Selling the Unsellables : Karen's Creekside Revival
In January 2015 - we had the opportunity to meet with Karen at her creek-side Dutch Colonial in Lynnhurst. At our meeting, we had plenty of ideas to help aid the sale of her home, but after 2 years of unsuccessful listing attempts and nearly $100k in price reductions, she was less than enthusiastic about starting over. Karen had gone through Edina Realty, Re-Max, and an independent broker prior - all who took complacent attempts at listing her home - making no effort at altering the vibe of the space to attract young urban buyers.
Boasting nearly 3000 square feet one block from the creek - Karen's home should've flown off the market at it's palate-able price point of $475k. Instead, the yellow paint and tired woodwork gave the home an aged feel with too much perceivable work for young buyers.
After a lot of convincing - and 60 days of effort with the Rare Form sub-contracting crew - we worked with Karen to restore her beautiful home. J.Jorgensen gave us the design template and staging effort while the crew, Becky and Steve completed floor refinishing, woodwork restoration, paint, tree trimming, and air conditioner removal. Karen's home transformed into a beautiful revival of a 1920's Dutch Colonial worthy of the young urban buyers it deserved.
One of our top focuses in the listing process is photography. With nearly all buyers finding their homes online in today's market - stunning photography is a must for a successful sale. Rare Form spends hours staging our listings and an additional 2 hours with our photographer setting up the perfect shots with lighting, flowers and accoutrements. Notice the incredible difference in Karen's prior listing photos vs. the Rare Form list photos.
Altering the paint color and staining the floors Early American completely changed the vibe of Karen's home. We regularly talk to clients about preparing their home for it's new owner. When we ask people to make changes (that they are often hesitant about), a sentence that we regularly say is, "but, this isn't your home anymore...remember, we are creating a lifestyle that someone else wants." While Karen liked the cheeriness of yellow, it wasn't what buyers were looking for - so we worked with her to see the value in "letting go" of her home prior to listing, rather than at the closing. The result is incredible.
Spruce flower arrangements, the classic Rare Form window treatments, and high gloss gray radiators bring out the deep wood tones and transform the space to a modern, mature restoration.
While the kitchen remained relatively unchanged, the floor and wall color took this 90's renovation to a more live-able long term investment opportunity for future buyers.
Rare Form transitioned the basement space into a fun hang out area for kids and adults alike - rather than an office that really only appealed to adults. We work hard to showcase flexible, live-able areas for buyers walking through the home - helping them to envision their future in our listings.
Rare Form staging day is an event - preparing for our famous mimosa open houses the weekend we list our homes. We like to call this time "museum mode." Likely half of your belongings will be removed, the house has to be professionally cleaned, and we bring in hand picked furniture, rugs, books, plants, and art to show off your home's modern live-ability.
The effect is priceless.
Our small S. Mpls homes feel larger, each space is defined, and classic features are highlighted. We set the stage for a lifestyle - and it attracts buyers from all over.
After 2 years of market time - Karen took 60 days and $5000 to prepare her home with the Rare Form listing model. Her home sold the first weekend on the market - at our open house. She accepted an offer $12,500 above her last list price and closed 1.5 months later with a young and excited family. Karen is now spending her retirement doing exactly what she wants to do - relax, visit her daughters, and travel.