The Ocean Signal | May 3rd - May 17th, 2013
We are getting ready to put our house on the market. Can you please give us some tips that we can do to make our house more appealing? By Steve Fostek There are many things that you can do to spruce up your house in preparation for sale. This winter has been pretty rough. The first thing I would do is to get out there and clean up the yard. Start by picking up all the sticks, and trim any split branches. Rake the yard, and put down some fertilizer. First impressions are important, and a nice green lawn helps. The second thing I would do would be to power wash the house to get any dirt or stains off. This would include the deck, patio, etc. When the weather warms a bit I would paint the front entry area as you walk up to the house if needed. If you have an asphalt driveway I would seal coat it to give it that fresh look. You should also freshen up the shrubbery in
the yard especially the front. This does not have to be real expensive. Get a couple of bags of stone or mulch and freshen up those areas. Get a few plants with a little bit of color and plant them to help dress up the curb appeal. This gets the basics on the outside taken care of. Then we move to the inside. On rainy or cold days when you can’t work outside you can do some of these on the inside. First give the house a regular good old fashioned spring cleaning. Pull out the stove, turn over the couch, and really scrub everything. Get those cob webs that are hard to reach, and clean the heating ducts. Yes even do the windows. Also remember de-clutter and de-personalize. Don’t think hiding things in a closet is a safe haven. Buyers are going to want to open up everything including the
closets. What we all hang on our walls and keep in our house is very personal. It is hard for prospective buyers to visualize having their stuff hung on the walls with all of your stuff on the walls. It does not necessarily have to be a blank slate, but in this case less is more. Have you been meaning to hang that piece of trim and just haven’t? Now is the time. Get all of those small little tasks done. Hang that molding, replace the banister, and finish that built in shelving unit. You get the picture. Then patch any holes in walls from pictures and such. A good fresh coat of paint always looks well no matter what color. Try to stay with neutrals. If you can’t or don’t want to paint every room then at least paint the entry way and any rooms really showing wear like maybe the family room.
A good idea is to have your own home inspection. This helps in a couple of ways. First it gives you an idea of what may need to be fixed or needs attention. Next if the buyers have their own home inspection and find a problem, you will be able to counter with your home inspection. Some people may just use your home inspection as long as it was done by a licensed home inspector. This is a good basic start. Everyone’s house is different so there will be differences in what to do. Make a list of questions that you will want to ask your prospective listing agent. Then interview a couple of agents and ask your questions that you wrote down. Once you have selected your agent ask him or her for what tips and or recommendations that they may have. Good luck.
Mayor Mike Reina showed his support for new business in Jackson Township on April 13th when he presented a proclamation welcoming Inspirations dance studio to the township. The studio is located in Jackson Crossing and provides youth and adult classes.
McGinns Helps Restore The Shore
McGinns South, located in Jackson would like to thank everyone who came out and supported our From Cape To Coney Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert Series March 24th. Our 3rd show was the best by far but we are not stopping here. Too much work to be done. A special thanks to my partner and friend Nikki Briar. Nikki does an amazing job getting all the bands. Angelo Martinez for putting in so much time to help and my wife and family for just being awesome. Our friends from the Bucket Brigade NJ came out all night and glad they got to see what we do. We will continue to grow and we will see ya in May.
Have Your Bar or Band in the Next Ocean Signal Recently, Garden State Radio played live in Jackson at 21 South. In each issue of the Signal, our goal is to showcase local bands and events held around the county, espicially as we get closer to the summer season. Bands and bar owners are welcome to submit nightcaps to the Signal to tell us how the night went. We welcome pictures and stories. If you raised money for a fundraiser for a local charity, even better, because you would get priority placement over non-charity events. Send your band or bar stories to news@ocsignal. com to be included in next week’s paper!
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