Your English Tudor in OKC’s Plaza District couldn’t be more charming, but you’re now eyeing the family-centric vibes of Crown Heights. Or perhaps you’ve tired of the Sooner state and are eager to experience the lakefront scenery of Chicago or see the Arizona mountains for a change. So you’ve made the call: I need to sell my house fast in Oklahoma City to pursue whatever’s next! While the local OKC real estate market is perhaps hotter than ever as part of a larger nationwide housing boom, top real estate agent Kim Llewelyn insists that “stellar presentation” of your home shouldn’t be overlooked. “The cream of the crop always still sells the best, the highest and has the most activity and glory on the market,” says Llewelyn. Follow these tips to make sure your OKC house is one of these shining stars. First, let’s go over a little background on Oklahoma City and how the real estate market here has been performing lately. An article in Architect Magazine dubbed OKC the City of Reinvention — and that was in 2017; it’s made a lot of progress since. OKC was one of only 14 cities to gain over 100,000 residents in the last decade per 2020 Census data, a reflection of the city’s progress and “destination innovation” with developments like the picturesque Scissortail part, First Americans Museum, and Contemporary Arts Center. Since mid 2020, buyers have been putting in offers on homes quickly and in some cases bidding well over asking or even shooting over appraised values. From Aug. 2020-Aug 2021, home prices in the area have increased 18.1%. The city’s ability to offer a combination of strong wages while maintaining a low cost of living keeps the housing market robust. Despite being known for its oil and gas industries, OKC also offers plenty of jobs across the board being home to corporate restaurant offices, an aerospace sector, financial institutions, and more. Selling a home is always emotional and challenging, but these local OKC market trends should help your odds of a quick sale. Data shows that there has been a steady decrease in time spent on the market for OKC homes over the past six years, from 73 days in 2016, to 58 in 2019, and to 27 in 2021. When speed is your biggest priority, first consider working with a real estate investor in Oklahoma City with the ability to purchase homes with all-cash. Eliminating lender involvement in the sale can slash weeks off your closing timeline. A well-funded investor will also likely have the capital and expertise to fix up a home, saving you time and money on pre-listing repairs. Low taxes, landlord-friendly laws, and cheap housing prices make Oklahoma City of particular interest to investors planning to flip or rent homes. For example, your single-family home in Norman could possibly make a good rental for students or be a popular Airbnb during football season thanks to its proximity to Oklahoma University. Investors may also be interested in your home if you live in Moore, Mustang, Yukon, or Edmond for their relatively good school systems compared to OKC proper. South OKC also has potential with the opening of Scissortail Park and development of the Wheeler District. If you’re interested in a cash offer for your Oklahoma City home, we’d suggest starting with HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform. Tell us a bit of information such as how much work the home needs and how soon you plan to sell. We’ll provide you with a no-obligation cash offer in as few as 48 hours. You’ll have the ability to close in as little as 10 days with flexibility in picking your move-out date. Just be aware that an off-market sale always carries the risk of selling your home for less than what you could receive on the open market with the help of a great real estate agent. With the Oklahoma City real estate market being as hot as it is, you may rather list the traditional way on the open market knowing houses are often selling at a quick clip and for a great price. If you go this route, we can’t stress enough the importance of hiring a top Oklahoma City real estate agent with deep knowledge of the market. According to HomeLight’s transaction data, the top 3% of Oklahoma City’s over 4,000 real estate agents move homes in 38 days compared to 68 days for average agents in the area. That’s an entire 30 days difference you could see just based on your agent selection alone. And in a city that spans across 621 square miles, you should narrow your search to agents with direct and relevant experience in your exact neighborhood — or you will soon realize that the person you hired is out of the loop. If you need help finding a quality agent, we’d suggest using HomeLight’s agent-matching platform where you can see how many transactions an agent has completed in specific areas like Automobile Alley, Deep Deuce, Deer Creek, Putnam City, or Bethany — as well as key stats telling you about that agent’s performance. OKC sellers should avoid passing off staging as mere decorating or “fluff.” Rather, it’s about showing people the potential of the space through the arrangement of furniture and decor. “Your home becomes a commodity once you decide to sell it,” says Kathryn Swan, who with her daughter Kimberly co-owns 2 Swans A-Staging in Oklahoma City. “And staging can give you the best edge over the competition.” While there is newer construction in Oklahoma City, nearly 80% of homes were built during the 20th century, and 25% were built prior to 1960. To give your home a modern flair, Swan suggests incorporating urban industrial flourishes into your staging — think of what you’d see in a converted warehouse or inner city loft: Since urban industrial can be a dark design style, counteract with plenty of lamps and lots of natural light. In Oklahoma City, gray is a good go-to interior color, especially warmer grays with taupe undertones. For exteriors and trims, you can get away with darker colors such as Urbane Bronze described as a rich, earthy brown that pairs well with other warm neutrals, like grays and bone whites. It might sound oddly specific… But in the last half decade, Oklahoma city has seen a growing craft coffee culture while an increase in remote jobs makes caffeinating at home a nice work perk. Llewelyn notes many homeowners in the area have carved out small cafe features in their homes — a testament to how much Oklahomans love their coffee. “So many sellers have traded up a portion of their kitchen or dining room into a coffee bar, which is so fun,” says Llewelyn. While the city has its share of cafes and coffee bars, residents enjoy making a cup of Joe at home, too. Even if coffee is not your, ahem, cup of tea, you could set up a spot for a caffeine boost in your kitchen to appeal to the many potential buyers who love their coffee fix. Set a colorful French press next to a wooden mug stand holding decorative mugs. Or add an extra flavor shot to the urban industrial decor with something like this rolling bar cabinet. In most cities, you see homes advertised as having gorgeous hardwood floors, bay windows, and granite countertops. However, with Oklahoma being prone to tornadoes and near the heart of tornado alley, perhaps no feature will provide more peace of mind to Oklahoma City buyers than the presence of a storm shelter onsite. If you have a storm shelter as part of your oversized garage or in the backyard, mention it prominently in your listing description. Your house can likely sell without the addition of a storm shelter, but not having one could be a deal breaker for some buyers. If you decide to build one, it must adhere to the International Residence Code. Depending on the materials and design, a storm shelter can cost anywhere between $2,500 and $7,500 to build. It’s unlikely that your Oklahoma home has a basement (the region’s red clay soil loves to absorb moisture, which can then cause cracks or seep into foundations) but many have bonus rooms instead! If your property boasts this additional storage and living space, you should highlight that in your listing and present it to buyers as the wonderful feature that it is. Show buyers how your bonus room could be used as: Another issue that stems from the red clay soil is termites. Oklahoma is plagued by subterranean termites, which live in the ground and are known to swarm year-round. This species of termite is considered to be the most destructive because of the enormous size of their colonies. Suffice it to say, buyers want peace of mind that their future Oklahoma homes are well protected against termite infestation. Here are some ways homeowners can keep termites at bay: Before you sell, it’s a good idea to get your home inspected for termites to give buyers peace of mind that there are no unwelcome “tenants” sharing the space. Top pest control companies in Oklahoma City include Arrow Exterminators, Terminix, and Orkin. You’ve picked an opportune time to sell your home fast in Oklahoma City. The sprawling metro has always welcomed newcomers with Southern hospitality and the opportunities of a major urban area. But lately, the market has seen a low supply of homes while a variety of employment opportunities in various industries bring buyers to the area, depleting the competition from other sellers you would have otherwise faced in previous years. While it takes time to develop new construction in the most sought-after areas in OKC, eventually inventory could catch up a bit, and Oklahoma’s wide-open flat land offers plenty of space to build new homes. So don’t miss the chance to sell at this peak moment where your house will likely get plenty of attention. Hire a top Oklahoma City real estate agent who knows the details that make your area unique, whether it be proximity to the university, well-rated elementary schools, or the best craft brewery in town. Or reach out to an OKC cash buyer for a simpler process if you don’t have the time, money, or energy to make repairs and invest in all that staging. No matter what you choose, you have options to sell your Oklahoma city home fast.OKC real estate market benefits from city’s growth
1. Reach out to an Oklahoma City investor or house-buying company
2. Find a top Oklahoma City real estate agent
3. Stage using earthy-toned neutrals and hipster highlights, like a coffee bar
Lean into urban industrial style
Paint in neutral tones
Make room for a coffee bar
4. Advertise your storm shelter, the hottest feature an OKC home can have
5. No basement? That’s normal. Make the most of your bonus room
6. Defend your home against termites that love Oklahoma soil
Ready to sell your Oklahoma City home fast?
