Cora doesn’t like being in the car.
Green River resident Teresa Eaton, the owner of Quality Resources and Case Management, drives to Rock Springs every day for work and her young daughter is quite vocal about how much she doesn’t like the trip.
“I start and end my day with 30 minutes of crying,” she said.
Wanting to find a home closer to work and hearing about how it is a good time to sell a home in Sweetwater County convinced Eaton to place her house on the market.
She didn’t have to wait long for an offer. By the end of the first day the house was for sale, Eaton had two offers on her home. The offer she took ended up falling through as it was a contingency offer. Not having found a new place to live and being busy with caring for her mother in Salt Lake City, Eaton decided not to sell. However, between driving Interstate-80 during construction season and listening to Cora’s displeasure about being in the car, Eaton decided to relist the house. After a day and a half, another potential buyer made an offer Eaton accepted.
According to Angela Wilson, a Green River-based realtor, the housing market isn’t as heated as other areas in Wyoming, but sellers can expect a faster offer on their home. Wyoming Multiple Listing Service, a network providing realtors with sales information in the state, reports the average number of days a home is listed in Sweetwater County has decreased sharply since February, with homes selling within three months of being listed. Wilson said sellers are seeing offers slightly higher than the asking prices.
“We don’t have the housing market Sheridan has, but we’re seeing $2,000-$3,000 over the asking price,” Wilson said.
Wilson attributes the increased activity locally to two things: people trading their starter homes for something larger and hiring at Genesis-Alkali that has brought people to the area. As of June 2021, 331 homes were sold in Sweetwater County during the first six months of the year as opposed to 286 during the same timeframe last year. While homeowners often list their properties with a real estate agent like Wilson, she says she’s noticed more people are advertising their homes as “for sale by owner.” While her data indicates there were 48 active homes being listed by realtors in Sweetwater County as of June, it does not include homes being sold by their owners.
For anyone looking to take advantage of the market, Wilson anticipates the heightened activity to continue throughout the summer into the fall. She suggests people planning to sell their homes should repair damages prior to selling as most buyers simply want to move in without worrying about added repair work.
“A lot of people don’t want to do repair work or things like that,” she said.
She also recommends people clean the home and add a fresh coat of paint to freshen the home up and lure prospective buyers.
While home owners can sell their own homes, Wilson does recommend prospective sellers to speak with a realtor who can assist in the process and make recommendations to help sell the home or ensure an appraiser would only need to visit a home once.
For Teresa Eaton, her closing date will likely be at the end of the month. As opposed to buying another house, she plans to rent a pet-friendly townhouse in Rock Springs. Her home is part of a home owners association that will handle upkeep of the front lawn -- something she’s eager to give up.
“I’ll never have to use a weed eater again, so I’m pretty happy about that,” she said.
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