Some House Befores & Afters

We advise sellers to have inspections done so the underlying condition of the house is known. Sometimes the basics are good – roof, foundation, electrical, plumbing and so on – but otherwise the house looks dowdy. Investing in a fresh look makes all the difference in a sale.

The goal is thoughtful preparation that makes the property so inviting that visitors don’t want to leave. Everyone is impressed and pleased that good care has been taken of the house. They fall in love, and this is when they buy.

These photos are befores & afters of just a few of houses that we were involved in prepping before marketing. In most cases, the work was skin deep only; the results were fantastic.

House 1 : House 2 : House 3 : House 4 : House 5 : House 6

For more info on redoing houses before selling, see our newspaper columns on this website under Seller Info and Seller/Buyer Info, particularly "A well presented home is key to sale" and "Prettying up home costs pretty penny."

House 1 : Albany
Photos of Albany stucco built in 1926 follow. Notice the smoke above the fireplace mantel. Work done: fireplace repaired; carpeting removed and floors waxed and polished; entire interior painted; cleaning, window washing, some gardening; staging.

Dining room before		Dining room after
Living room before		Living room after
Fireplace repair		Patching before painting
Kitchen before		Kitchen after

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House 2 : Montclair
Montclair house built in 1960. We have included only 2 photos for this house although it was a large job. Every room in the house was painted inside and some exterior painting was done too. Hardwood floors were refinished and where there were only subfloors, new carpeting was installed. Back stairs were rebuilt which allowed the house to be sold with a termite clearance. Many small repairs were made. In the kitchen area in the photos, the kitchen counter was retiled and Marmoleum was laid on the floor.

Kitchen before		Kitchen after

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House 3 : Berkeley
Berkeley house built in 1913. This house needed some basic work – furnace, electrical & roof. But because it had not had any cosmetic attention for many years, the interior was painted, hardwood floors polished, new carpet was laid in one bedroom and light fixtures more in keeping with the style of the house were hung. Look what cleaning, painting and staging have done for the one room we picture here. The difference was huge. Everyone who saw it loved it.

Dining room before		Dining room after

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House 4 : El Cerrito
A house built in 1960 in El Cerrito. The owner had taken excellent care of the systems, all of which worked great, but no redecorating or updating had occurred since the house had been built. Floors were all refinished with some damaged wood replaced. All painted surfaces were repainted, including some natural wood in the living room which unfortunately was badly faded in sections. Dishwasher and cooktop were replaced. Marmoleum was laid in the baths, kitchen and family room. Much detailing was attended to including repairs to sliding doors, patio washing and plant trimming, new curtain rods and lighting. And cleaning, window washing and staging.

Entry before		Entry after
Dining area before		Dining area after
Living room before		Living room after
Kitchen before		Kitchen after
Cooking area before		Cooking area after
Hall bath before		Hall bath after
Corner master bedroom before		Corner master bedroom after
Master bedroom to bath before		Master bedroom to bath after

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House 5 : El Cerrito
We love this redo of this small 2-bedroom house located in El Cerrito. Because of its size, the owner had doubts about its appeal no matter what we did, but with some straight forward and rather minor changes, the house looked great; so great, that there were multiple offers. All of us were somehow sure that a woman would buy the house, but as it turned out, the offers were all from single men.

When we first saw the little house, it was painted a too-garish yellow with chocolate brown trim, including the rain gutters. We talked the owner into new paint – chalk-white (including painting out the gutters) with better looking trim painted a rich forest-green.

Inside, the only changes were: Carpet was taken up and floors were refinished. Living room paneling was removed. Painting throughout. A few light fixtures were changed (especially important in the case of the too-low hanging lamp in the breakfast room). Simple staging and curtains.

Front exterior before		Front exterior after
Living room before		Living room after
Kitchen before		Kitchen after
Breakfast room before		Breakfast room after
Bedroom and garden before		Bedroom and garden after

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House 6 : Oakland
This large, beautiful house was built in 1903. Roof leaks had caused quite a bit of damage before we saw it for the first time and other aspects of the house had been neglected. Once it was vacant and emptied, much work was accomplished over a 2-month period, including interior painting throughout, electrical and plumbing repairs, some new windows and light fixtures, firebox rebuild, and floor work.

It took the painting crew most of 2 weeks just to prep the walls and ceilings of the second floor (4 bedrooms, sun room, divided bath plus a half bath) and another week to prime and paint.

Many of the face tiles on fireplace in the master bedroom had come loose and had fallen. We cleaned and reused undamaged tiles and made other repairs to the fireplace and hearth. Oak floors, inlaid with cherry, were sanded and repaired where needed (in some spots, new wood was used) and coated with 4 coats of finish.

The budget was $60,000, which covered work by more than two dozen people. There is still work to be done, which the new owners plan to complete, but everyone agrees that the house looks great!

Sunroom before		Sunroom after
Sunroom to bedroom before		Sunroom to bedroom after
Master bedroom fireplace before		Master bedroom fireplace after
Hall water closet before		Hall water closet after
Small bedroom before		Small bedroom after
Dining room before		Dining room after