How to Sell Your Barndominium Without a Real Estate Agent
Barndominiums, the trendy home style fusing spacious barns and comfortable living quarters, have skyrocketed in popularity the last decade. If you invested in a barndo but are ready to move onto a new chapter, you may wonder how these unique properties fare selling in 2023’s up-and-down market. Follow this step-by-step guide tailored to today’s housing landscape.
Step 1: Highlight Unique Features
In slowing markets, unique homes like barndos can struggle more getting buyers under contract compared to traditional houses. Set your barndo apart by showcasing special features in listing photos and descriptions. Emphasize artisan details like hand-crafted wood accents, steel beam ceilings, and custom built-ins that set barndos apart from cookie-cutter houses.
Step 2: Price Aggressively
Though barndos grow more popular, relatively few buyers specifically seek them out. Price yours keenly from day one for maximum appeal. Closely compare recent sales of similar-sized rural homes in your county, then shave 5-10% off for your listing price to stand out. Consider offers swiftly too. But in hot markets with low inventory, you may still price to competition.
Step 3: Prepare for Questions
Many buyers unfamiliar with barndominiums will have lots of questions about insulation, utilities, and more. Have past energy bills, information on construction upgrades like installed HVAC systems, and reports from inspectors ready to share. Offer to walk buyers through every aspect from ceiling insulation to wiring to plumbing. Transparency is key.
Step 4: Highlight Flexible Space
Barndos allow incredible flexibility thanks to large open floor plans. Play this up to buyers. Note potential uses for cavernous great rooms from home gyms to man caves to children’s play zones. Discuss keeping work-from-home office nooks separate from living areas for multi-functional use. Flex space sells.
Step 5: Patience is Key
Statistics show the average home takes 40-60 days to sell in 2023’s up-and-down market. Unique properties like barndos often take longer – sometimes 4-5 months. Avoid knee-jerk price drops every few weeks. Find ways to refresh your listing like new photos for the various seasons to keep appealing to new potential buyers in your smaller niche.
Appreciation Differs by Market
Like any homes, barndominium appreciation or depreciation varies greatly based on location location location. In hot rural markets across regions like Texas Hill Country, Idaho, and Tennessee, some barndos have sold for double or more what owners originally spent to build them.
This strong appreciation results from demand outpacing supply as more buyers discover barndos’ irresistible perks. Rural enclaves within reach of tech hubs have seen particular barndo boom times like Livingston, Texas and scenic Idaho.
Meanwhile, other areas have seen less stellar returns on investment for owners upon resale. Regions with oversaturation and downward-trending markets have left some barndo sellers barely breaking even or even losing money.
Maximizing Future Resale Value
For best future resale value, carefully research regional barndo sales trajectories before building to pick promising growth areas. Seek faster-growing rural housing markets near desirable amenities.
Then during construction, use quality insulation, heating/cooling, and avoid cutting corners. Install higher-end finishes and fixtures to elevate stylistic appeal. Timeless elements like natural stone backsplashes provide future value.
Selling barndominums requires understanding their specialty niche appeal and pricing right for motivated buyers. But in today’s complex market, flexible space, aggressive pricing, and endless patience for showing this charming home style are keys for eventual success!
