Owning a farm is not for everyone as it requires a lot of time and dedication, especially if you have animals or need to make a living out of raising them on the property. If you want to pursue a different investment path or, on the contrary, are looking to expand your business portfolio and want more a bigger place with more acreage, selling your current farm could prove to be the best solution. However, even with the help of a realtor, selling a farm property may be a more difficult transaction.
Here are some easy tips for you to follow that will help increase the possibility of selling your farm property.
Know its value
The value of your property is given by a series of factors that include its location, size, amenities, and the average price of similar properties in your area. You can hire an agricultural real estate appraiser to establish the real value of your rural property. It is very important for the appraiser to have a strong background in agriculture to properly assess the unique factors of your farm, including crop yields, water and irrigation, and soil conditions.
After thorough measurements and assessments, the appraiser can establish the real value of your property which will give you a fair starting price. Depending on how fast you want to sell your farm, and taking into account the value for money of other similar surrounding properties, you may consider increasing or decreasing the price.
Determine how much you want to sell
As we previously mentioned, the price of your farm is also given by the amenities or the machines found on it, so you need to think about whether or not they are included in the listing price. Consider everything that is currently on your property, from a cow and goat milking machine to processing machines, agricultural vehicles, and others.
If they are in good or excellent condition, you might get a better price by selling them separately from the property itself. However, listing them individually would also include the storage costs until you find a suitable buyer so, unless you have already figured that out, you might want to include them in your property price.
Prepare the property for the official listing
Before putting your farm on sale, you need to make sure it is appealing to potential buyers. Therefore, you have to make it as presentable as possible. Keep the grass around trimmed and clipped, trim up bushes and trees around the property, clear off porches, and get rid of all unnecessary items and junk.
If your property has creeks or ponds, make sure there is enough water in them and even add some fish. Don’t forget to clean them of debris or dirt as well.
Dangerous animals should be kept away from the farm or in special areas from which they cannot escape, while all other animals (including sheep, horses, and cattle), should remain in their yards.
It goes without saying that you should also clean the entire property and fix anything that is broken or not working properly, and this includes fences, porches, and roofs.
Take good photos
After the property is ready for listing, you can hire a professional photographer to take some beautiful pictures of the farm and its surroundings. With the proper lighting and edit, you can turn almost any property into an oasis, which will increase your number of listings, and potentially help you ask for a higher price. However, don’t enhance the property too much as this can easily turn against you when potential buyers actually come and see it. Photos should be as realistic as possible, depicting all buildings and surroundings of the farm in a positive matter.
