How to Sell Your Rochester Home Fast: Upstage the Competition in Upstate New York

Good news for sellers: in upstate New York, just off of Lake Ontario, Rochester housing inventory is flying off the shelves.

In fact, data from the New York State Association of Realtors shows that in Q1 of 2019, Monroe County only had a 1.3 month supply of homes on the market—the lowest of any county listed in the state. At $127,000, Rochester’s median home sales price is 51% more affordable than the national average, according to the Greater Rochester Enterprise data.

But that doesn’t mean that sellers are off the hook. Buyers have caught the HGTV bug, and are looking for a Property Brothers–style reveal.

So how can you convince buyers to choose your home over the neighbor’s? We spoke with top real estate agent, Sharon Quataert and dug into local housing and design trends to create this comprehensive guide for how to sell your house fast in Rochester.

Top school districts are the Holy Grail for Rochester buyers with families

Rochester’s economy revolves around Wegmans’ corporate headquarters and three area hospitals, says Quataert. But no matter where you work, you’re usually never more than 30 minutes away.

That means buyers aren’t choosing neighborhoods based on proximity to their employers. Rather, school districts are the top priority.

Prices are higher and inventory is lower in the most desirable school districts, making it harder to get the “in.” That includes the Hilton and Spencer Port school districts to the west side of the Genesee River, and Pittsford and Brighton school districts to the east.

And it’s not just the locals that have caught on. U.S. News and World Report revealed in their 2019 Best High Schools National Rankings that of the state’s top 100 highest ranked high schools, seven are in Rochester. These include:

•   Pittsford Mendon – 23rd
•   Pittsford Sutherland – 27th
•   Honeoye Falls-Lima – 29th
•   Brighton – 72nd
•   Victor – 75th
•   Webster Thomas – 82nd
•   Penfield – 90th

If you’re selling in one of these coveted areas, be sure to shout it from the rooftops. Indicate that you’re in a top school district in both your online listing and flyers to hand out at the showing. Just avoid using words like “family-friendly” in your description—that could violate the Fair Housing Act.

Rochester buyers love rehabbed spaces

Millennials are growing up, and they now account for 37% of all home purchases—the largest share of homebuyers, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2019 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Report.

“As those millennials are reaching home-buying age, now they’re getting to the point where they’re the ones driving the first-time homebuyer market, which has such a shortage of inventory,” Quataert said.

That doesn’t mean first-time homebuyers are going to be an easy sell in Rochester. The houses that have been “lived in and loved for a long time, but have not been touched” take a little longer to sell, according to Quataert. “You’ve got to find a buyer who’s got a little imagination and a little bit of extra money.”

That means if your home was built around 1963, the median year in which Rochester homes were built, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, make some upgrades to bring it into the 21st century.

Says Quataert, “Most often buyers are willing to spend more for something that’s been updated and those are the ones that are usually attracting multiple offers.”

No matter what updates you decide to undertake, your efforts should go toward creating a lighter, brighter home, which tops buyers’ wish lists in Rochester. Update these spaces for the biggest impact:

• Walls:
  Give your walls a fresh coat of paint. It’s one of the most budget-friendly ways to freshen up a room fast, and whites and grays are the colors Rochester buyers respond to.
• Floors:
  Whites and grays are just as popular on the floor as they are on walls, whether it be tile, wood, or even carpet, Quataert said. “And people are even using luxury vinyl tile in living areas because it’s made to look like wood and it’s very durable.”
• Countertops:
  Granite or quartz are Rochester buyers’ first choices—provided they’re done in lighter colors, like a Carrara marble-inspired quartz.

Small-scale projects to sell your Rochester house faster

Don’t have the time or money to see studs? You can make a difference in as little as a weekend to get the house picture-perfect for buyers.

According to the National Association of Realtors, 83% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home. HomeLight data shows 67% of agents saying staging increases the sale price of a home to some extent.

“Those first impressions are so important,” says Lori Webster, owner of Belle Vue, a Rochester staging and redesign service awarded a Best of Houzz badge in 2019.

Webster recommends several ways to get your home in top shape before listing:

Start decluttering ASAP

“Decluttering is one of the first and most important steps to complete when selling a property,” Webster said.

When you have an inkling you want to sell, get started. Pros tend to recommend removing personal items like family photos so buyers can imagine themselves in the space, but Webster offers a compromise:

“Put a nice container in the trunk of your car and put the personal photos and items in there before showings,” Webster said. “Then just carry them right back inside when you get home.”

Make necessary repairs

Do a walkthrough of your home and make a list of projects that need to be done. Tasks that typically top the to-do list: patch cracks in the drywall, touch up paint and repair peeling wallpaper.

First impressions start outdoors

If you’re listing in the spring, take a trip to The Garden Factory and pick up some red geraniums; they’re hardy and offer a pop of color. Webster likes to pot them in black, decorative cast iron garden urns. If that’s out of the budget, black spray paint works wonders to spruce up plastic ones.

In the winter, hang a handmade wreath made of evergreen, boxwood, or olive greenery with a festive ribbon or bow on the door. “It’s amazing how nature’s fragrant gifts can ignite your senses and help create a cozy atmosphere during the winter months, when it can be harder to sell your home,” Webster said.

You can also pressure wash your siding to help it recover from long Rochester winters.

If you’re on a budget, you can rent a pressure washer from Home Depot and DIY the job. Just be aware that using the wrong nozzle and the too much pressure can cause serious damage to your home.

Speak with the pressure washer rental agent about the right equipment for your particular type of siding and ask for a demonstration of how to use the equipment before driving off with it.

Set the stage in empty Rochester homes

If you’ve moved out already, it may be worthwhile to furnish a select few rooms. A home stager can bring in furniture for the living room and kitchen; if your budget allows, stage the master bedroom, too, plus any room that may not feel like it has an obvious purpose.

In bedrooms, a fluffy down comforter with a crisp white duvet and pillows is a great backdrop for some more colorful accessories.

In other rooms, remember lighting is key, especially in Rochester winters, when it gets dark early. Make sure there’s plenty of lamps emitting a soft, warm glow.

Outdoors, set up vignettes to show how future homeowners could enjoy the space, like seating and a tray of drinks or cocktails.

Add some Rochester flair

Rochester loves lilacs, as evident in the town’s annual Lilac Festival. Bring some cut ones indoors before showings when possible. Add other local touches, like a bag of locally roasted coffee beans, around the house. “It’s nice to support local business in the area and reinforce we are from the same community,” Webster said.

Work with the weather, not against it

For all its good points, Rochester wasn’t blessed with perfect weather. According to the National Weather Service, winter snowfall in Rochester averages around 90 inches, spring and fall seasons are shorter, and summer rain is typically in the forecast every third or fourth day. That means you may need to adjust your selling approach accordingly. Keep these tips in mind before you list:

1. Try to pick a sunny day for photoshoots
“I emphasize that because we don’t get a lot of them around here,” says Quataert. Make sure to keep an eye on the weather forecast when you make your photography appointment.

2. Keep your driveway cleared of snow in the winter
Shovel and salt walkways regularly so there’s no slippery spots when prospective buyers come to view the house. It will also make the outside feel more welcoming.

3. Have a gas fireplace? Let it roar during showings
Give your agent the go-ahead to flip on this selling feature when buyers come to view the house, so they can envision themselves keeping cozy during the area’s long winters.

The best time to sell a house in Rochester

According to HomeLight data, the best time to close on a house in Rochester is in June—you could sell 7.8 days sooner than if you listed in any other month. That means, assuming it takes an average time of 3 months from list to close, you’ll want to list your home in April.

Quataert notes a similar trend:

“Due to the weather, the market ramps up in early spring, around March and April,” she said.

“By July it usually quiets down. Because we have such a small window of summertime, we find that’s a big vacation time when people are busy playing, and not necessarily focused on the business of buying homes. Then it ramps back up in the fall, which is a beautiful time of year around here.”

The worst month to sell, according to the numbers? February. Which makes sense, because after Thanksgiving, Quataert says, selling activity quiets down.

If you have any control over the time of year you are able to list, shoot for spring and fall.

Get the pricing right for your Rochester home

With a median price of $127,000 in Rochester, homes are priced well below the national median of $260,000.

What’s even better is the median income for the area ($71,548) is just above the national median ($70,850), according to data provided by Greater Rochester Enterprise. It’s a good town to be a buyer, and it shows—homes with an average price point in the $125,000 to $175,000 range go fast.

That means if you price your home too low, it’ll get snatched up quickly. But you’ll be potentially walking away from thousands of dollars. Price it too high, and you’ll risk losing out to more appropriately-priced competition.

Top realtors will do an extensive market analysis to find a sweet spot that will set sellers up for the most successful sale. One strategy that’s worked well for Quataert is to price a house just at or even right below its fair market value. This tends to create a competitive situation and result in higher offers for the seller.

Hire top real estate talent in Rochester to seal the deal

If you found all this data overwhelming, you certainly wouldn’t be alone.

Selling a home (and more than likely, buying a new one at the same time!) is arguably one of the most stressful times you’ll experience as a homeowner.

You’ll be plenty busy as you look for your new home, declutter, and pack for the impending move. But the listing, real estate photography, marketing, pricing, negotiations, and home sale paperwork? Leave it to a top agent.

Top real estate agents in Rochester sell homes 28.14 days faster than the average agent, make sellers 4.7 percent more on the sales, and move 1.8 times more properties. In short: they’ll get you the best offers in the shortest amount of time, and they’ll hold your hand through it all. Can you afford not to take them up on that?

Hand over the reins (and the keys!) and find a top real estate agent in Rochester to sell your house fast—there are more than 2,000 of them ready and waiting to help.

Header Image Source: (Roland Shainidze/ Shutterstock)