SCENARIO:
This much-loved family home in Scarborough was situated on a beautiful ravine lot, and though the 1969 home has had some work done over the years, it was still mostly in its original condition (think squeaky hardwood floors and almond-toned bathroom fixtures) and was looking a little tired.
“A $26K investment resulted in a final sale price that was more than 150K beyond our best case scenario with an ‘as is’ sale”
Our clients had their eye on another house in the same neighbourhood that they loved. That home had been on the market for some time but after noticing a pretty significant price reduction, the sellers decided to jump at the opportunity to move up. We were able to help secure that property for them and negotiate a great price, but now the pressure was on to sell their current home quickly!
We could have listed it “as is” with some minor tweaks and staging, but when the seller asked us what we would do if this was our own house, we suggested a larger overhaul.
CHALLENGES:
The house needed work: This 1969 home had been lovingly maintained over the years, but the squeaky hardwood floors gave away its age. We needed to give the home some strategic upgrades to get it looking (and sounding) its best before going to market.
We were working under the wire: Our clients had just bought a beautiful new home in their neighbourhood. We were super excited for them, but this meant that we only had one month to have their home listed and sold to ensure a smooth transition. From the day they gave us the green light, to the day we listed, we had exactly two weeks to complete all the work that needed to be done to prep the home before going to market.
The house was full of stuff: There was a lot of heavy furniture that wasn’t quite right for our staging plan. Before any of the work could start we needed to declutter and clear out some fairly large pieces of furniture.
HOW WE DID IT:
The first step was to coordinate with our industry partners to build a schedule that fit our tight timeframe.
Day 1: Movers come in to help pack up furniture and move everything to storage. Demolition starts.
Day 2: Demolition continues.
Day 4: Flooring installation begins
Day 6: General repairs and paint prep
Day 7: Painters get started
Adding some style with an accent wall
Kitchen: Before – Yellowed kitchen cabinetry
Kitchen: after – Crisp, clean and professionally painted
Day 9: Handyman returns for a few more last minute repairs and finishing touches
Day 10: Landscapers arrive to clean up the yard and increase curb appeal
Day 11 & 12: Cleaners arrive to clear away the dust and construction debris
Basement: after
Basement: before
Day 13: Staging Day! Our design team work tirelessly on furnishing and accessorizing
Day 14: Picture Day! The big reveal is complete and our talented photographer comes in to capture this newly transformed home
BY THE NUMBERS:
Simply put, a $26K investment in preparations + curated upgrades resulted in a sale price that was more than $150K over what we estimated the house would sell for in ‘as-is’ condition.
NOTABLE NOTES:
Our goal was to prepare and present this home in such a way that would be desirable to prospective buyers. Six days on the market, 96 (socially distanced) showings, and 19 offers…we can proudly say we achieved our goal!
