12 Tips for Selling a House in an Undesirable Location

You need to sell your home, but it’s admittedly not in the best location. Despite your custom french doors, chef’s kitchen, or other coveted features, you can’t change the fact that your property backs onto a busy highway or that you’re close to a landfill.

However, with the right strategy, even a house next to a high-voltage power line or smack dab in an airport flight path can attract a buyer and fetch a fair price. Find out how real estate experts suggest tackling the tricky task of selling a home in an undesirable location.

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1. Be upfront about problems

According to Jake Garay, a top-selling real estate agent serving Poughkeepsie, New York, a seller should be completely forthcoming about a home’s problematic location. He says nothing’s worse than potential buyers discovering this when they pull up to a property for the first time. Blindside someone like that, and they may not even bother going inside the house.

2. Hire a top agent who’s sold homes in your location

A subpar location shouldn’t be paired with amateur marketing, poor home presentation, or an inaccurate price — these factors compounded could make it especially difficult to find a buyer for your home. Rather than take a chance, hire a fantastic real estate agent with experience selling homes in your exact area. That specific experience could bring invaluable insights into overcoming the mental hurdles that block buyers from considering homes in your neighborhood.

Online agent-matching platforms such as HomeLight have made it easy and fast to find a top real estate agent. When you go through HomeLight to meet your real estate agent, you’ll be able to see the number of transactions an agent has completed in your neck of the woods. To get even more granular, you can do a search for your location using the “Transactions Near You” feature.

3. Alternatively, sell your house for cash

As we’ll cover further in the points below, selling a house in an undesirable location can take extra time and be a frustrating experience. If you’re in a rush or would prefer a low-hassle sale, you could always sell your house to a real estate investor who sees potential in your home despite its location.

Investors usually don’t mind a home that isn’t perfect and typically pay for homes with all cash. You can request a cash offer today through HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform. Tell us a bit about the condition of your house and how soon you plan to sell, and we’ll provide you with a cash offer in 24 hours. If you choose to accept, you could sell your home in as little as 10 days.

4. Put a positive spin on a potential negative

A turnoff for one buyer may be a perk for another. Buyers concerned about traffic and noise, for instance, may pass on a house situated across the street from a school.

But for families, a school-adjacent location might translate into easy drop-off and pick-up and more relaxed mornings. Play up the possible benefits of your home’s location in your listing and during showings.

“If you have a highway in your backyard or are in a more commercialized area, you can spin that as a positive,” explains Garay. “For example, being close to a major commuter route cuts down on travel time to get to and from work — that’s a plus for a lot of people.”

According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2024 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends, for 38% of respondents, the home’s convenience to their job influenced their neighborhood choice, while 26% chose a home convenient to shopping, and 19% chose convenience to schools.

HomeLight’s latest agent insights survey also reveals that 38% of respondents said a home office is the strongest selling point in their current market. So, if you have one, hype it up. For some buyers, a home office — or a room to convert into one — could trump location concerns.

5. Set a realistic price

You may own the prettiest home on your block. But if it’s surrounded by dilapidated eye sores or next to a massive, ongoing construction site, it likely won’t fetch top dollar.

“An undesirable location is going to deter a lot of buyers,” says Garay. “If you’re on a busy road, you’re not going to get the same amount for your home as a comp on a quiet dead-end street in the same neighborhood. But if you can prove that your home is a good value by offering a better price than a similar home, buyers are going to be interested.”

Exactly how much an undesirable location will reduce the value of your home depends on the type of situation you’re dealing with.

If your location poses health risks, expect a bigger hit. A study by Duke University revealed that homeowners near fracking sites in Pennsylvania lost 24% of their property’s value.

Less obvious drawbacks, like being in an area peppered with short-term rentals, can also cut into your home’s worth.