Finding the Right Buyers for this Extraordinary 10+ Acre Equestrian Property
Selling a unique property means finding just the right buyer, and sometimes this can take months or even years. An experienced real estate professional will be able to help guide you through this process, from preparing your home for sale to determining the best strategies for getting your home seen by the right people.
Windermere Professional Partners REALTOR® Linda Solheim specializes in helping her clients buy and sell equestrian properties in addition to family homes. When the owner of this incredible 10+ acre equestrian estate in Thurston County reached out to Linda wanting to sell her property, Linda brought her in-depth experience as both a lifelong horseman and real estate agent to the task at hand.
Preparing the Property for Showtime
Linda’s client reached out to her about 4 months before she wanted to list her home. She had found Linda through all of the online marketing Linda had done for previous listings. Linda went to visit the property and meet her new client, and did a walk-through of the property to see what they needed to do before listing.
The property was truly exceptional. Tucked away in a rural setting on 10.08 usable acres in Tenino, the property featured a 2,680-square-foot home and an expertly constructed 2015-built arena/show barn combo. The owner was a retired firefighter and had built her dream property, but unfortunately some health challenges required her to sell her property and find a place with less maintenance.
When Linda first begins working with a seller, she makes sure that she has a clear understanding of her seller’s goals and timeline. When are they hoping to sell their home by? From here, Linda works backwards as this will determine how long they have to prep the home.
As for the 3-bedroom, 3-bath house on the property, the seller had already done some updates, which included a new roof and new exterior paint. Linda recommended that the hardwood floors should be refinished, that new counters should be installed, and that they should remove some wallpaper and put up new blinds throughout the house. Once this preliminary work was done, then she brought in her stager for a consultation. The seller took very good direction, and they were able to find a balance between making updates and being mindful of what updates would bring the best return on investment. When you’re deciding which updates to do on your home, be sure to consult your real estate agent first—an experienced professional will be able to advise you on the best updates to make for the best ROI!
Rolling Out the Red Carpet
When listing day comes, you only have ONE opportunity to roll out that red carpet and make a memorable, positive first impression When someone pulls up to see a house for the first time, Linda wants potential buyers to say “wow!” Curb appeal is so important, and part of this means making sure the home’s exterior is absolutely picturesque. Pressure wash the sidewalks and driveway, add fresh mulch to the flowerbeds, get a nice tight edge on your landscaping, and cut your grass.
You also want to envision how someone else is going to see your home. Take a picture with your smartphone and try to see any given space through a buyer’s eyes. How does it look? Will it look appealing when buyers see a photo of your home online?
Creating & Executing Dialed-In Marketing Strategy
As things get closer to the listing date, Linda will do a final walk through with the seller, and then she schedules professional staging, professional photography and videography, and makes sure that her file manager and other marketing materials are ready.
When it comes to marketing equestrian properties, REALTOR® Linda Solheim goes all out! Linda leaves no stone unturned when it comes to getting unique properties in front of the right buyers. Here are the many different ways that Linda marketed this equestrian property:
- Linda had a professional photographer take gorgeous photos to show the property off in its best light.
- The property was featured in Windermere Equestrian Living. WEL agents have a special skill set, knowledge, and experience with equestrian properties to qualify for inclusion in Windermere Equestrian Living.
- Linda created a Windermere Equestrian Living brochure, and she sent out a “Just Listed” postcard to showcase the property’s highlights.
- She had a lifestyle blog post written about the property, spotlighting all of its major selling points.
- An incredible video tour gives an immersive tour of the property, including stunning drone footage.
- Linda posted photos and the video tour to her Facebook and Instagram page, and ran targeted ads on a national scale.
- She also posted the property to Facebook groups, including a group dedicated to Washington state horse property rentals and sales.
- She also ran an advertisement on Horseproperties.net
Navigating Selling Challenges
With many unique, highly customized properties, it can be a challenge to find the right buyers. Like many things worth waiting for, it can just take time, but this can also be stressful for sellers.
This property went on the market in August 2018, and it was listed for an entire year. Many people came to tour the property, but in many cases, the specific location in the neighborhood didn’t have what they were looking for. The seller struggled with whether or not to take the listing offline during the winter, and Linda worked alongside her to figure out the best solution. From September 2019 to March 2020, the seller decided to bring on a few horse boarders, but then in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began. They weren’t sure how COVID-19 would affect the property, but they decided to give it another try.
In May 2020, they listed the property again, and the time was right. There were a ton of showings (socially distanced, safe, and following guidelines of course!), and 50 days on the market, the property finally sold in August 2020 for the full original listing price of $765,000. It was a smooth sale—a happy ending to a long ride!
A Bittersweet Goodbye
When the property sold, local COVID-19 guidelines said they could have gatherings of up to 10 people, so Linda proposed a little hand-off party. They set up a table in the arena for some snacks and beverages, and everyone who was boarding a horse at the time were able to attend. The boarders were able to say goodbye to the seller, and also meet the new owners, who would also be boarding horses. It was understandably a very big deal for the seller to part with this one-of-a-kind customized property that she had poured her time and energy into. The seller was very emotional, but she was also so grateful and thanked everyone. She was excited, too—she’s off on a brand new adventure!
Here is the review that Linda’s seller left her:
Navigating the sale of your unique property can be a stressful time, but the right REALTOR® is able to take the reins and guide you to the finish line. Not only does REALTOR® Linda Solheim work with equestrian buyers and sellers, but she works with many other types of real estate throughout Pierce County and Thurston County.
Curious to learn more about selling your property? REALTOR® Linda Solheim is happy to chat! You can reach out to REALTOR® Linda Solheim at (253) 279-7665, via [email protected], or fill out this contact form!