Site Conditions
Results of Our Work
The Numbers
“You Can’t List This Home at $1.2 Million!”
The resident had moved in with her son to recover from a fall and left us to prep and market the home. The family agreed to list it at $1.2 million and expected to sell for about $1.5. We were delighted by 12 offers, with a winning bid of $1.879 million, which secured the elder’s future standard of living.
Later, Craig was at the house picking up his signs when a neighbor approached. He said, “You can’t list this home at $1.2 million! I live next door and I know it should sell for at least $1.4 million.”
When Craig invited him in to see the home, the neighbor said, “Wow, the place looks great!” Told it was in contract for more than $1.8 million, he asked Craig to stop by his house. If he could get anywhere near that price for his property, he was interested in selling.
Exterior (before) Faded, dreary and unattractive. While lines of the home (windows, roofline and arches) were appealing, it looked neglected.
Exterior (after) We contrast-painted charming details—window sashes, emblems in the arches and front door—for sophistication and elegance. Rather than grass, we opted for ground cover.
Dining Room (before) While the structural members in the dining room had been stripped to the wood, the room still lacked pizzazz. Chandelier and light bulb shape added to dated appearance.
Dining Room (after) Replaced the light fixture with a clean-lined, modern alternative. After painting-out baseboards, walls and crown moldings, the contrasting paneling sizzled. Parquet flooring needed no refinishing.
Kitchen (before) The dark grout lines and orangish tile looked old and unclean. Note how the 1970s warm hues dominated the kitchen and floor— brown, red, dark orange, tan, taupe.
Kitchen (after) Upgraded to a cooler, crisper color family (green-gray, silver and white). Added a brushed nickel single-stem faucet with a classic marble-like quartz counter. Installed contemporary surface-mounted bright LED light to compensate for lack of recessed can lights.
Bedroom 1 (before) Everything about the bedroom was dull and dated. The silhouettes, from the light fixture to the furniture, was a challenge.
Bedroom 1 (after) The designer selected two-tone paint, and the dark trim really made a statement. No floor refinishing needed and we opted not to address fogged window panes since appealing elements carried the room.
Bedroom 2 (before) Another dark room featuring three or four shades of orange.
Bedroom 2 (after) Newly bright, fresh and relaxing
Master Bedroom (before) The downstairs room with en suite bath suffered from warm hues and dated light fixtures.
Master Bedroom (after) Cleaned and oiled, the wooden walls and floors glowed. Modern light fixtures and brighter lights brought the room into the 21st century.
Breakfast Room (before) Ornate wallpaper did nothing to perk up this sweet nook.
Breakfast Room (after) A continuation of our design principles—bright, simplified and spacious.
Bathroom (before) A tired-looking bathroom, including a pedestal sink like my grandparents had.
Bathroom (after) New sink with storage cabinet, mirror for reflected light, resurfaced tile. Not perfect, but this bathroom is a lot cleaner, fresher and more attractive.
Task | Cost | Description |
---|---|---|
Exterior Landscaping | $15,000 | Prep, sand, wash, spot prime and final paint coat. Designer-chosen colors. |
Interior Painting | $15,800 | Patch and sand, paint walls and kitchen cabinets. Designer-chosen colors. |
Light Fixtures | $3,700 | Replace lighting throughout home. Designer chosen materials. |
Kitchen | $6,250 | Install new countertop, sink and single-stem brushed nickel faucet, designer chosen. |
Landscaping | $1,500 | Upgrade yard, trim, edge, weed, add ground cover. |
Bathroom #1 Resurfacing | $4,500 | Install new base cabinet, recaulk, new paint, lighting and hardware. Resurface tile. |
Bathroom #2 Resurfacing | $7,050 | Resurface bathroom, paint, caulk, clean, upgrade. |
Electrical Trim | $1,550 | Replace trim, upgrade to white color throughout the home. |
Professional Cleaning, Power Washing | $1,545 | Power wash exterior surfaces, clean interior, wash windows. |
Total | $56,895 | All work completed in 15 business days. Three weeks of advance planning to line up vendors, secure dates. |
*Professional staging – one day to move in and arrange furniture and accessories ~ $6,650
We retained the upper wooden trim to draw visitors’ eyes to the unique ceiling shape.
Plenty of light and gleaming white made a frayed home look new.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
December 13, 2023
Gold Beneath the Surface: When a home is worth the effort, renovation is a labor of love. Even we were blown away by the value added to this inherited four-bedroom in … Read more
December 13, 2023
Modernizing a Rat Pack Hangout: Nostalgia is powerful, especially when you’re talking about a home frequented by Frank Sinatra! But we had to bring this unique home in… Read more
December 13, 2023
Keep It Clean and Simple: Sellers often assume costly renovations are needed when a much simpler solution is best. We got $519K over asking with a simply clean look fo… Read more
December 13, 2023
Hard Sell, Soft Landing: Tenants-in-common (TIC) properties, in which separate units share space, are tough to sell—especially when tenant-occupied, walls cut open, an… Read more
December 12, 2023
From Toil to Triumph: When they inherited responsibility for this house in the Crocker Amazon neighborhood of San Francisco, it meant a time-consuming burden for two y… Read more
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
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
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
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
By phone, Zoom, or in person. We’ll get your questions answered.