Do you think your house is unsellable due to its location? Highly rated real estate agents on Angie’s List explain how to sell a house, even in the most undesirable spot.

If the most important thing in real estate is “location, location, location,” how do you sell your house if it’s in a bad one?

Whether there’s a freeway running overhead or a strip mall next door, a challenging piece of real estate isn’t unsellable. “There are three components to selling a house: price, location and condition,” says Realtor Kelly Clevenger of Coldwell Banker, Wallace & Wallace in Knoxville, Tennessee. “That’s the mixture you have to balance in order to sell. If your location is a negative, then your price in comparison to the homes around it is going to have to be lower, and the home’s condition has to be better.”

Clevenger says he recently represented a house for sale that backed up to railroad tracks. “People would be in the house and hear the train go by, and it would unnerve them,” he says. “They loved the house, but couldn’t get over the noise.”

His strategy in selling the home was twofold: Get as many prospective buyers as he could through the door during open houses, and then have them talk to the neighbors, who offered assurance they’d get used to the noise. “The truth of it is, there’s not a perfect home or a perfect location,” he says. “Even if you’re buying in the million-dollar range, it’s still not going to be 100 percent perfect. It’s just accepting that, ‘Hey, this home is 90 percent of what I want and I’m OK with that.’ ” Clevenger’s approach, combined with aggressive pricing, led to a sale in 63 days.

With a difficult location, an adjustment in pricing compared with other nearby homes that have recently sold is inevitable. “Sometimes this can be a 10 to 20 percent differential, depending on the severity of the location versus alternative properties for sale,” says Realtor Wendy Tanson of Re/Max Winning Edge in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “It’s important to play up the positives of the location, such as access to highways and amenities.”

After nine years and two children, Angie’s List member Elle Barwidi was ready to sell her family’s home in Twinsburg, Ohio. But she knew it was going to be a challenge because the house was on a very busy street. “With people watching so many popular housing shows, such as ‘House Hunters’ and ‘Property Virgins,’ where location is stressed so highly, I knew we’d have pickier buyers,” she says. “I had to make the inside super appealing.”

With the guidance of Realtor Will Penney of Penney Real Estate in Stow, Ohio, Barwidi committed to decluttering the home and applying a fresh coat of paint inside and out.

Barwidi’s efforts paid off, and the family received a contract from a buyer after four months on the market. “If you’re trying to sell a house that’s in a tricky location, hold tight,” she advises. “There’s a perfect buyer for every house.”

Buying in a new neighborhood?

On the flip side, homebuyers looking to build in a new development need to be aware that some lots are going to be less desirable than others. Whether a particular lot has electrical towers in the backyard or bumps up to a busy street, there is a temptation to invest in such a lot because it will be less expensive.

“The biggest factor is going to be how long do you hope to live in this home?” says real estate broker Lori Jo Smith of Bellingham, Washington. But keep your expectations realistic and purchase the lot for the level of discount that you think you’ll assume when you sell the house.

“It’s also key to not build the most expensive house on the street,” Tanson says. “Given that your home will be sold at a discount relative to others, you will gain more of your investment if you don’t build the premium home on the least premium lot.”

— Staci Giordullo is a reporter at www.angieslist.com Angie’s List, a trusted provider of local consumer reviews and an online marketplace of services from top-rated providers.