There are lots of reasons people want to live in coastal North Carolina. The sun, the surf, the laidback lifestyle. Locals love it here, and visitors can’t wait to come back. If you are selling your home in Wrightsville Beach, Kure Beach, Carolina Beach or even Historic Downtown, you may want to consider incorporating coastal decor when staging your home. Accentuating the beach and boating lifestyle in your space can enhance the appeal of living on the coast, and will help attract potential buyers looking to buy a coastal home. 

At Network Real Estate, we see a lot of great interior design ideas that make local homes look and feel like they belong on the North Carolina coast. We put together our top ten ways to achieve the coastal look when staging your home for buyers:

1. Use the natural landscape of the coast as inspiration and paint your walls in serene neutrals like light tans, blues, or even light coral. Avoid overly bright, dark, or intense colors and try to evoke a sense of calm. The coast is what attracts buyers to the area!
    
2. Use white trim along doorway molding, baseboards and other accents. This can really lighten a room and can even make it feel larger.
    
3. You can paint wood paneling white (or even a pastel shade like blue or yellow). This is a great way to update the retro feel of wood paneling and make it instantly sophisticated. The best part? This update is inexpensive and easy enough for anyone.
    
4. Use things from the beach to decorate. Rather than relying on artwork to create a coastal vibe, bring the beauty of the natural landscape into your home! Choose a few key accents to feature – shells, starfish, sand dollars and coral, to name a few, all look great as design accents.
    
5. Use a few nautical decorations, such as ship wheels, anchors, oars and life rings. Even more subtle accents, such as horizontal white and navy stripes, nautical stars or porthole-shaped mirrors, can incorporate elements of the sailing lifestyle.
    
6. Don’t do too much coastal decorating. If absolutely every item in your home is beachy, it can be too much and will scare away buyers. Offset your coastal flair with some classic pieces to prevent your space from feeling overwhelming (or just plain tacky).
    
7. Mix and match textures. Beyond color, the textures you use in your design aesthetic can evoke the look and feel of the coast. Think about pairing a comfy white couch with an unfinished driftwood coffee table, or offsetting your pristine pastel walls with patina shutters or wall hangings. This helps create dimension and balance. 
    
8. Make sure your space has lots of sunlight. This seems like a no-brainer, but even the cutest coastal cottage doesn’t feel like it’s on the beach if it’s poorly lit. Get some sheer curtains and throw open those blinds. If your space restricts the flow of natural sunlight, you may even want to consider installing a roof light or sliding glass doors, which can also increase your ROI.
    
9. As for the outdoors, let the natural landscape shine! Rather than perfectly manicuring your yard, accentuate the local flora in a few places. Palm trees, ferns, and flowers that are native to the region are great to show off to potential buyers who want the authentic coastal look.
    
10. As with any staging, make sure your home is free of personal clutter and is spotlessly clean. For these tips and more, check out Network’s Top 10 Tips for Staging Your Home.

We at Network Real Estate love North Carolina’s coast, and are proud to have many coastal homes for sale or rent. If you are thinking of selling your home, Network Real Estate can help put your coastal decorating ideas into action.

Kevin McKoy is a GRI-certified, licensed real estate broker at Network Real Estate, which has exclusively served a high volume of property sales and purchases in the greater Wilmington area for over 30 years. With three offices at College Road, Historic Downtown and Pleasure Island, Network’s brokers are widespread and well-versed in this marketplace, making Network a preferred Real Estate company for first-home buyers and beyond.