How to get top dollar for your home, spend less, and be less stressed.
"I'm not sure what my home is 'worth,'" he said with air quotes, "but I'd like to see it approaching $600,000. Can we do that?"
"Yes, and them some," I responded. "If we listed your home today, as is, right now, we'd get about $575,000 for it. But, I have a plan."
We ultimately got two cash offers over $640,000. No formal inspections. Appraisals waived.
Here's What Happened
We begin each listing consultation with a deep dive into recent sales and an explanation of how homes are valued in the area.
The short version is that home value is assigned given a number of variables with the three most important being: location, size, and condition. Condition is the most subjective of the three.
It's also the simplest to influence.
When there is an opportunity to do just that we present a plan and bring in the team.
The plan is informed by an inventory of sold homes, the current competition, and hyper-local buyer trends. We then take inventory of the home and engage the team.
Bringing in the Team
"When you work with me, you work with we." It's a cheesy little line I share with all my clients. Beyond me, there's Team Cool Murphy; a team of licensed REALTORS who have each other's backs. But it's bigger than that.
Team Cool Murphy extends to roofers, painters, stylists, stagers, landscapers, and more. We call this our "Home Team." It's a part of every client's experience through our proprietary COOL Method. [you can read more about that here].
We work quickly, we work smart, we underspend, and we work well together. After all we do this all the time.
Our Approach
In this instance, our home inventory had identified the need for a home makeover, a short list of repairs, and a new roof. The Home Team came over, inspected each project, and provided a scope of work including a fair and reasonable quote and timeline.
We got to work the next day.
Shingles were flying within in 48 hours. The roof was replaced within the same day the work began. Color consulting had a list of paints and volumes at the ready. Staging had a game plan and a floor plan to go with it.
The best part? We used what we had and brought in only what was required. And this was accomplished in 2022.
Our Results
We wrapped all projects within 10 days of our start work date. Every room of the more than 2,000 square foot home was painted including multiple ceilings. Each room was staged and styled, repairs were completed, and of course the home had a new roof. Our cleaning crew completed a deep clean and the landscaping was ready for show time.
We called in our professional photographer and we listed two weeks from our start work date!
The best part? Our client spent just $15,000* out of pocket. This in turn recognized more than $65,000 in incremental returns at closing. And, they never picked up a paint brush, a hammer, or a sofa.
We had a total of four offers including one well above $660,000. My client chose the quick two-week, inspection free, appraisal free, quick cash close instead at $647,000.
[*In this story my client used $15,000 taken from a post-Hurricane-Ida insurance check to cover the cost of his home makeover, repairs, and new roof. If you need help financing home improvements before you list with us, we can connect you with a lender who may be able to help you do so quickly and easily.]
Before and After
Looking back, I only had one concern when we completed the work. I was certain my client would decide to just stay in the house. It was so beautiful who wouldn't consider it? You can see for yourself in the pictures below.
Scroll right to see before and after photos room by room: