Talk the Talk…Walk the Walk [BEFORE & AFTER PICTORIAL]

I just sold my own home!

It is one thing to talk the talk but it is another thing to walk the walk! But for all my clients, please know I put myself through all the drills in getting my own home ready for market!!

I think real estate agents should have to move every five years so that we remember how hard it is and how much work it is to get a home ready. And while I am exhausted, the results are in…we sold our house in the first weekend and had multiple offers.

The feedback was SO positive and just reinforces what I tell my clients: A house that is prepared and priced properly will sell quickly in any market.

Everyone thought my house didn’t need to be staged but, of course, it did!! I have two teenagers and a dog and a husband – we had some stuff!!

I cleaned every closet and every drawer, took down our personal photos, painted many walls and trim, painted the back doors, and cleaned, cleaned and even more cleaning!! I even mopped my garage floor. I loaded up my 14 foot box truck with clutter and took to storage, brought in the carpet cleaners, the window washers, the gardener for extra duty and then, of course, spend $150 on white hydrangeas!!

It became a scavenger hunt every evening for Bill to find his robe or his clock radio or the coffee maker as I put everything away – no clutter!! It is like living in a fish bowl.

In the midst of going on the market, Lucy decided that she wanted to come home for Spring Break instead of going on a mission trip. All I could think of was, “Oh goodness, more mess!!” I warned her that the house did not look the same and she could not live like a slob as there would be open houses and people coming in and out to see the house. The kicker was when she asked, “Where is my desk?”

Whoops – I gave it away!

Then she asked, “Where is all the stuff that was in my desk?” Hmm…I guess I gave that away too!!

All in the spirit of staging and making our home look great which resulted in it selling for top dollar.

Moving on!

SELLING 7 GLEN HOLLOW

The feedback when I sold my home was incredible so I wanted to share with you some of the things we did to the home, along with before & after photos. I work with my real estate clients to do the same – plan & implement upgrades that are cost-effective, and will provide a good return at the time of sale.

We purchased the home on 7/26/12 and a ton of work. These are just a few examples of what made the difference when we decided to sell.

Painted the entire interior of the home – walls, ceilings and trim.
Refinished the hardwood floors including the stairs and railing.
Installed new 7.5” baseboards downstairs and upgraded baseboard upstairs.
Added crown molding in the upstairs hallway, cased the windows in the office and living room.
Installed can lights and ceiling fans in all 4 secondary bedrooms.
Replaced all carpet in the house.
Built in shelves on each side of the fireplace in the master bedroom.
Painted, glazed and revised shelves in the office – added new doors and hardware and built center unit to house office equipment and files.
Painted the brick fireplace in the family room.
Installed surround sound and stereo speakers.
Installed cabinets and granite epoxy floor in the garage – Custom Garages did the work.
Painted the walls in the garage.
Installed custom refrigerator wine cabinet in dining room.
Painted the porch floors in front and back.
Painted all exterior doors and shutters.
Painted the trim on the front of the house.
Painted the garage doors.
Updated upstairs bathroom – installed new floor, tile in tub, marble slab countertop, new mirrors, raised height of the cabinet, painted cabinet and walls, installed new light fixture and knobs, installed new shower fixtures.
Replaced countertop in laundry room with granite slab. Installed new under mount sink and faucet.
Installed new exterior lights on the house.
Installed new water heater 1/28/15.
Installed new fence in front, new gates on side and entire fence on right side of the house. Neighbor shared the cost to replace the fence, which we share. 5/9/13.