Your home is far from cookie cutter and that’s what you love most about it: you could gaze at its original hardwood floors and architectural details all day long. Its age only adds to the appeal—if walls could talk, they’d have decades of interesting stories to tell.
Despite your admiration for your historic home, you’re concerned that the current generation of buyers won’t appreciate it the same way you do and it’ll be hard to sell now that you’re ready to move on.
However, don’t believe the hype over all things new: according to 2019 research from the National Association of Realtors, 86% of recent buyers purchased a previously owned (rather than a brand new) home. And of those buyers who purchased an owned home, 21% did so because it had more charm and character.
Bingo!
Whether you’re selling an 1850s Greek Revival or a 1950s Midcentury Modern, it’s that unspoiled character of your historic house that’s going to help it sell for every penny it’s worth, despite any preservation restrictions that may come with the property. The key is to create a sales strategy as unique as your home—quirks and all.
Just follow these 10 tips for selling a historical home, featuring the insights of a historic home restorer and seasoned real estate pro who sells classic homes out in Philly, the 12th oldest city in the U.S.
Tip #1: Find an agent who understands how to sell historic houses
If you’ve ever sold a modern home, you know the home prep drill: clean, declutter, repaint in neutral colors, price it right, list it in the web, and get it sold.
That’s a solid strategy for selling most homes, but it’s not that cut and dried if you’re selling a historic house.
“You need to find an agent who understands historic houses and the people who love them,” says Scott T. Hanson, historic home restorer, architectural historian and author of Restoring Your Historic House: The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.
Nearly every aspect of a historic home sale process requires a specialized strategy. Before you settle on an agent to represent you and your home, make sure he or she is the type of expert you need by asking a few questions such as:
- What experience do you have selling historic houses?
Listen to see whether the agent sounds passionate about their past historic home sales and whether they can speak to several specific examples (“Oh, I sold this beautiful 1840 Victorian over on the westside last year…”).
Ask for numbers such as how many historic homes they’ve sold and what percentage of the homes they sell every year are historic, and see if it sounds like a good chunk of their business or just a one-off sale they did 10 years ago. - What’s your strategy for preparing historic homes for the market?
With this question, you want to hear the agent walk through their pre-listing process. It’s a red flag if the agent says something like, “Well, just as I would prepare any home,” or starts rattling off real estate cliches about white paint and depersonalizing. (For example, neutral colors are often the right call for modern homes, but put eggshell walls throughout a historic home with original dark-stained woodwork and it’ll look stark and heavy).
The ideal agent will take an inquisitive rather than a prescriptive approach to guide you through a tailored home prep strategy that honors your home’s character, style, and special characteristics. An agent who insists on a full walkthrough before scheduling any contractors, and who asks you lots of questions about the home you’ve come to know so well, is the type of agent you want to work with. - How would you go about pricing my home?
Pricing a historic home in many cases requires extra legwork. It’s easy to find comparable sales for modern homes when there are a dozen properties of the same size, structure, and layout built within a three-mile radius 10 years ago. There may not be an ample amount of recently sold apples-to-apples homes to inform your historic home’s pricing strategy.
Here you want to find out if your agent sounds confident in their ability to go beyond the traditional comparative market analysis and if they understand how to value the unique features of a historic home. They may suggest after some preliminary research that you get a pre-listing home appraisal or expand the pool of comps by time frame or radius for a more accurate house pricing strategy.
When in doubt, connect with a concierge from HomeLight who can help to match you with an agent that has the relevant experience for your needs to give your historic home the best chance at selling fast and for more money.
