As we all know well, Ocean City, MD has an extremely competitive real estate market that is still strong, offering plenty of opportunity for Sellers. Meaning, if you’re a property owner who has started to consider life “after the beach”, and you’re looking to sell, we should talk about the value of staging your home. Whether that property is a simple efficiency studio style beach condo, a large-luxury penthouse, or a single-family home in West Ocean City or Ocean Pines, staging your property effectively is one of the most important factors to selling quickly… and of course, at a good price. Today, we’ll give you some tips and tricks for staging your Ocean City, MD beach home properly with the goal of helping you attract more buyers to your home.
Why Staging at the Beach Is Different?
Staging a beach home in a second home real estate market, such as Ocean City, MD, generally has a bit of a different approach than staging a home in a primary home market. In a primary home market, we often of hear agents advising their clients to remove any “personal” décor their home has. Next, they’ll replace all this décor with standard (and often bland) pictures, artwork, etc. While this approach will still create more appeal for buyers at the beach, we advise our clients to NOT depersonalize their home when staging.
Potential buyers want to feel an attachment to the property. They want to know another family has used it, looked after it, and created memories there. If you’re selling, your job is to make your home appealing to as many new buyers as possible. Our job is to ensure that we put the finishing touches on staging that will make your home appeal to the largest demographic possible. One common mistake seller’s make is to become emotionally attached to the way their home currently looks and assume this is what buyers will like as well. This is not always the case! What looks great to you may not look good to others, so let’s make sure you have your own personal touches that make your home feel like home for potential buyers, while also ensuring you are appealing to the most amount of potential buyers as possible.
Show Buyers the Beach Lifestyle
When you are selling your OCMD beach condo you need to make sure you are not only marketing the beauty of your home, but also the lifestyle it provides. When potential buyers view your listing, they should be able to answer one simple question…What’s nearby? Are there any cool restaurants, mini golf courses, or other activities within walking distance? How close are you to the beach? How close are you to other attractions like golf courses, amusement parks, etc.? Answering all of these questions in a simple way so that buyers can easily visualize what life will be like when they are at the beach will without a doubt help your listing move quickly.
Less is More
When staging your stunning Oceanfront Condo, or any other type of beach property in Ocean City, MD you always have to keep in mind that LESS IS MORE. Make sure that your beach-home doesn’t feel too cluttered with extra seating, tables, and tabletop décor. A simple plant or two on top of the kitchen table will do.
Have A Theme
This tip is SUPER IMPORTANT. We often see beach condos that have a lot of stunning individual pieces. But combined with everything else in the property, it’s a ‘hodge-podge’. For example, if you’re staging a luxury oceanfront condo, make sure the décor in your condo feels as if it was carefully handpicked to give a luxurious and exclusive feel. Understand what type of condo you own and decorate it accordingly. It doesn’t make sense to put a custom one-of-a-kind painting by the finest artist in the world in your studio apartment style beach condo!! Make sure all of your décor and furniture are cohesive. The colors should complement each other, the paintings or artwork on the wall should catch the eye and be centered on the wall, so on and so forth. Take a step back, remove any emotional attachments you might have and ask yourself if your beach properties décor makes sense and adds visual appeal. Do this, and you’re already ahead of most sellers in Ocean City, MD!
Show Off Your Views & Location
If you’re lucky enough to own an Ocean City, MD condo, townhome, or single-family home with a grand ocean, or bayfront view, the number one thing you want to highlight to all prospective buyers is just that… the view! A great view is one of the most sought-after features of a beach property for prospective buyers. After all, who doesn’t want to wake up and enjoy a coffee watching the sunrise over the horizon of the ocean?? Furthermore, who doesn’t want to relax with a glass of wine watching the sunset over the Assawoman bay?? The view that your OCMD condo has is adding significant value to your property. So, make 100% sure that your listing agent is highlighting that view in the photos and that you have sufficient balcony seating! No heavy curtains and valances people! Open it up! Last, but certainly not least, make sure some of your artwork & décor tells everyone that this is a BEACH getaway. Having some artwork by local artists with pictures of Ocean City, MD can make your beach condo feel just a little bit more like a beach retreat buyers will soon be able to enjoy with their families.
Cleaning & Maintenance
Condos at the beach can sometimes take a little bit of a beating with sand and the humid salty air. Prior to listing your Ocean City, MD home for sale, one of the first things you should do is conduct an inspection and fix anything that may need repairs! Replace any burnt out lightbulbs, broken toilets, or anything else that doesn’t work exactly as it should. This will show potential buyers that this condo has been taken good care of over the years. Additionally, it can reduce any negotiating power buyers may have. If everything is in pristine working order, your home passes inspection… it makes it difficult for buyers to ask for a credit for repairs because, well, there aren’t any repairs to be made! After you’ve made all of the necessary repairs to your OCMD condo, townhome, or single-family residence, schedule a professional deep cleaning. As you might imagine, having a bright & clean property that smells great upon arrival is SUPER important when buyers begin to schedule showings with their Ocean City, MD Realtor. Once again, this gives the feeling that the property has been taken care of making buyers feel safe and secure with their purchase.
How does all of this make a difference?
As we mentioned, following all of these steps when staging your home in Ocean City, MD or the surrounding beach areas will without a doubt help you sell more quickly, and for a better price. Of course, there are a lot of other factors that go into a successful sale, but having GREAT staging of your beach home is super important when selling! If you’re thinking about selling your OCMD property, give us a call or send us an email! As some of the best realtors in Ocean City, MD, we’ll make sure the sale of your beloved beach house goes smoothly.
See you at the beach soon!
Grant Fritschle
Email: grant@grantf.com
Cell: (410) 430-5880
Office: (410) 524-6400
Jon Barker
Email: jon@markf.com
Cell: (410) 935-3810
Office: (410) 524-6400