Selling house as Urban Farm ~thoughts or ideas?

[framing fowl]

I posted this in my journal but thought I would start this thread. We're going to do everything legal, creative, and within our power to sell our house in a month and a half and be moved to IL in time for me to start school by the beginning of September.

Our house is 975 sf, 50 years old and looks like 400 other houses currently on the market in our area. We're wanting to market it as an urban farm to hopefully attract a more specific buyer and make our property stand out.

Thoughts? Ideas? Advice?

 

[the+blessed+life]

I think it's a great idea. The things I would look for in a house that was advertised as an "urban farm" (I would call it a homestead): It's a small house-make it look as open and airy as possible. Make sure everything is neat, smells good, and is in good repair-even the outbuildings. A little paint and imagination can go a long way. Declutter. I have flipped a few houses and they were sold before I was finished remodeling. I can't stress the landscaping enough - cute fencing around the garden, mulch around the trees, compost bin, etc

 

[Beekissed]

I don't know about the rules in your area, but in WV I think it has to have 5 acres before you can list it as a "farm".

Do you have sheds, animal pens and shelters, etc. that would make this place look like a farm? I think it would definitely help it sell but prospective buyers would be expecting some semblance of a farm-type look or feel, wouldn't they?

 

[BirdBrain]

First impressions are everything!! Bright flowers, clean walk, clutter free. Try this, go the front of your property with pad and pencil. Now, turn around and look at your place as if you had never seen it before. What do you see? Mud dobber nests? Dirty windows? Weedy flowerbeds? Window treatments that need adjusting? Be very critical. You will have your to do list when you finish this exercise. I have done this with three different houses and am always amazed at what I see that I have been ignoring for a long time.

You can rent storage space and pack up anything you won't need until after you move, and get it out of your home. By the way, it is now a house, not a home (to you) but you want it to look like it could be home to someone else, so put away most of the family pictures so they can imagine themselves there. If you want it to be an urban farm, spruce up and clean up the animal housing areas. Nothing is more off putting than odors.

Make a binder that you can leave on the bar or table for potential buyers to peruse with pictures and commentary. It can also include school district maps, flood maps showing your property is not in the flood plane (for example), as built, etc. Include a list of ALL the things you have done to improve the property. I made a list titled something like "What you may not have noticed" and said something about the double hot water heaters, additional insulation, and a raft of other things that only an original owner would know about. Any thing you can do to keep the prospective buyer in you home or on your property.

The latest move was to a home that sits on a level acre with mature trees and plenty of running space for the kids. The house was an eyesore, but we didn't buy this place for the house. We bought it for the land. The previous owner had beautiful lawns and trees. We have since remodeled entirely. Now, both the house and the yard suit us. If the house has flaws, try to show the property in the best light even if its only terrific feature is the yard.

I hope all goes well!!

 

[Mackay]

We sold our house last summer when things were looking bleaker than they do right now.

The single most important thing you need to do is to have an agent that is highly motivated and will do open house for you.

If 50 houses in your neighborhood are the same the best way you can stand out is by your PRICE!

We used Assist to Sell reality. They charge a lot less than other realitors who charge 6%. We paid a flat fee based on the price of our house and because they actually found a buyer for us we didn't have to pay a 3% fee to the buyers agent.

All the other advice is good and needs to be done. When I showed the house I always had to leave before the agents and prospective buyers arrived. I would turn on soft music, light candles and leave cookies on the counter with a note to help yourself.... and they always did!

We also had an outdoor patio that was always set up for a "romantic dinner" with colorful dishes and flowers.

Good luck!

 

[Wifezilla]

The Assist to Sell agents in our area are really nice. They get copies from us all the time. Very hard workers.

 

[cjparker]

Frankly I wouldn't advertise it as an urban farm, urban homestead or anything like that. Better to say something like "room for gardens and poultry", or whatever in your ads. That way you don't eliminate a large portion of the buyers who are going to interpret "urban farm" as " a heck of a lot of work to keep up". I can barely believe it myself, but there are more people out there who DON'T want to grow their own veggies and eggs, etc than there are those that do.

To make your home stand out, follow the advise of the above posters. Keep the house immaculate. Paint the door so that it stands out. Put a pan of cinnamon rolls in the oven a few minutes before someone comes to view the house. (don't burn 'em, that doesn't help!) If you have home canned items, make an attractive grouping of them on the kitchen counter, which is a silent way of announcing what can be done with this home.

 

[framing fowl]

Thanks for all of the ideas. We've got a couple of flower beds to clean up and finish mulching this weekend and trimming along a fence. In the past 2 months, we've gotten 12 yards of mulch put down and almost all of the weeding complete. We're also finishing painting the trim inside the house. Everything else other than decluttering and staging inside is ready.

Good thoughts on the word "farm". Sometimes it is hard to remember that a word like that can be negative CJ- I really like your idea of saying "room for..." And really, it's not a "farm", it's a well landscaped, fenced, large lot with mature trees, berries, and permanent raised beds. We had a small flock of chickens but sold them and took down their pen because it was cobbled together our of scrap lumber and was functional but not pretty.

Looked up assist2sell and there is not a franchise in our area. I guess we'll just interview regular agents like we have in the past and find someone with a good track record on selling properties in this price range.

 

[Dace]

I have to agree with cj....don't pigeon hole your property as a 'farm', especially if you are looking for a quick sale!

Think about the demographic in your area....how many people are urban farming? Unless it is upwards of 90% you are really going to seriously minimize the number of people that you attract to your home.

You want to attract the masses, not the minority.

Also, from a couple years in RE I can tell you that people (in general) have no imagination......so make sure things are clean, tidy and minimal, so that they can envision their stuff there. The more photos, pictures, and 'stuff' that you have out, the harder it is for them to picture themselves in the home. New fresh flowers in beds, pots of flowers on the porch, fresh cut flowers in the kitchen, smell of baking cookies, clean windows, tidy and very parred down cabinets and closets also really help.

Good Luck!