How To Sell A Vacant House in Houston

Trying to sell an empty house in Houston? It can be hard for potential buyers to walk into a vacant home and envision making that home their own, which makes selling a vacant home pretty difficult.

While some buyers love walking into what is essentially a blank canvas, other buyers like to see furniture or other items that make it easier to envision living there. 

However, it’s not always possible for sellers to stay in their properties while it’s on the market. Sometimes job relocations pull you away from your vacant home, or maybe you’ve inherited a house but live out of state. 

Holding costs such as mortgages and insurance make holding onto an empty home hard enough, and worrying about how a vacant home will appeal to buyers is just another source of stress, along with security of the home and any potential damages.

1. Schedule Regular Cleanings

When selling your vacant home, beware of dust and grime! If the house looks dirty, this will put off buyers touring the property. 

As well as an exhaustive deep cleaning before listing, it’s also a good idea to set up regular cleanings every three weeks. These don’t have to be exhaustive cleanings, but somebody going in, sprucing the place up and getting rid of the cobwebs and dust can make a big difference. 

Your real estate agent may be able to make recommendations for local cleaning services if you’re not in the area. 

2. Leave the Utilities On

Leaving the utilities on can prevent weather damage.  If the utilities are off, buyers will also get the impression the house needs more repairs than it actually does.  It also makes it more comfortable for anyone seeing the house.

3. Set Up Security

A home burglary occurs in the U.S. every 25.7 seconds and vacant homes are, unfortunately, often targets for break-ins. Burglars see the for-sale sign as an opportunity, and as strangers walk in and out of the property, this creates even more opportunities to steal appliances or other goods in the home.   Alert the neighbors as well.

4. Make sure you have Valid Insurance

If your vacant property has been unoccupied for more than 60 days, you’ll need to change your insurance policy if you haven’t already to ensure you have the right coverage.  Properties that are unoccupied are deemed higher risk, and therefore your policy may be void. Because they are at higher risk, vacant home policies tend to be more expensive than a policy for an occupied home.  Get in touch with your insurance provider to verify if your current policy extends to a vacant property. Otherwise, you may not be covered if your property is vandalized or damaged.

Our team at Absolute Properties experienced in buying vacant homes in Houston, and would love the opportunity to make you a cash offer today.