Everyone knows that when you sell a house there are certain repairs and changes that need to be done in order to make a house more attractive to buyers. Believe it or not, the same is true for country acreage and rural real estate. Just like staging rooms in a house to show off each room’s best attributes, rural real estate often has wonderful features that should be highlighted and pointed out. Most people have a hard time envisioning the potential a piece of property could have when there is no home there. There are five main things one should do to attract buyers and make your property stand out from the rest.
1. Declutter
You wouldn’t show a home with rooms full of clutter, and neither should you leave debris, trash or broken tools or implements lying around when you are trying to sell your property. Even things like fallen limbs and other storm related matter can be an eyesore. If you have a creek or river, take special care to make sure it is flowing nicely through the property and not clogged with branches, leaves, tires or other trash. First impressions are everything! You don’t want a potential buyer walking on your property and immediately making a list of chores in his head.
2. Repair
Fencing, bridges, sheds or other outbuildings should be in good shape before you show the property or put it on the market. If a building is beyond repair, the best thing to do is to tear it down so it doesn’t become a detractor to your land. Any unfinished repairs the buyer will have to make, just gives him leverage to offer a lower price.
3. Highlight the best features
There is nothing worse for a buyer expecting to look at a property that has advertised a pond, creek, spring or river and discovering that it is so overgrown they can’t even get to it. People want to be able to get up close and personal with the land (and water) and there is nothing that will kill a sale quicker than no access to these features. If you have all wooded acreage for sale, you should at least consider underbrushing the best homesite area the property has to offer. Acreage with a view should surely be wonderful and not obstructed.
4. Staging
No, it isn’t a house, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use the same tactics on rural property. You have to help the buyers imagination a little and give them a glimpse of what an area could be. Place a picnic table by the pond or creek. Hang a swing for the kids from that sturdy branch in the oak tree or place a bench in a shady area. These little touches aren’t expensive, but they tweak the imagination just a little and get people to imagine themselves picnicking by the creek or sitting in the shade watching the kids swing.
5. Go ahead and brag
Little tidbits of information can reap big rewards. What may seem like an inocuous bit of information to you, may create a big impact on a buyer. I was thrilled to find out that our property in Virginia had both raspberry and blackberry bushes that were always loaded with fruit in the summer, and that every evening several deer came down to the spring to drink. Any historical significance should also be shared. You never know what may interest a buyer, so don’t hold back.
Making your property stand out from competing country acreage can often be relatively simple and inexpensive if you look at it through the eyes of a buyer.