on Line St on the Somerville-Cambridge line. I sold it as a development opportunity for 50% more than it would have sold as a pure buy/hold purchase in 2025.
Multi-families with a garage or other structure which could be converted into an additional unit called an ADU, or often referred to as a “cottage” in Somerville zoning lingo
Multi-family selling scenarios in Somerville that I can help you with:
This is not an exhaustive list, but it should give you some idea of how I can help:
You’ve owner occupied your Somerville multi-family for many decades and now it’s time to downsize and live off the proceeds of your sale in retirement.
A 3-family I sold on Beacon St in Somerville. The seller owner-occupied the property for 50+ years and needed a strong sales price as the proceeds would primarily support her retirement. It ended up selling at $1.7M well above the sellers expectations.
You’re living out of state and managing your multi-family property is becoming a headache - you’re ready to cash out and move on
You’ve inherited your multi-family from a parent or relative and you now need to decide by yourself or with siblings how best to move on
You have a number of properties in your portfolio and it’s time to cull one or a couple to capture your returns and get some personal bandwidth back
You need the cash out from your multi-family for other investment opportunities, real estate or otherwise