This post is part of the SFhotlist San Francisco Real Estate Transformations series.

Occasionally my clients feel reluctant to invest in staging and other upgrades to their properties presale. I understand. I don’t like to spend money if I don’t have to. But even in a hot seller’s market like San Francisco’s, making your property show as well as possible pays big dividends.

One of my roles as a San Francisco real estate consultant is to make sure that sellers get the best price for their homes. Staging and minor repairs to properties are a great way to do this. As your real estate agent, I focus not only making the property look great, but also knowing what buyers are looking for in a property. As you’ll see, we made a decision to stage what was being used as an office into a bright and attractive bedroom.

Knowing the optimal level of pre-sale property enhancements is a big part of what makes an effective listing agent. The example single family home listing in this post sold for 41% over asking, far exceeding the market's expectations. Not bad for a nip and a tuck!

Curbside Appeal

Above you can see our listing's initial curb appeal.

Let’s take a look at the difference a coat of paint and some planters can make:

This home went on the market looking fresh, contemporary, and inviting.

Grand Entrances

Here’s what the spacious entryway looked like before we worked our magic:

And here’s how welcoming it looks after:

Contemporary style and polish.

Flexible Open Floor Plan: Kitchen, Dining & Living Areas

This home started with an open floor plan that also allowed the kitchen, dining, and living areas to stand on their own.

Here’s before:

After: We brought out the best in these kitchen, dining, and living areas.

Cute!

Bedrooms

This is one of the San Francisco home's four bedrooms. Although it’s the smallest, it shows what staging can do to brighten up a room and make it inviting.

Before:

After:

Cute, right?

Home Office Goes Bedroom

Although technically a bedroom, the owners used this room as a home office. Most sellers find that bedrooms add more return on investment to a sale.

Before:

Dark and gloomy.
After:

Bright and spacious.

First Floor Bedroom Suite

This flexible space, complete with a kitchenette and bathroom, could have been used as two bedrooms, an office, a guest suite, or a media room. With its own entrance and direct access to the back yard, we styled one room as a bedroom and the other as a media room.

Before:

Apart from the fresh carpeting, not much to look at.

After:

Beautiful!

Outdoor Living

A home’s outdoor space can often be a great selling point, but not if it looks like this one did:

Before:

This back yard needs help!
After:

A great place to socialize and play!

Considering selling? Let’s talk about how we can make the most of your property!

-DL