88 Norton St., San Francisco

Site Conditions​​​​​​​

• Small 2-bedroom, 1-bath home narrowed the pool of buyers
• Sellers needed to achieve a firm sale price target
• Dated home needed resurfacing, but budget was very tight

Results of Our Work

• 8 offers received
• Sold for $1.228M, $329,000 over asking
• Met sellers’ target price, they’re living comfortably in their destination city
  

Hitting a Price Target So the Family Could Relocate

The sellers told Craig flat out they had to hit a specific sale price. It was a must, so they could relocate to Southern California with their two small children.

Craig met several times with the husband-husband team and their kids. He felt the weight of their expectations and their need to rely on analyzing data.

At their request, our team refined the initial plan, trimming the budget to just $14,600 for complete resurfacing inside and out. This was not gonna be easy.

The clients knew the asking price was a marketing mechanism to attract more buyers, not an indication of the final price. So they left it to Craig’s strategic discretion.

Challenges were the home’s size—2-bedroom, 1-bath, just 1,180 sq. ft., attached homes on both sides and in pretty difficult shape. We prioritized only the most critical areas for resurfacing.

Every seller has different circumstances, sensitivities, goals. This time, they voiced everything up front. Other times we consult and engage to help clients articulate their true intentions. Clarity helped us meet this family’s goals.

Kitchen (before) We wanted to put more effort into updating the kitchen, but the budget restricted us to tackling only the most critical elements.

Kitchen (after) We kept the mismatched appliances and created visual impact with a new classic marble-like stone countertop, undermount stainless steel sink and single-stem brushed nickel faucet

Living Room (before) The darkness of the picture railings, brick fireplace surround and built-ins evoked a feeling of age and disrepair.

Living Room (after) After some debate, Craig showed enough photographs to the sellers that they agreed painting was in order. The fresh two-toned whites changed everything.

Dining Room (before) While large, the dining room also suffered from lots of dark wood finishes and A dated look.  

Dining Room (after) The result of painting and staging was clean, uplifting and inviting.

Stairway (before) The banister was also dark and heavy. Instead of triggering alarm by talking about “painting over,” Craig advised on giving these wonderful elements a new, fresh appearance.    
Stairway (after) It’s common for sellers to resist our resurfacing recommendations, but in the end, they’re positive and elated. 

Stairway (after) It’s common for sellers to resist our resurfacing recommendations, but in the end, they’re positive and elated.

Rear Yard (before) Perhaps no area of the home benefited more from our work than the rear yard. Before painting, we saw five different exterior element colors.

Rear Yard (after) We created a partially enclosed living space at ground level behind the wall. And gave the yard a maintenance-free layer of wood chips to create a comfortable, inviting retreat.