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Once your house hits the market it’ll be competing with other lovely homes for sale in Naples and surrounding areas. These four cosmetic improvements can help your property to stand apart from the rest:
Refreshing your home’s exterior
Removing oil stains from your driveway
Decluttering closets, cabinets, and counters
Making the most of staging and interior décor
Let’s take a closer look at each improvement.
#1. Refreshing Your Home’s Exterior
Curb appeal is everything, so it’s important to make sure that the exterior of your home appears fresh, and not weathered.
If your home’s stucco has surface cracks, consider having those areas resurfaced. It may present the perfect opportunity to refresh your exterior with a new coat of paint. If your home has wrought iron accents, be sure that their finish isn’t rusted or faded. Check your roof for any damaged tiles and have them replaced.
When it comes to your landscape, always keep shrubs and greenery trimmed back so that the view of your home isn’t obscured. Gather any fallen palm fronds, and keep your lawn trimmed—especially before an open house.
#2. Removing Oil Stains from Your Driveway
Visible motor oil stains on your driveway are almost inevitable, especially if yours is made of concrete or asphalt. Your driveway may eventually accumulate these all-too-familiar splotches, and if left uncorrected these unsightly blemishes can kill your curb appeal.
Oftentimes, these kinds of stains can be lifted. Consider using a powerful solvent and a pressure washer to help remove them. If your driveway is heavily stained and has many sizeable cracks, think about having it resurfaced. However, if it’s in very poor shape, you may consider having the driveway removed and replaced—although doing so can be pricey.
#3. Decluttering Closets, Cabinets, and Counters
At one point in time, your bedroom closet may have been spacious, but now it’s become crammed with clothes. And perhaps it’s been quite a while since you’ve worn many of your pieces—sadly, some may have become too small, and others pleasantly too big. Before your home hits the market, you’ll have to cut down on closet clutter to show buyers that they’ll have ample space for their wardrobe. This may mean giving some of your clothes away. Go through your items and remove pieces that no longer fit or jive with your tastes. Donate them to Salvation Army or Goodwill.
Don’t stop with your bedroom closet. Clear away clutter throughout your home by organizing your kitchen pantry, cabinets, and drawers to show off storage, and clearing counters to emphasize space for food prep. And don’t forget the garage!
#4. Making the Most of Staging and Interior Décor
Arrange your furniture wisely
Situate your furnishings in ways that make your rooms look as spacious as possible, while still maintaining functionality and natural routes for foot traffic. Keep knickknacks and other personal items to a minimum.
Use pops of color
Decorating with a neutral color palette is important, but be sure to inject pops of pigment in items like accent chairs, throw pillows, and art to keep your interiors dynamic and lively.
Stage using real plants, not artificial ones
Choose real greenery, rather than artificial plants, to accent your interiors and make your residence feel homey. If you do use fake plants, look for ones that are high-quality and super-realistic.
Overall Naples Market Statistic
January 2023 compared to January 2022
All Data from the Naples board of Realtors® MLS –February 3, 2023
Alexandra Janz
Broker Associate & Luxury Properties Specialist
William Raveis-Florida, LLC
239.315.1079 | www.ajnaplesrealty.com