Tips For Selling a Home on a Busy Road

There are so many attractive features that a property can possess that will help it sell quickly. But on the other hand, there are also a number of negative traits that can make selling a home much more difficult, and being situated on a busy road is often one of them.

A home perched on a quiet lot tucked away from all the hustle and bustle of thruways is usually a much more attractive option for buyers than a home that abuts a main roadway. The noise and traffic can be deterrents for buyers.

But if you happen to be selling a home on a busy street, don’t fret. There are things you can do to help ensure that your home sells in a reasonable amount of time and for a decent amount of money.

Beef Up Your Landscaping

Landscaping does so much more than just makes the outside of a home look pretty. When done strategically, it can actually help to camouflage the traffic and drown out the noise from passing vehicles. Consider planting shrubs or hedges along the edge of your lot closest to the street to help minimize the noise.

Add water features with the relaxing sound of trickling water to further cancel out the noise. Build a fence around the perimeter of the front lot, and outfit it with greenery.

There are plenty of ways to make good use of landscaping to help reduce the negative impact that being on a busy road may have.

Create a Backyard Oasis

While the front yard might be close to the street and be exposed to a lot of noise from passing cars, the backyard doesn’t have to be so noisy. Take your landscaping a little further and take it to the backyard to create a quiet, tranquil oasis that seems a world away from the busyness of the front of the home.

Ensure the Interior is Quiet

Although you may be unable to avoid hearing the noise of passing traffic while being outside the home, there are things you can do to make sure that your home’s interior is guarded against the noise. Make sure your windows and doors are sealed properly with adequate caulking and hang heavy drapery over your windows to help absorb the sound.

If your budget permits, consider swapping your current windows with triple-pane, noise-reducing windows and ensure that your walls are well-insulated. Buyers will be pleasantly surprised when they see that the noise they may hear when they are outside can barely be noticed when indoors.

Play Up the Convenience of Transportation

There are plenty of buzzwords that real estate agents use to make a home sound as attractive as possible to buyers, and “convenient transportation” is often one of them. Buyers who are looking for easy access to major roadways might actually appreciate being close to a busy street. This is especially true if there are public transit stops within close proximity.

And if you happen to be on the main drag, you’ll also likely be close to shops, eateries, and other amenities that buyers might find convenient. Play up these points in order to make it look as if living on a busy road is a good thing rather than a bad one.

Advertise Your Home as a Potential Live-Work Space

Many people work from home, so perhaps marketing your home as a potential live-work commercial property may a great way to attract this specific demographic of buyers. Some buyers may even be looking for an exclusive commercial unit, which your home may be able to serve.

After checking with your local government officials and ensuring that the current zoning laws would permit your home to be used as a commercial unit, you could potentially advertise your home as either residential or commercial.

Anyone who runs a business knows how helpful it is to be located on a street that gets plenty of traffic, and therefore plenty of eyes on the business. In this way, you can open up your pool of buyers and increase the odds of finding an interested buyer sooner.

The Bottom Line

Many buyers might see homes that are located on busy roads as a bad thing. But many others might be able to overlook such a feature if you play up other components of your home. Speak with your real estate agent about what you can do to your home to play down the traffic and noise, and consider savvy ways to market your home to buyers who may actually appreciate such close proximity to a main road.