Sell Your House Fast in Killeen, TX: Market Draws Military, Families, and Telecommuters

by admin November 13, 2021

Something’s got you thinking: I need to sell my house fast in Killeen, Texas.

Maybe you have your sights set on leaving Central Texas for South Padre Island (that turbo pina colada is only a sold home away!) Or perhaps you were raised in the military town but are relocating for a job in Houston. This guide to selling a house fast in Killeen will help you attract the city’s broadening pool of buyers.

While it’s expected that you will see military families and retired soldiers looking for homes here due to the proximity of Ft. Hood, the community is also bringing in parents with school-age kids at a higher rate than the surrounding region and telecommuters from Austin, Waco, or Dallas, resulting in an unusually low supply of homes for the area.

“I’ve been here since 2012, and I have never seen a market like it is,” says Stephanie Nash, a top Killeen real estate agent. “We normally carry like four to six months’ worth of inventory. We have less than a month and in some cases days’ worth of inventory here.”

Our easy-to-read tips list covers how to prepare and market your Killeen home for the best chances of selling fast and capitalizing on the recent housing boom.

The affordable Killeen real estate market sees rising demand

First, a little background on the Killeen real estate market and how it’s been performing lately.

Population increase

Killeen, Texas Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)Killeen grows at a rate of almost 2% per year, and since 2010, the population has increased 23% to 157,632. For many prospective homebuyers, Killeen offers an attractive place to be because of affordable home prices, its central location, and a growing economy. In addition, Killeen lies just outside Fort Hood, a large (by area and population) Army post.

Moving military members contributes to the active market. There are two “seasons” when military members and their families move, one March and the other in October explains Nash. You’re likely to see heightened demand for your home during these months, but lately, other buyers have entered the mix, making it a good time to sell your Killeen home all year long.

Not slowing down

In 2019, The Killeen Chamber of Commerce commissioned a growth study; it predicts a continued Killeen population explosion driven by a combination of retired soldiers, the families of active military, and young families with limited income who appreciate the area’s budget-friendly cost of living — even more so than in the neighboring counties of Coryell or Lampasas county.

Fast sales at a great price

According to a report from the Killeen Daily Herald, homes in Killeen are selling in less than a month on average and from March 2020-2021 local house prices increased 13.3% to $170,000. As recently as 2015, the median sale price for homes in Killeen was only $117,500, data from HomeLight shows. If you sell soon, you should be able to cash in on some of this local house price appreciation.

1. Consider selling to a cash buyer in Killeen

When speed is your biggest priority, weigh the possibility of working with a real estate investor in Killeen.

Investors usually make all-cash offers, and eliminating lender involvement in the sale can greatly reduce 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 if your house needs some serious work.

With constant demand from military renters, Killeen holds appeal among buy-and-hold investors who can make a few cosmetic upgrades to a property and use it to generate income. Houses with easy commutes to Ft. Hood or Central Texas College may be of particular interest to area investors.

If you’re interested in working with a cash buyer, try our Simple Sale platform which provides full cash offers for homes all over the country, including Texas. With an offer from Simple Sale, you can skip the repairs and home prep and close in as little as 10 days.

If you’d like additional input on your home’s worth, HomeLight can also introduce you to a top real estate agent in your Killeen neighborhood. And be sure to check out our Home Value Estimator for a quick property value assessment as well.

2. Hire a top Killeen real estate agent for a speedy sale

Decided to put your Killeen house on the market rather than sell it for cash? That’s a great option, too — but you’ll need a reliable real estate agent with a proven track record for the best results and fastest sale.

A top agent will help you navigate the Killeen market and guide you through pricing to make sure you don’t undersell your home, given recent price increases in the area.

In addition, a top agent can help you identify the amazing aspects of your Killeen home — such as a cul-de-sac location, extra parking space, or converted garage — to get buyers interested.

Our internal transaction data shows that having the right agent in Killeen makes a difference.

According to our analysis, the top agents in Killeen sell homes in 40 days compared to the 87 days an average agent takes; moreover, agents we’ve identified as top performers sell homes at 102% of the listing price on average, compared to the 96% for average agents. If you’d like to connect with a top Killeen real estate agent, we’d be happy to make an introduction.

3. Sell any location perks of the surrounding area

Even if you don’t have a desire to do any updates to your home, you should think about what makes your location in Killeen marketable. To get ample attention on your Killeen home listing, be sure to mention its top location features directly in your listing. Any of the following will catch buyers’ attention:

Easy commute or location next to Fort Hood and Central Texas College
Close to conveniences such as the Walmart Supercenter, H-E-B grocery, and Starbucks
Easy travel to Austin using 195 and 35
Proximity near quality schools such as Roy J Smith Middle School or Haynes Elementary School
Minutes from shopping, restaurants, and entertainment

4. Paint walls for a cheap but impactful upgrade

You want your home to be a blank canvas, a place where your buyer can imagine their influence.

It’s hard to do that when staring at a Fuschia accent wall in your living room or the deeply mysterious purple of your bedroom.

According to Nash, Killeen home buyers prefer neutral grays and colonial blues. Any of the following shades should help you get inspired:

5. Ditch the carpet in favor of hard-surface flooring

When it comes to the flooring of your Killeen home, wood is good, but anything is better than carpet. Updating flooring increases interest in your property. Carpets might work in bedrooms still, but Killeen buyers prefer homes with solid surface flooring.

Nationally in 2021, 81% of buyers wanted hardwood floors. The preference for hardwood floors makes sense as they are easier to maintain and more durable than carpet.

If hardwood floors bust your budget, you may opt for:

engineered wood flooring
luxury vinyl flooring
tile
Appeal to your buyers with updated kitchen countertops

6. Install modern kitchen countertops

Remodeling a whole kitchen is a daunting and expensive task. Instead, update countertops and add a new coat of paint to the kitchen cabinets for a quick facelift to attract buyers.

Killeen buyers look for granite countertops such as:

You can find each of these varieties of granite at Home Depot in the Killeen area. In general, Nash advises against using quartz, “unless you’re in a higher-priced home.” Contrast these countertops with a fresh coat of white paint on your kitchen cabinets.

7. Help Killeen buyers imagine room sizes and working from home

Interior designer and home stager Tricia Stanford from Haven Design Group, a Killeen-based home staging company, notes the importance of staging a home before it’s photographed using contemporary furnishings.

This allows viewers to better gauge the size of the room digitally through an online photo gallery, which Killeen buyers increasingly rely on to pick out properties they want to view.

One room worth focusing on is the home office as telecommuters flock to Killeen. Follow these steps to get the job done:

Identify the best room for converting into an office space. This could be a spare bedroom or a room with a great view overlooking your yard or street.
Remove anything that does not contribute to the office space. Put beds and nightstands in storage if you plan to take them with you.
With the room empty, now would be a great time to install hard flooring.
Install outlets if the room lacks an adequate amount. Most new homes have enough outlets, but it will be worthwhile to contract someone to install outlets in your new office space if your home is a little older.
Choose contemporary furniture that doesn’t crowd the room.
Paint your walls a soothing neutral gray or colonial blue.

8. Showcase closet storage

Killeen buyers also value ample closet storage, so Nash suggests that people “take out of season clothing out of the closet” and store it elsewhere to make the closet look larger. Here are three easy steps for staging a closet that will make your home outshine your competition:

Remove clutter. Killeen buyers are looking for open space to create a home office or store their gear and equipment in the case of military families.
Install lighting to brighten up dark corners. The additional light makes your closet’s actual dimensions shine. Push lights are perfectly apt for this lighting task.
Get rid of your mismatched hangers. Different styles of hangers create a sense of chaos. Stick to a cohesive look with one type of hanger in one color. You can choose to go all wood or all one color, but consistency is vital.

9. Make your lawn lush and photogenic

Sellers cannot discount the importance of an attractive lawn for Killeen buyers. According to Nash, homes with nice yards are “moving really quickly” because people want the “flexibility to go outside” and enjoy their property.

Your lawn must be beautiful because a verdant lawn may cinch the deal. As people increasingly work from home, they want to have a nice yard. One of the ways you can ensure that you have a nice yard is to make sure it is adequately watered. In addition, install some heat-tolerant shrubs if your home lacks curb appeal or landscaping for a quick upgrade.

Ready to sell your home fast in Killeen?

It’s possible that your Killeen home has never been more in demand. The retired and active military have always brought new residents to Killeen thanks to its location next to Ft. Hood, but the city’s population continues to expand as remote work surges and families come to the area for the affordable cost of living.

In addition, investors see an opportunity for income-generating properties in a city with an active renter population. Whether you request a cash offer from a local investor or hire a top agent, you have options to sell your Killeen home fast.

Header Image Source: (Cole Ankney / Unsplash)