Top Ten Steps To Finding A Buyer For Your Ocean Home
1. Pack Belongings. Clean out any old magazines and newspapers. Pack up your belongings that you do not need like decorations or figurines. Pack up and relocate any clothing that you wont need to open up the closets in the home. Clean up the garage and remove large items. These tips allow buyers to see how their possessions will look in the oceanfront home without all of the clutter.
2. Clean your windows. Pay particular attention to the oceanfront windows. The view will be a big selling point and besides dirty windows are a turn off.
3. Give your oceanfront home a deep cleaning. Wipe down the doors, door knobs, and light switch plates to remove dirt and fingerprints. Clean the floors and shampoo the carpet. Clean any appliances and dust the furniture. A clean home makes a great first impression and shows the buyers that the ocean home has been well taken cared of.
4. Put brighter bulbs in light sockets and clean any dirty window treatments like draperies and blinds to make rooms appear brighter, especially dark rooms. Replace any burnt-out bulbs. Turn all lights on before buyers come to view the home.
5. Make any repairs that you can find. Minor repairs like door adjustments, torn or missing window screens, caulk on exterior doors and windows and interior counter tops and tubs, broken or missing electrical cover plates, and dripping faucets will make a good first impression. Don’t know what to repair, why not get a sellers home inspection. This will show you what the buyers home inspector would see and give you the opportunity to repair the items before the buyers knows they were ever an issue. You can also market the ocean home as being pre-inspected.
6. Maximize your curb appeal. Cut the grass, rake any leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks. Put a couple of bright potted flowers near the entryway to cheer things up and get the buyers attention.
7. Patch holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.
8. Clean dirty gutters.
9. Install new lock set on the front door and new door numbers.
10. Get rid of odors in the home. Shampoo the carpeting and wash the curtains to make the house smell fresh and clean. If the carpet is worn and won’t come clean, maybe you should replace it. The new carpet will add value to the home. This added value will probably be a lot more than the expense of the new carpet. Also, open the windows to let some fresh air in.
Hubert Miles is the founder of Waterfront Houses USA, an internet advertising service that provides Oceanfront Homes and Ocean Homes available in the US and Canada.