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How to Enhance Your Beach Home’s Curb Appeal

April 12, 2016 by admin 1 Comment

Most people that want to live by the beach also want the look and feel of a beach-themed home. This extends out of the house in the way of curb appeal too. But what’s the best way to enhance the beachy curb appeal of your oceanfront home?

First off, are you selling your home or making it your dream home? Because these two things can definitely call for different landscaping. If you’re selling, you’ll need to look at your home through the eyes of a buyer. Is the front of the house look? Is there peeling paint? Overgrown bushes or shrubs? Tired mulch or dead flowers? These are immediate needs that will need to be tended to before deciding on a theme or a style. If you have grass make sure it is mowed, trimmed, and edged. You want to create a cohesive feel using different types of plants to go with the landscaping.

Try and stick to the landscaping of the area. If you have a beachfront home you’re probably not going to be creating an English garden or Japanese garden. If you’re selling your home people expect to the beach themed look with lots of rock, driftwood, rope accents and flowing grasses. Stick to a core set of similar plants so the landscaping doesn’t look as though it’s broken up.

Another way to enhance your beachfront home is to develop a sense of flow making certain visual markers along sight lines that draw the eye from one end of the home or yard to the other. You might do this by creating a path that transitions in the same place the yard does at slightly different elevations or for shaded areas open up into the sunny areas.

If you’re creating a space for yourself consider what you use the landscaping for. Do you prefer to entertain in the front or in the back? Are you looking for a space that you can relax, hangout, entertain or simply curl up with a good book? Create a setting not just a space. If you have a big front porch consider putting out a hammock for big, oversized chair. Set out a small table and if the area is covered consider putting a couple books on the table, perfect for curling up, watching the traffic or the people walk by and enjoying a good book.

Consider adding a rope fence either from the driveway or road to the home or in the back from the home to the beach. Have flowing grasses and variegated styles stretching over the path but make sure they don’t block too much of the path. A boardwalk is a great addition if you can spend a little money. This can be expensive but will certainly add a beach theme to the front or back of your home.

Beach themed homes are typically not cluttered or crowded so leave open space for the ocean air to sweep around the home and on the porch. There are certain flowers and roses that can grow up on lattices around door frames and windows that perfectly frame the door and love the ocean air.

If you’re planning on selling, talk to us about staging your home for today’s buyers. If you’re planning on creating a space for yourself, check out this great Pinterest page all about beach curb appeal.

Image by Josh Meek & Google Maps

Great Words That Help Sell Your Home

March 30, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

They say a picture is worth a thousand words; well one or two of those words can really make or break a listing description. How are you or your agent describing your home? It’s in these words that really draw a buyer in and potentially sell a home.

Here are 5 Great Words or Phrases that Help Sell a Home

Think of words as an investment

Less is not necessarily more but flowery words that don’t really tell the buyer what the home is all about it just fluff. Use words wisely in all advertising including social media. If you want your home to sell, it helps to use the right words in all areas of marketing. If you’re looking for an historical home what works more? “Historical Home” or “19th Century Ornate Dark Wood Accents”, “Restored Era Architecture”, or “Step Back in Time in this Immaculate Glimpse into the Roaring 1920s”. Really describe what the home is like. Think about the type of buyer that would want this home, then tailor the words to fit that buyer.

2. Don’t Sell Your Opinion.

Just because you think the home is beautiful, someone else may not. Don’t use your opinion to sell the home, use facts. Many of these words are open to interpretation. Actually describe the property. You may want to describe the home is beautiful but instead it would be better to describe it as a “Cape Cod style, rustic, multi-story oceanfront property with nautical architecture, materials and accents.” This is much easier to picture in your mind than simply saying “beautiful”

3. Try not to use superlatives.

Don’t use exclamation mark statements such as “It’s just fabulous!” and “You’ll love this!” These are somewhat opinionated superlatives and you always pose a risk that if the buyer doesn’t agree that the home is everything you stated you could look silly or desperate and may not be trusted. You don’t want to appear lazy by using them fluently. Be practical, honest, and descriptive. The term “impeccable” will imply that the home is extremely clean and well-maintained. The term “landscaped” can add a lot of value to the home if this is more than simply a well mowed lawn. The term “landscaped” should imply that the home has some very unique landscaping features such as carefully trimmed bushes, trees, shrubs, flowerbeds and a lawn. But you don’t want to use terms such as “You should see this lawn!” Describe the lawn and landscaping, especially if it’s a great selling point.

4. Focus on the positive features

Stick to words that build up the positive features. The term “updated” and “upgraded” are great terms to use if they’ve actually been utilized. If the home is older than about 20 years but the kitchen has recently been updated it’s important to mention key features to that upgrade if applicable such as granite countertops, new cabinetry, new floors and stainless steel appliances. If the home has a fantastic deck, emphasize the positive by stating that the “oversized deck off the back is in the perfect location for beautiful oceanfront views and breathtaking sunrises, perfect for entertaining with space for multiple chairs, tables, patio sets and a barbecue.”

5. Use language everyone will understand

It can be very easy for real estate agents to use “stock” language that every real estate professional should know but that’s not to say that every buyer will understand what the agent actually means. The term “charming starter home” to a real estate agent means that the home is small, inexpensive and may need work but to a homebuyer, they may think this is a great home or they may see it and determine it needs demolition. Use simple, clean, and understandable language that truly describes the property to the right buyer. If the home needs a lot of work, simply state that. They’re going to find out anyway during the home inspection or when they tour the home so avoid showing the home to buyers that simply wouldn’t be interested regardless.

For more information talk to your real estate agent about the best way to describe your home using positive words, accurate descriptions and terminology that invites the right buyer.

Adding Even More Value to Your Waterfront Home

March 25, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Waterfront properties are in demand right now especially in the luxury housing market. If you have recently purchased, currently own a luxury lake property, or are considering the purchase of a luxury waterfront property we have put together a list of things you can do to add even more value to your luxury waterfront home.

Remember that any improvements you make to your property should be of the highest quality workmanship especially in a luxury home. Be sure to hire the best possible professional labor to get the job done with the best results.

Updating the Kitchen-

A current kitchen with quality cabinetry and appliances with bring a great return on investment in adding value to your home. Just make sure to not go overboard in high end amenities or over personalized in styling.

Master Suite Upgrade-

The master bedroom should feel like a private retreat. A place for the owner of the home to call all their own and relax in privacy. Installing a closet organizing system in a walk in closet is an often overlooked but easy way to add instant value to a home. The master bath should feel relaxing and spa like.

Updated Fixtures-

This includes lighting, stair rails, drawer pulls, door hardware, faucets and more. Unsightly 70’s brass fixtures stick out like a soar thumb and give the impression that the home owner has not taken care of the property.

Go Green-

Eco-friendly home improvements are increasingly popular with a more money savvy buying market. Going green will not only add value to your home but save hundreds on monthly utility bills.

Landscaping-

This is a big one for waterfront properties because of course one of the major draws to your property is the waterfront. Any improvements you can make to your waterfront will do much to add value to your home.

It is wise to make improvements to any property even when the home is already very valuable. A home is an investment that has the potential to build much worth and the improvements you make can greatly help add value to your home and money to your account when it’s time to sell.

Staging Beachfront or Oceanfront Homes in NC

January 18, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

To sell an oceanfront home, you have to stage for an oceanfront home. Most buyers are looking for an oceanfront or beachfront property are doing so for the ambience and style of an oceanfront home. If you stage for a New York high-rise apartment, French country, or Victorian, it might not fit with the actual style of what the home buyers are looking for. Here are a few simple ways to stage your beachfront or oceanfront home when listing and selling.

#1. Emphasize why they’re buying.

Buyers are buying an oceanfront property for that reason; to have an oceanfront property. If you hide the ocean view with large blinds or bulky window treatments, you’ll miss what the buyers are really looking for. Make sure the windows are wide open to the ocean in every room possible.

#2. Direct furniture towards the focal point.

If the home has amazing bay windows or large windows overlooking the ocean, don’t put couches or chairs in front of the window facing away from the view. Make the view the focal point, especially if you have an unobstructed view of the ocean or the beach.

#3. Add decor that matches the area.

When staging a beachfront home you want the decorations to match the area. Perhaps you’ve collected sand dollars along the beach, large shells, unique pieces of driftwood or other organic Beach items. You can turn these into beautiful staging pieces very simply and of course, inexpensively. If you have a large coffee table, a unique and interesting piece of driftwood could be the focal point for that entire coffee table with just a few sea orientated books set next to the piece of wood. Take a few interesting shells and frame them in a shadowbox with nice white frames, light blue or seafoam colors. Use shells or other beach items to embellish lighting fixtures and add intricate pieces in the kitchen, living room and on nightstands in the bedrooms. Use charting maps, compasses, and other nautical themed items that you could probably pick up at a local thrift shop or antique shop in town.

#4. Don’t neglect the outside.

Once you have the inside all “beach themed” don’t forget the outside by adding little elements that draw people out to the beach such as making a pathway if you have beach access, add boat ropes as trail guides and if the property has a deck overlooking the ocean, make sure you have a few tables and chairs out there to really enjoy and enhance the view and the location.

One of the nicest things about staging an oceanfront home is most of your decorations can be free, coming from the beach right outside your door. Consider painting walls white or oceany colors instead of dark, rich tones. There are unique ways to stage oceanfront or beachfront property to really appeal to the buyer looking for this type of home. For specifics on staging your unique layout up-and-down the North Carolina coastline including Sunset Beach, Holden Beach and similar oceanfront towns please contact our office at any time.

Images by Flickr Sugar Beach Residences, Poshsurfside

How to Enhance Your Beach Home’s Curb Appeal

Great Words That Help Sell Your Home

Here are 5 Great Words or Phrases that Help Sell a Home