203 Tiburon Blvd., San Rafael

Site Conditions

• 3-bedroom home in a neglected state
  

• Old, drab finishes throughout the home
  

• Yard was uninviting and unusable

Results of Our Work

• Required 2 to 3 weeks for upgrades
• ROI on $33,000 investment: 400% to 500%
• Signed listing agreement at $1.199M
• Marketed home at $1.399M after strategic resurfacing

The Numbers​​​​​​​

• Listed: $1.399M
• Sold: $1.455M
• Offers: 3
• Days on market: 14

After Resurfacing, a 17% Higher Listing Price

This home looked so good after the resurfacing projects, Craig advocated for the rare step of boosting the listing price by $200,000. This was nearly 17% more than agreed at signing of the listing agreement.

Part of the higher value was converting the dark, barren hillside in front of the home to a coveted flat lawn for children to play, creating a lovely green view outside the living and dining rooms. The lawn was especially important for new families and younger couples, the buyers we were targeting.

The seller was very helpful and did a lot of the work himself. Yet he realized it was in his interest to leave the design, color and accessory decisions to the pros. It certainly paid off.

Front Yard (before) No flat, grassy area for children to play. All that brown dirt and bark was a turn-off. Our idea—create a large flat lawn for little cost and no required permits.

Front Yard (after) Added a railing and flattened soil to create an attractive lawn for about $7,000. A perfect cover shot for the listing. Six large windows brought the outside in and gave parents a nice vantage point to watch children playing outside. No permits and our team transformed the spot in 3 days.

Kitchen (before) Tiled counters, wooden edges, missing cabinet doors, old enamel appliances and brown everywhere. Today’s buyers prefer cooler hues like steel gray and ice blue. Market for homes perceived as needing lots of work is limited and this one looked the part.

Kitchen (after) Bright, symmetrical and inviting, with cool hues buyers loved. Resurfaced rather than replaced countertops. New recessed LED lights, flooring and stainless appliances. We discovered the missing cabinet doors in the crawl space and updated from gold to brushed nickel hardware. Transformation, ~$11,000.

Hall Bathroom (before) The seller was proud of the remodeled bathroom but I was concerned. Glass surfaces and lack of counter space wouldn’t appeal to the family buyers we were targeting. The dark, older base cabinet with an Asian silhouette registered as fussy.

​​​​​​​Hall Bathroom (after) New, neutral-toned base cabinet and stone top yielded much more counter space and a simplified appeal, ~$4,000.

Living Room (before) Older shag carpet, darkness, heaviness and view of the drab yard were depressing.

Living Room (after) ​​​​​​​Although the wood under the carpet was of varying types, we had the entire floor sanded and finished in a single rich stain. The view of the refurbished yard became an asset. $6,100 for floor refinishing.

Master Bathroom (before)​​​​​​​ We all remember when this peachy-colored wood was everywhere. In this application, it did nothing for the room. 

Master Bathroom (after) ​​​​​​​LED lighting, new drawer pulls, new faucets and paint made the existing granite tiled counter come to life. $1,550

Bathroom Faucets All fixture and faucet upgrades were selected by our stager. Our photo shoots for the property website capture the home’s best attributes, including details that show the home as fresh, modern and move-in ready.