7 Tips to Sell Your Lincoln Nebraska House Fast
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Kristy Snyder Contributing AuthorCloseKristy Snyder Contributing Author
Kristy Snyder is a professional writer and editor living in Pittsburgh with over 10 years of content creation experience. She's written for numerous clients in the real estate sector, including Movoto, Equator, Aceable Agent, and more. As she navigates the homebuying experience for the first time, she hopes to share everything she learns with her audience.
At HomeLight, our vision is a world where every real estate transaction is simple, certain, and satisfying. Therefore, we promote strict editorial integrity in each of our posts.
Perhaps you hope to trade your Haymarket condo for a larger property in Family Acres. Or maybe you’ve decided to carpe diem and chase the Coastal lifestyle unavailable in the landlocked state. Either way, you need to sell your house fast in Lincoln, Nebraska, to pursue this next chapter.
Thankfully, you’ve got a solid shot at finding a buyer who will appreciate all that your Lincoln home has to offer — whether it be a quiet street, well-manicured lawn, or walkout basement. In fact, your Lincoln home is likely an even hotter commodity than you realize.
Let’s start with the city itself, which experienced an 11.7% population jump between 2010 and 2019. People are flocking to Nebraska’s capital for job opportunities in the “Silicon Prairie,” and Nebraska typically sees higher population jumps when the national unemployment rate rises. In addition, Lincoln attracts families and students with a Big 10 team to rally around (Go Huskers!) — making for a lively scene and housing market as scarlet red as Herbie’s cowboy hat.
Statistics from the Great Plains Regional MLS show that Lincoln area home prices have increased from a median $160,000 to $250,500 since 2016 — that’s a 56% increase over five years — with buyers competing over shrinking housing inventory. No need to emulate the cachet of San Francisco or New York; Lincoln thrives its own way, making the Midwest gem a great place for homeowners looking to cash out. And with these tips from real estate experts who know the Lincoln market for the giant “small town” that it is, you can do so even faster than your super friendly neighbors.
1. Showcase your basement as usable living space
Lincoln is known for having hot, balmy weather in the summer that cruelly shifts into a cold, tundra-like winter. The city has, on average, 141.2 days where the temperature falls below freezing. Brr!
To survive this harsh period of snow and ice, many Lincoln buyers seek homes that can offer a respite from the cold where they can entertain and stay warm. As such, they tend to prioritize larger living spaces where they can hibernate throughout the long winter. Locally, this “bonus” space often comes in the form of a basement.
“In Lincoln, basements are used for more than storage,” said Joanne McCoy, a top-selling Lincoln real estate agent who sells homes 38% faster than the average area agent. “A lot of people convert it to more living space.”
Don’t neglect the basement in your listing preparations. You can invest in a range of projects from simple spruce-ups to larger renovations, such as:
Stage a clean and inviting living area
If you’re using your finished basement as storage, relocate your boxes containing your roller skates, hiking boots, and extra kitchen appliances (Midwesterners love their crockpot meals) to a dedicated closet or shelf.
Consider a professional carpet cleaning — Heaven’s Best Lincoln offers a service that dries within an hour — or rent your own Rug Doctor carpet cleaner from Home Depot ($33 per day) to lift the dirt and grime from your basement flooring.
Once you’ve cleaned and decluttered, all you need is a loveseat, chair or two, area rug, and coffee table to suggest how the space could be used as a living area. Make sure the space appears light and bright with extra lamps and LED bulbs that fall in the 3000K to 3500K Kelvin range for a neutral but warm glow.
Open it up
If you have some funds to play with and want to maximize space in your basement, McCoy recommends knocking down non-load-bearing walls to create an open concept, adding in big daylight windows, or even increasing the ceiling height to a standard 9 feet.
McCoy says it’s something buyers are really looking for, so these kinds of additions will make your house fly off the market. Total Basement Finishing is a popular Lincoln contractor that tackles a lot of projects like this. If you’re starting from scratch and looking to refinish the entire basement, it will run an average of $42.56 per square foot.
You should think about opening up your first floor as well. Most homes in Lincoln are ranch-style, making it easier to remove walls or add new windows for more natural light.
For older homes that have two stories, it’s common to have staircases dividing the space. If this describes your home, McCoy recommends adding a see-through railing to give the room the illusion of being brighter and more open.
Add a wet bar (or market your existing one)
We collected data on the top basement upgrades for entertaining guests, and our results show that homebuyers in the Midwest particularly favor a wet bar. In fact, 55% of top real estate agents in the region cite this feature as an asset for marketing your home in their region.
The average cost to add a wet bar with mid-grade materials is $3,700 plus plumbing expenses. Alternatively, you could allude to the idea of a wet bar by staging your basement with a Bar Cabinet. If you already have a wet bar in your basement, be sure to highlight it prominently in your listing. It’s sure to help you sell your house fast in Lincoln.
Put in an egress window
Egress windows provide an alternative route for someone to escape the basement in the event of a house fire or other emergency. By adding an egress window, you can bring your basement up to code and add up to $10,000 to your list price in the process.
2. Upgrade the kitchens and baths of your Lincoln home
The median age of a home in Lincoln is 40 years old, meaning a lot of houses have seen better days. About 15.2% of houses were built in the ‘70s, meaning old trends like peach wall tile abound. In addition to basements, kitchens and bathrooms are key areas that Lincoln home buyers expect to see fresh and modern updates. So how can you make these rooms more appealing?
Derek Poloncic, Sales Manager at North Country Windows and Baths serving Nebraska and several surrounding states, recommends sellers go for timeless selections like subway tile for their kitchen backsplash and bathroom tile. Herringbone pattern tile is also trending right now among his customer base, as is groutless design for being low-maintenance.
While you’re updating your bathroom, you may also want to think about making it more accessible for older homebuyers. Lincoln has a large population of Baby Boomers who are now reaching retirement age. In fact, the city estimates it will have an additional 18,000 residents over the age of 65 in the next few years.
Accommodating older buyers is great, but putting in accessibility grab bars might alienate younger buyers. So if your tub is deep, for example, consider offering buyers a credit so they can install these features themselves.
“The bathroom is the most dangerous place to fall in the home,” said Poloncic. “That’s why a lot of homeowners are putting in shower grab bars and handheld wands for easy cleaning.”
3. Replace aging windows hurting your energy-efficiency
Outside of the bathroom and kitchen, damaged windows are another common problem with older homes in Lincoln. Lincoln’s extreme hot and cold temperatures put extra stress on wooden window frames, often leading to rot and seal failure. The issue isn’t limited to older homes, either; you should check the age and condition of your windows even if your Lincoln home qualifies as newer construction.
“A lot of the builders put in contractor-grade windows, which are cheaper windows that builders like to use,” said Poloncic. “Many times, those windows fail 10-20 years after building the home.”
Replacing your windows will earn you a big return on investment. Our data shows you’ll see $9,672 in added value to your home.
When in doubt, upgrade to new, energy-efficient windows before you put your home on the market if you want to sell it fast. New windows not only make your home stand out on the block with shiny glass and picture-perfect framing, but it also can help the homebuyer save big on utilities and increase the value of your home. If you choose ENERGY STAR certified windows, the new homeowner could shrink their energy bill by an average of 22% — a great perk you can mention in the listing.
4. Target university students looking to live near campus
In addition to the state government, the University of Nebraska is the biggest employer in Lincoln. That might lead you to think that tailoring your home to preferences of professors and other staff could help for a quicker sale. While that’s not a bad assumption, McCoy suggests you take a different approach in your house preparations and marketing.
“We do have a lot of parents who buy a home for their kids to live in while they’re going to school,” says McCoy.
“This makes sense instead of paying for rent or the dorm. Once kids are through, they keep it as a rental or sell it.”
So rather than create a home office for a working professional, instead stage your extra rooms as bedrooms for students who will be living in the house with their friends. Wi-Fi is also critical for schoolwork, so make sure your home is connected. Spectrum and Windstream are two of the most popular internet service providers in Lincoln.
Since students will likely have to drive from your home to the campus (most residential homes are at least 10 minutes away), emphasize parking in your listing and maximize your number of total onsite parking spots. Clear out your garage to show the potential vehicle storage.
Finally, to make the parents of Lincoln students fall in love with your home, include your washer and dryer as part of the sale. Traditionally, washers and dryers are negotiable in a home sale, but they’re a pain to move anyway. When you offer to leave them behind, potential renters won’t be concerned about taking their dirty clothes to a laundromat across town.
5. List your Lincoln home in late spring or late fall
According to our transaction data, the best time to sell a house in Lincoln at a quick clip is in May. During that month, homes sell 27 days faster than if you listed in a different month. However, McCoy suggests sellers move their selling plans up even earlier in the year. She notes that many of her houses go under contract in March and actually close in May. She rates November as her second busiest month for selling houses.
That’s because homeowners finally have time to sell their home once kids go back to school in September. Families take school seriously in Lincoln — the city has the seventh best high school in the state.
Naturally, the same is true for homebuyers, as they have more time to pursue their dream properties. November is the sweet spot to get a sale in before the holidays for both parties.
When possible, avoid listing your home in the winter if your goal is a quick sale. The brutal nature of Lincoln winters traditionally translates as fewer buyers out shopping, which can lead to your listing sitting stale.
Our transaction data at HomeLight shows it typically takes 32 days longer than average to sell a house in Lincoln during the month of January. Hibernate with the rest of the town, then plan for a listing in the spring or early fall.
6. Spruce up your outdoor and storage spaces
Lincoln gets 214 sunny days a year, so homeowners value their time outdoors in backyard settings. Capitalize on this by making your outdoor space an extension of your home.
Revive your lawn
In Lincoln, it’s not uncommon for grass to start turning brown in July and August without preventive measures. Buyers will love seeing that you’ve taken care of this for them already!
To do this, Lincoln city government recommends deep soaking your lawn once or twice a week. Allow water to soak down to the roots of all plants, at least 6 to 8 inches.
Nebraska also has a ton of native grasses that thrive in the Lincoln climate. Consider planting blue grama, little bluestem, and switchgrass, which should all take off without too much maintenance and look great as accent plants.
Stage an outdoor living space
Big outdoor living spaces are cherished in Lincoln. According to our Top Agent insights Survey for Q4 2020, the top outdoor upgrade buyers seek in the Midwest region is a firepit, with 54% of agents citing it as a top upgrade. We recommend the Living Accents Noma Wood fire pit from local Lincoln hardware store Wolfe Ace Hardware.
Put lawn tools and equipment away
Storing your lawn mower, snow blower, and lawn care tools in the backyard or side of the house will suggest to Lincoln buyers that you don’t have enough storage.
If necessary, buy a prefab shed from Home Depot (we like the Rubbermaid 7-foot by 7-foot Storage Shed for only $749) that you can leave as a perk for buyers. While non-permanent sheds don’t add appraised value, buyers may find that it makes the property more desirable.
Add some curb appeal
Once you’ve perfected the backyard, don’t forget about curb appeal from the front.
“New entry doors are the first thing people see when they pull up to a house,” said Poloncic. “A lot of folks are starting to paint their door blue. There are even some bright neon colors.”
That said, Poloncic also notes a traditional color for front doors in Lincoln is red. This trend may be influenced by the Huskers’ scarlet color palette — or it could just be because it’s a popular color throughout the country.
7. Work with a top Lincoln real estate agent
When you tell friends and family that you plan to sell your home, they may be eager to recommend a real estate agent they’ve worked with in the past. Before you take them up on their referral, consider that top real estate agents in Lincoln sell homes 2.5x faster than average agents in the area.
An allstar agent will be infinitely familiar with all the ins and outs of Lincoln. They’ll know how much value your proximity to the historic Haymarket district or your walkability to the Great Plains Trail Network is worth. And they’ll be able to advise you on other common issues with Lincoln homes, like radon, clearing up buyer concerns before they unravel your sale.
Whenever you’re ready to sell your Lincoln home fast, HomeLight is here to help you connect with one of these super agents near you. We use data like average days on market, list-to-sale price ratio, and client reviews to match you with the best agents in Lincoln for your location and price point. Once you’ve picked an agent, you can expect a fast sale, not to mention a smooth home-selling experience all the way through.
Header Image Source: (Olga Subach / Unsplash)