Ann Arbor · Selling Your Home
Selling your home in Ann Arbor, street by street
A price based on real sales, a paid social media campaign, and a clear plan from your first meeting to closing day.
Selling your home in Ann Arbor starts with your street
When you're selling your home in Ann Arbor, the city's biggest strength is also the hardest part of pricing. Ann Arbor isn't one market. A century-old house you can walk downtown from, a 1950s ranch a short drive out, and a mid-century modern home near the hospital are three different properties with three different sets of buyers.
That's why I don't price an Ann Arbor home from a citywide number. I start with the homes that sold on your streets and in your neighborhood, and I show you where yours fits. Then we price your home together, with the numbers in front of us.
You want a strong price, without your home sitting and without being stuck between two houses. Everything on this page is built around those three goals.
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Why Ann Arbor sellers work with me
I've worked the Ann Arbor market for 13 years, and I've lived in Washtenaw County since 1997. I know the difference a few blocks make here, from the Old West Side to Orchard Hills.
Every home I list in Ann Arbor gets the same full plan: professional photos, video, and drone footage, its own property website, a paid social media campaign for its first two weeks on the market, and Just Listed postcards to your neighbors. You can read the whole plan in how I sell a home in the Ann Arbor area.
You'll also always know what's happening. From listing day to closing, I keep a checklist, and you hear the next step from me before you need to ask.
Showing buyers what your part of Ann Arbor offers
In Ann Arbor, buyers are paying for location as much as for the house. Some want to walk downtown or to Kerrytown. Some want to be close to the University of Michigan hospital and campus. Some want to back up to Nichols Arboretum or sit near the Huron River. The marketing has to show where your home is, not just what's inside it.
Drone footage does that better than anything else. It shows how close your home sits to downtown, campus, the river, or the Arb, in a way a listing description can't.
When a buyer is relocating for a University of Michigan job or a corporate transfer, they often see your home for the first time on a mobile phone in another state. The property website gives them one link with every photo, the video, and the details, so they can share it and study it before they ever visit.
What to expect when you sell in Ann Arbor
- We walk through your home. I look at it the way a buyer will, and I listen to your plans and your timing.
- We price your home together. I show you recent sales on nearby streets, the homes you'd compete with now, and the ones that didn't sell. More on how I set a price.
- You get the house ready. Many Ann Arbor homes are older, and I'll tell you which small fixes are worth it and which aren't worth your money.
- We launch. Photos, video, drone, the property website, the paid social media campaign, and postcards all go live together.
- We review offers. I explain each one in plain words, tell you what I recommend, and you decide.
- I run the checklist to closing. Inspection, appraisal, the buyer's lender, and the paperwork, with the next step coming from me before you ask.
Ann Arbor neighborhoods, and what sells each one
Each Ann Arbor neighborhood asks for something a little different from the marketing.
On the Old West Side and in Water Hill, homes are about a century old, and character is what buyers fall for. The photos need to show the details, and if your yard has one of Water Hill's wildflower gardens, it deserves its own shot. Square footage is often smaller and not every house has a garage, so the price has to come from truly similar homes.
In Ann Arbor Hills, the architecture leads, with many mid-century modern homes on somewhat bigger lots close to campus and the hospital. In Geddes Heights, the trees, the privacy, and a lot that backs up to the Arb can matter as much as the house.
In Orchard Hills, ranches and colonials from the 1960s and 1970s each compare against their own sales, and a home on the pond is its own case.
Not sure where your home fits? Start with what your Ann Arbor home is worth, or read my guide to Ann Arbor neighborhoods.
Ready to talk about selling?
If you're thinking about selling your home in Ann Arbor, call me or send a note. We'll walk through your home, look at the sales on your streets, and you can decide from there.
You can also see how I sell homes in nearby towns, like selling in Dexter and selling in Saline, and read more about how I help sellers across the Ann Arbor area.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you price a home in Ann Arbor?
From the homes that sold on nearby streets, the homes you would compete with now, and the ones that didn't sell. Ann Arbor values change from block to block, so a citywide average isn't enough. We set the price together.
Do I need to update my older Ann Arbor home before selling?
Usually not a renovation. We walk through the house together, and I tell you which small fixes are worth doing and which aren't worth your money.
How do buyers from out of state see my home?
Through the property website, the video, and the drone footage, which give them everything in one link before they visit.
Ann Arbor
What selling your home looks like in Ann Arbor
A university city on the Huron River, with century-old homes near downtown, 1950s ranch neighborhoods, mid-century modern homes in Ann Arbor Hills, and culture all year.
- The homes
- Older homes within walking reach of downtown, plus neighborhoods of 1950s ranches that are also close in.
- Why people choose it
- A city built around the University of Michigan, where town and campus flow into each other. Ann Arbor is known as Tree Town, and it's a very environmentally conscious place.
- Getting around
- A very bike-friendly city, with many dedicated bike lanes. On University of Michigan football Saturdays, plan to avoid driving near Michigan Stadium from about two hours before kickoff until about two hours after the game ends.
- Nearby
- Downtown theaters and music venues, including the State Theatre, the Michigan Theater, The Ark, the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, and Hill Auditorium, plus the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The original Zingerman's Deli on Detroit Street, the Huron River, and the trails and peony garden at Nichols Arboretum.
- The trade-off
- Downtown can be busy, especially near campus on State Street, and football Saturdays take over the city.
The method
How we do it in Ann Arbor
Selling Your Home: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Nancy Arnold?