2257 Fulton St., San Francisco

2257 Fulton St., San Francisco

Site Conditions

  • Family needed quick turnaround on sale of middle unit of Edwardian duplex

  • Busy professional couple had already purchased their next home and had no time fuss over prepping their condo
  • Landscape architect-designed back yard, a potential major selling point, was rundown and sad

Results of Our Work
​​​​​​​

  • 5 bids received

  • Sold $1.35M; $151,000 over asking
  • $10,620 spent on prepping/resurfacing produces a 600% ROI

Busy Professional Couple Says, “Help!”

This husband-and-wife team had their hands full with a toddler, an already-purchased Oakland home and a baby on the way.

They needed their condo sale executed quickly and liked our plan enough to handed us their keys and say, “Go!”

Their handsome Edwardian flat was made less desirable by having a unit above and both bedrooms facing noisy Fulton Street. In other news … condo values were falling and Covid was upon us.

This middle unit shared what had been a spectacular yard. Custom designed by a landscape architect, it was filled with succulents, night lighting, an outdoor bar, fire pit and stone pathways.

But now the backyard was overgrown with no interest from the other unit owners in reviving it. Craig felt this space was vital to an attractive sales price, so the sellers got the neighbors’ okay then paid the entire landscaping bill.

We discovered seismic upgrades—a new foundation and soft-story retrofitting—had been done but left out of the marketing material when the couple purchased. You can bet we mentioned them!

Foyer (before) The entry area was poorly lit and distracting with dark furniture and many area rugs.

Foyer (after) We brightened the home’s first impression. Sellers were concerned about the floor condition so we made some spot repairs rather than refinishing, saving them about $4,000.

Kitchen (before) This important room was dark and lived-in. 

Kitchen (after) We spruced it right up with fresh paint, cleaning, recaulking and modern lighting.

Dining Room (before) Craig got a lot of resistance to his impression that the room felt too heavy, traditional and ornate.

Dining Room (after) Our designer woke up the space with brighter paint, lighter-weight furniture and a more contemporary, clean-lined chandelier.

Living Room (before) The large black screen of the TV and the packed shelves overpowered the built-in shelves in the family room.

Living Room (after) We gave the shelves some breathing room, kept the existing chandelier fixture and scaled back the furniture to let the architecture take center stage. 

Door Hardware (before) ​​​​​​​Mismatched door handles and hardware did not tell potential highest-paying buyers that this was a well-cared-for and meticulously appointed home.

Door Hardware (after) Time consuming to source and install consistent hardware? Yes. But it portrayed a much more treasured home.

Bathroom (before) The bathrooms suffered from stained and missing caulk, tarnished and pockmarked finishes.

Bathroom (after) Our contractor meticulously recaulked, and refinished the hardware, replacing where needed to give bathrooms a finished, fresh almost-new appearance.

 Bedroom (before) The bedrooms faced the noisy traffic on Fulton Street, and our budget for upgrades was minimal.

Bedroom (after) With a very limited budget, we made the existing light fixture work and replaced only the damaged floor planks (saving about $4,000). We imported serenity with the cool gray tones.

Back Yard (before) The yard was equipped with a fire pit, bar and beautiful succulents, but it had been ignored for a while.

Back Yard (after) Our team scaled back the foliage, power washed and staged the space, making the yard very much our main selling point.

A twilight view of the beautiful shared yard, which we expected (and it bore out) buyers to covet as a great spot for entertaining.




Recent Blog Posts

Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.

58 Martha Ave., San Francisco

October 19, 2023

The Sputtering Real Estate Market: We targeted buyers who would be willing to compete for the home-expanding families. They'd love the neighborhood and the home's many… Read more

388 Madison St., San Francisco

February 13, 2023

The Thanksgiving Offering: Around Thanksgiving, Craig met two sisters who had inherited their 1950s-era family home. The 5-bedroom, 2-bath house, adjacent to McLaren P… Read more

1441 Nye St., San Rafael

February 9, 2023

No Need to Wait for Spring: The sellers had two adorable, very active small children. So no surprise, the home looked lived-in damaged hardwood floors, loud child-them… Read more

68 Broadmoor, San Anselmo

February 9, 2023

Out-of-State Sellers Face Damaged Rental Property: The owners, an out-of-state elderly couple, planned to sell this rented property in a 1031 exchange. But the tenants… Read more

2431 24th St., San Francisco

January 21, 2023

The Realtor to Friend Crossover: In 2011, Craig represented these clients when they bought the duplex, in poor condition with a difficult layout. But add imagination a… Read more

775 Congo St., San Francisco

January 21, 2023

Upgraded Property for Half of Budget Other Agents Advised: To sell this four-floor Glen Park home, we targeted families with children, work-from-home couples and dog l… Read more

246 Alta Loma, Daly City

July 22, 2022

Out-Of-State Sellers Take The Harder Route: This Daly City family home had been converted to a rental and went untouched for years. The owners, living in the Midwest, … Read more

556 Stone Dr., Novato

July 21, 2022

A Neighborhood Record Sale Price: The out-of-the-area owners had rented out this home for many years. They were surprised at how tattered the property was once the ten… Read more

2979 23rd St., San Francisco

July 8, 2022

Time to Sell and Buy Outside the City: Craig had sold this lower-level condo in the Mission District to the same couple almost 10 years ago. Now they wanted to move ou… Read more

Let’s Talk

By phone, Zoom, or in person. We’ll get your questions answered.