Selling Your Mountain Home: Two Tips to Simplify the Process
Selling a home in the mountains can be a bit of a challenge. After all, the market is a lot smaller for niche vacation homes and resort-style residences than for your typical, three-bedroom home in the suburbs. But this does not mean you have to sit on your mountain home for years until you find a buyer or lower your price to the point that you suffer financially from the sale. Here are four tips to help you sell your mountain home more efficiently and with fewer headaches.
Do your own research when it comes to prices.
When there are not fifteen similar homes on the same street to compare your home to, settling on a fair asking price is not easy. While an experienced realtor can help with this, you also want to do your own research in order to ensure your realtor's recommended asking price is a wise one. Look into mountain homes in the same region that have sold in the last year. You can find information on these sales in local papers and on real estate buying apps. Don't worry that the home is miles from yours or has a different view. Just get a broad idea of the price range for mountain homes in the same general vicinity.
Then, narrow the list down to the five (or three if you can't find five) recently sold homes that are most similar to yours. Average the sale prices, and add a few thousand to the result to give yourself some room for negotiation. For example, if the average selling price of homes similar to yours was $250,000, ask for $270,000 and be willing to accept $250,000 if someone offers it.
Take advantage of the busy season.
In most mountain areas, there's a busy season when more vacationers and tourists visit. Some of these visitors may be looking for mountain homes, or, if they stumble upon one that they love, they might suddenly decide to buy a mountain home. Capture these visitors' attention by posting ads for your mountain home in popular attractions like the local state park offices and diners. Make sure you stay at your mountain home during this season so you're around to work with the realtor and show the home if needed.
You may also try advertising your mountain home on sites that cater to visitors rather than just home buyers. You may find someone who was initially planning to visit just once but falls in love with your mountain home and decides to buy it.
Above all else, make sure you're working with a realtor who knows the market in your area and has a history of successful sales. They will be a go-to resource as you attempt to find a new owner for your beloved mountain property