Dave loved his Mom - she still lived in the house he grew up in, but since dad passed away, she was loney and her health was starting to fail. Dave's family agreed the best decision was for Mom to live with them and she was delighted but it was way across the GTA and the home needed so much work before it could be sold. The family home was original - green floors, green walls and classic oak trim. He wanted to get all the equity out, but didn't know where to start and felt overwhelmed. So he called us.
Bradbury Estate Realty took over. They worked with Dave on a budget and maxed out the Bradbury GiveBack™ and began their transformation.
Dave’s mom’s house was a classic “paint, floor and lighting” house. The floors were covered with various shades of green and brown carpet, the walls needed a fresh coat, the trim was classic oak, the hardware was aged brass and the lights were trendy in the 80's.
Removing the carpet was a little trickier in some rooms. The good news was underneath the carpet was beautiful oak strip hardwood; the bad news, the sun shining on the floors for years had baked the underpad and melted it to the floor. We had to blisteringly scraped to remove the backing which disintegrated like sticky sand… but after using a wood cleaner and conditioner, the results were incredible.
We pulled all the 2" trim and replaced it with 4 (this makes a huge difference), chipped off the old tile trim in the hallway and painted every single wall. Then we painted all the window sills, new trim and doors white to brighten everything up, and finally we painted the fireplace!
The kitchen had classic walnut brown upgraded cabinets (from the 70's), antique brass hardware, old white appliances and dim lighting. We painted the walls, the window trim and sourced some gently used stainless steel appliances. We had to degrease the cabinets (40 years of grease) before priming and painting a trendy dark blue - which made the kitchen pop. Finally we added modern cabinet handles, cleaned and staged.
When entering the house, the first thing you see was the staircase in front of you and the formal dining room to the left. It was important that both were clean and bright. A modern chandelier and floor to ceiling navy drapes helped accentuate the new neutral paint and white trim. On the stairs, we sourced this beautiful geometric runner from Lowes (for under $250) to create a statement as you entered the house.
Throughout the house we updated all lighting, replaced all heat registers, replaced many of the light switches and added dimmer to the dining room. We replaced the front door closet and the nobs on all the closets in the house.
Apart from kitchens, bathrooms are the other rooms in the house that need to be appealing. We didn't make huge renovations to the bathroom. We cleaned, painted the cabinets white, replaced the mirror, replaced the light, replaced the cabinet hardware, removed the old towel bars and painted the walls the same neutral used throughout the house. Finally we removed the colorful drapes and applied a frosted film to the window.
The house looked great, the trim, the floors the lights, the walls, it looked brand new. But it was empty, and it needed to feel lived in. Everyone needed to feel like THEY could see themselves living there. We staged everything - from the drapes to the art to the little nick-nacks on the side tables. We added over 14 lamps and 6 area rugs with modern comfortable furniture. Nice new bedspreads with at least 1/2 a dozen pillows adorned each bed making the house feel like home. Finally we converted the 3rd bedroom into a bonus room to suggest a second living space ideal for a teenager's game room.
Dave's family home was cleared out, cleaned and staged in just under 3 weeks. The open house was packed and everyone loved the home. Families with young children and teenagers loved the extra room upstairs. In a few days we had multiple offers and we sold the house over list with a short close.
With Bradbury's help, Dave made over $80,000 more than similar sold houses in the neighborhood. He also didn't have to worry about any of the renovations or cleanup of the property. He just concentrated on moving his Mom and dealing with all the emotions of leaving the family home. Here is the final tally:
Dave's Home for Sale:
$870,000
Bradbury GiveBack™ 0.5% of Transaction:
Dave's Investment:
Total Investment:
$4,350
$16,000
$20,350
est. Original Value:
Sold Value:
Additional Profit
Dave's ROI Value
Dave's ROI %
$795,000
$875,000
$80,000
$64,000
400%
Dave selling without Bradbury:
est. Original Value:
Commission @5%:
Dave's Net Take home:
$795,000
$39,750
$755,250
Dave sold with Bradbury:
Actual Sale:
Commission @5%:
Dave's Net Take home
$875,000
$43,750
$831,250
Dave's Additional Profit (After Investment):
$60,000
