What a View! 15 Tips for Selling Your Lovely Waterfront Property
Whether your house gazes over a sparkling lake, rushing river, or the deep blue sea, follow these 15 tips for selling a waterfront property.
As the proud owner of waterfront property, make no mistake: you’re the envy of Americans everywhere. Water-adjacent locations are often considered prime real estate, attracting attention due to their beauty and limited availability. This desirability often helps sell a house quickly, as many buyers are eager to secure a property in these sought-after areas.
Whether your house gazes over a sparkling lake, rushing river, or the deep blue sea, perks like an amazing view and easy access to exclusive activities (boating, fishing, and swimming) will make your property an attractive catch. Yet you know better than anyone that your waterfront location is both a blessing and a curse.
Step one: Talk to an expert!
Selling your house soon? Connect with a top agent near you to get an expert opinion on how much your house will sell for, what to fix before listing, and the latest local housing market trends.
With every advantage comes an extra hassle or worry, whether it’s giant bugs, a decaying dock, flooding, or soil erosion. There’s so much to think about, so to steer your ship toward a successful closing, follow these tips for selling a waterfront property.
Find out how to highlight your property’s unique qualities, different pricing strategies that take your prime location into account, and why getting a pre-listing inspection can save you in the long run.
1. Work with an agent who understands waterfront property sales
First and foremost, choose the right agent to represent you. Not all listing agents will have experience selling waterfront properties, and this lack of experience sets you back from the start.
Often a waterfront property falls into the luxury home sale camp, and you need an agent who has competed in this market before. Working with a top local agent who specializes in these types of sales (some will even note that they are “waterfront property specialists” in their online profile) can help you navigate pricing, disclosures, and finding the right buyer.
“When I list a property on the water, buyers will reach out to me because they know that I work on the water, by networking my listings, I get a lot of buyers aware of what’s out there,” says Steven Chicoine a top agent who has sold over 300 waterfront properties in Portland, Maine.
It’s access to these specific buyers that makes the right agent such an asset in your waterfront home sale journey. In addition, an agent who knows the waterfront in the region they work in will understand the specifics of that waterway, like which activities are allowed and which types of docks you can build there.
