Sell Your Home Fast in Baton Rouge, an Economic Engine of the South

You’ve always loved the Mississippi River views and the university town spirit of Baton Rouge. But it’s time to make a life change and you need to sell your Baton Rouge house fast.

Perhaps your 1950s ranch home in Sherwood Forest requires more work than you can handle anymore, and you’re mapping out retirement in another part of town like Bocage. Or maybe you fell in love with New Orleans years ago, and are ready to upgrade from the status of frequent tourist.

Inside the Baton Rouge real estate market

A wide array of buyers may be interested in your Baton Rouge home as a place to set down roots in the second most populous city in the state.

Housing demand is driven by first-time buyers coming out of the universities and looking to stay local (the average age in Baton Rouge is around 31); as well as employees who find opportunities in the city’s major industries of logistics, manufacturing, medicine, and agribusiness.

Trade facilitation on the deep river waters makes Baton Rouge an ever-prosperous place to live and for jobs to be created. But you’ll need to convince Baton Rouge buyers that your house is the one.

Home prices have increased by 8.9 % year to date as of October 2021 in the greater Baton Rouge area, making it a great time to cash out. Here are six tips to sell your house fast in Baton Rouge.

1. Hire a top real estate agent in Baton Rouge

To sell your house fast in Baton Rouge, hire a top real estate agent who is intimately familiar with the ins and outs of the area and what local buyers are looking for.

An experienced agent will know how the personalities of Spanish Town and Capital Heights differ. They’ll help you advertise the best location aspects of your property, whether it’s quick access to City Park or the golf cart paths in Santa Maria.

If you have a pool, an agent will make sure that it’s mentioned in the property description and captured with professional photos as buyers increasingly seek out homes with backyard recreation. Other features that may be worth mentioning are spacious walk-in closets, French doors, or an upgraded kitchen.

Our internal data at HomeLight shows that top agents in Baton Rouge sell their client’s homes after just 49 days on the market, compared to an average of 103 days for average agents. If you’re ready to get started, HomeLight would be happy to introduce you to a qualified real estate agent who specializes in your area of Baton Rouge.

2. Market your home as a campus adjacent rental

Homes within walking distance of the cities’ universities — and the bus lines that serve them — are prime real estate in Baton Rouge. After COVID-19 changed student life and dorms, large apartment complexes became less desirable as amenities were shut down. In response, students turned towards homes they could share with only a few housemates.

“COVID has shifted what LSU student life looks like. Students just wanted to have a sense of normalcy so their parents bought the houses, then rented them by the bedroom for $700-750 per bedroom,” says Tim Houk, a top real estate agent who completes more sales than the average Baton Rouge agent by 14%.

Houses that are less than three miles from campus, and ideally within one mile, are most likely to see interest from this type of buyer, Houk pointed out. If buses or other college-specific transit stops are near your home’s location, highlight this in the listing.

3. Showcase outdoor gear storage that Baton Rouge buyers seek

With miles of riverfront flowing through the Baton Rouge area, locals love their water activities. Storage for outdoor equipment like paddleboards, kayaks, hunting equipment, ATVs, and golf carts are seen as big perks among young professionals who embrace outdoor recreation. “It’s a sportsman’s paradise; that’s our moniker!” says Houk.

Sports enthusiasts often seek out homes that have two-car garages with a third bay for the sports equipment to be stored. Highlight the amount of storage space your home has to offer in the listing, especially if it is notably spacious enough to store larger types of sports equipment.

4. Stage your home to appear turnkey

Staging a home can bring a huge return on investment, says Andi Holliday, owner of a 10-year-old staging company in Baton Rouge that works with a range of local properties, from quaint cottages to multi-million dollar homes.

“These DIY shows have changed the whole world of real estate,” Holliday says. “Young buyers will spend their Saturday nights browsing the MLS listings online with a glass of wine, and good staging in the photos will stop their scrolling.”

Hire a home stager to bring in trendy and size-appropriate furniture that will give buyers a vision of their lives in your home, if your agent recommends it.

Other ways to stage a home without hiring outside help include applying a neutral shade of fresh paint to dark walls. Replace burned-out bulbs, and don’t forget about the laundry room, basement, exterior, and garage. Flip on every light switch and make sure the associated light shines brightly.

A turnkey, ready-to-live-in home is highly desirable in a market like Baton Rouge, which is a growing medical care hub in the Southeast. Those busy hospital workers often look for homes that need little to no updating — they rarely even want to paint when they purchase a new home.

5. Make sure your Baton Rouge home smells fresh

Staging a home is not just about appealing to the eyes, but to the nose too.

Holliday recommends that homeowners who live in the home while it is for sale refrain from cooking with strong scents and pungent herbs. Other scent-related tricks she uses include using potpourri sachets in a neutral spa scent that she hides behind picture frames, or in decorative baskets. “Don’t use obvious things like plug-ins or candles, it will make people suspicious of what you’re hiding,” she advises.

To combat mustiness or mold related to the area’s humid weather, Holliday advises fixing those issues rather than trying to cover them up. Strategically placed dehumidifiers can also help remove unwanted scents from the air and leave it smelling fresh.  People like for homes to smell like fresh paint and clean surfaces so they can imagine themselves living in them.

6. Keep your landscaping low-maintenance

Holliday advises that less is more when it comes to landscaping, as people in Baton Rouge would rather enjoy their free time than do tedious yard work all weekend. Look to nearby neighbors for inspiration on local charm, trends in outdoor design and curb appeal, and to see what plants do best in the environment.

7. Avoid Mardis Gras distractions

Since the area’s weather is fairly mild, cold temperatures are rarely a factor in selling homes in Baton Rouge. However, with Mardi Gras happening in February, people in Louisiana can be focused on the festivities, making the first quarter of the year the worst time to put a house on the market.

The second and fourth quarters are when sellers can expect the fastest sale timeline. “I find it’s a fantastic time to sell a house in Baton Rouge towards the end of the year,” says Houk. The thinking is: What better way to celebrate the year than with a new home? And who can argue with that.

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