How to Earn Top Dollar for Your Hawaii Oceanfront Home for Sale

There’s no shortage of Kailua-Kona homes for sale that look like they’ve come right off the page of a luxury magazine. Therefore, ensuring your home sparkles on the market is essential if you want to sell your home at a lucrative price.

 Every seller's dream is to have a quick, seamless closing at a price that reflects the high value of their home, but that can be difficult to achieve if your home is overpriced. Many sellers list their property at a higher price in hopes they'll get an incredible offer from a buyer and increase their financial status. But others sometimes view their home as a prized possession and believe it will sell above other homes in the area. However, this is something you should avoid. A home's listing price is the first thing buyers will consider when navigating the market. If the price is overly-inflated, it could lead to a loss of interest. Your home could sit on the market with little to no offers—an unfortunate scenario that leads to much frustration.

Working with a real estate professional can alleviate any overpricing issues. According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2021 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 88% of sellers hired realtors to price their homes competitively. With extensive knowledge of the Kailua-Kona market and experience selling oceanfront homes, Sharon Brown can help guide you through the listing process, including recommending a competitive listing price that will make your property stand out above other listings.

While displaying all of your prized personal belongings might make you feel at home, a potential buyer may be put off by it. The goal when selling is to allow any potential buyers the opportunity to envision themselves living in your home and making it their own. This can be difficult to do if family photographs are lining your walls, children’s drawings tacked onto your fridge, and personal knick-nacks taking up important counter space. Decluttering and packing away these items into storage may be a necessary action before listing your home for sale.

Once your home has been cleared of most of your personal belongings, it’s time to stage your home. Staging highlights the selling points of your home by strategically placing furniture and decor so that it creates fluid movement, space, and a neutral backdrop where buyers can visualize living. This design tactic leads to elevated buyer interest—and the chances that you’ll receive big-ticket offers. Incorporate ocean imagery into your oceanfront home’s staging design by placing photographs of tropical Hawaiian landscapes from local art galleries and adding pops of color by placing bouquets of the Big Island’s vibrant, exotic flowers on the dining room table or kitchen island.

Staging a home can be overwhelming if you’re not naturally design-inclined, but there’s no reason to fret. Kailua-Kona realtor Sharon Brown offers interest-free staging services for her sellers, so you’ll never have to stress about design details or breaking the bank.

With the continued rise of technology, prospective real estate shoppers are turning to social media and online listing websites to find their first home or vacation property. According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2021 Digital Age report, “97% of all homebuyers used the internet in their home search.” This means that the first impression of your home can happen well before any potential buyers attend a viewing. Photos associated with your listing give buyers a first glance at your home and allow them to imagine themselves living, working, and entertaining there. If photographs are mottled with dark contrasts and low resolution, it can negatively impact buyer interest—and how much your home sells for. Well-lit photos with high resolution aim to impress. Quality photos make your home look bright and spacious, showing buyers your home has been well taken care of.

Before taking photos, make sure your home is in tip-top shape. Fluff those sofa pillows, make sure all counters are devoid of clutter, and pull back the curtains. Natural light is your best friend here, illuminating each room of your home in a bright glow that will look incredible in photos, so be sure to take advantage of it. Opening up any blinds can also give buyers a peek at the landscape surrounding your home. With an oceanfront property, panoramic views of sparkling ocean waters can be found from multiple vantage points inside your home, so incorporating those picture-perfect sights into your listing photos is a must. This allows each buyer to visualize their futures in your Kailua-Kona home for sale—indulging in a home-cooked dinner while watching the vivid Hawaii sunset dip below the waves, a late evening stroll along the shoreline, or even a leisurely swim during lunch break. Your home exudes luxurious, vacation-style living, so show that off with high-quality photos, and you’ll have competitive offers from buyers rolling in.

In 2020, the popularity of virtual tours grew exponentially. A video showcasing your home's best features is a step up from listing photos because it allows the buyers to experience your home on a new, interactive level. This allows the future homeowners of your property to leisurely meander through each room via screen before an in-person tour. If your buyers live in another area, a virtual tour may be the only way they can view your home. Don’t forget to show off the incredible views of the ocean while you’re at it. An aerial view of your home with famous, deep-blue Hawaiian waters surrounding it may be the final factor that makes a buyer call their agent and request to view your home.

Buyers will begin to make an impression of your Kailua-Kona home for sale as soon as they pull into the driveway. Seeing outdated patio furniture, lackluster landscaping, and peeling paint along the exterior of your property can be unseemly and may discourage buyers before they even step into the home. Not only does updating your property’s curb appeal look aesthetically pleasing, but it also shows buyers that you value the well-maintenance of your home.

While enhancing the exterior of your property might sound daunting, small enhancements can go a long way in creating a space that attracts buyers. Trimming hedges, planting flowers, and a fresh lawn cut are simple landscaping elements that can spruce up the yard, while a new welcome mat, comfortable, beach-themed furniture, and a planter can breathe new life into a front porch. Coastal breezes can slowly deteriorate the exterior paint of your property, so investing in a fresh coat may be worthwhile if it catches prospective buyers' eyes—and wallets.

Suppose your busy schedule doesn’t allow time for landscaping. In that case, there are many professional landscaping companies in the Kailua-Kona area, but many real estate agents also offer these services to their clients. Have a chat with your realtor before looking into other avenues.

Just like with the exterior, if the value of your home could increase significantly with a few updates to the inside, that’s something you should consider. Minor fixes like patching holes and changing outdated light fixtures could elevate your home to a new level without surpassing budget restrictions. Kitchens and bathrooms usually carry the highest return on investment, as they are two of the most frequently used rooms in a home. Switching out the kitchen cabinet paint for a new shade or installing a new bathroom sink may be worthwhile, depending on your budget. Compass Concierge, a stress-free home improvement services program offered through Sharon Brown’s brokerage, is the perfect way for sellers to conduct necessary home updates without breaking the bank.

While selling your home without the expertise of a real estate professional is possible, it can often be a stressful, time-consuming process that could lead to selling your home at a price lower than what you could’ve received with a qualified realtor. Whether pricing your property at a competitive rate, transforming your home into a spacious, oceanfront retreat with professional staging, or simply answering any questions, you can expect that a highly-qualified real estate agent is prepared to tackle any challenges you may come across. Working with a realtor is a reliable way to ensure that when your home is sold, it will be for the price you want.

Are you looking to put your Hawaii beachfront property up for sale? With an extensive understanding of Kona and Hawaii market trends and luxury property values, realtor Sharon Brown can coach you through every step of the selling process. From Alii Heights real estate to Keauhou Estate homes and everything in between, Sharon can help you sell your oceanfront property at a top-dollar price. Contact her today to start the process now.