Happy September.
Fun news: 4844 Trinidad is pending in just two weeks with an all-cash offer significantly over asking, beating all the local comps. We're still in escrow so I can't share the sale price yet, but use your imagination. Oh, and the sellers were living there the whole time. See more below.
Oakland Homeowners:
- Downsizing: If you've been thinking about downsizing, here's a link to my popular webinar with Faramarz Moeen-Ziai of Cross Country Mortgage: "Downsizing Made Easy: How to Buy Before You Sell" — Wednesday, October 1, 3:30-5 pm PDT. Registration is open now — and yes, it will be fun.
- Grant Money - Oct 1st Deadline. If your home was built before 1980 and sits on a raised foundation, you may qualify for the Earthquake Brace + Bolt program — up to $3,000 in grant money for seismic upgrades. If you think you are eligible, click here to check eligibility and apply.
How Did We Sell Trinidad?
1. Started early.
The fall selling season aligns with pumpkin spice lattes — it kicks off after Labor Day and runs through mid-December. To stand out, we hustled to debut before Labor Day.
2. Get out the pests.
The front deck was "held together by hope," and decks are expensive. So before we lifted a paintbrush, we ordered a pest inspection to check the rest of the home's structural health — like scheduling a colonoscopy before Botox.
3. Call in the handyman.
Pest reports always come with "helpful" repair bids — helpful if you want to pay triple. Once we had the report, we brought in a handyman who got it done right — and for a lot less. (Need a handyperson? I've got a guy.)
4. Creative video.
Horizontal house tours are snoozers at best. But dogs + Instagram? That's a winning formula. We produced a playful Instagram Reel that showcased the home and launched the stage-and-screen career of the sellers' dog, "Pooh."
5. Supplemental staging.
We combined partial staging with some of the seller's great furniture. Psst, here's a secret: most staging furniture is about as comfortable as sitting on a cinder block. Those mid-century accents make the place pop!
6. Extended open houses.
Most open houses last from 2-4 pm, but we went the extra hour, 2-5 pm. In that time, almost 100 groups came through, "ooo-ing" and "ahh-ing" as they'd just walked into Disneyland. Sometimes, more is more.
7. All about dogs.
To highlight the fancy sensor-activated dog door, we spruced up the dog run with pavers, decomposed granite, and even built little doggie steps. (Think: HGTV for Doodles)
8. Finished the yard.
The sellers had a rare flat yard — but it felt more "meh" than memorable. We added mulch, pavers, and a fire pit, so buyers could see the s'mores and summer parties.
9. Added accent walls.
A splash of "Likeable Sand" here, a dash of "Hamburg Gray" there, was the real estate equivalent of an accent aigu.
10. Negotiate with Multiple Offers.
On offer day, our mantra was: "Let the games begin, and may the odds be ever in your favor." We ended up with 4 strong offers — and here's the secret: you only need 2 to spark a bidding war. The rest? They're just there to make one lucky buyer pay more than they ever planned.
And that's how Trinidad went from "held together by hope" to home sweet sold.
With Gratitude,
Marissa
