See How a "Dated and Unusable" Tudor Kitchen Gets the Cutest Makeover
Renovating and staging a home prior to selling it can take a lot of work — and it can be expensive. But these projects can pay off for sellers by way of a major payday. That’s because buyers are often willing to spend a little more money on a home that doesn’t need any major repairs, and staged homes typically spend less time on the market than those that are not.
Case in point? A 1938 Tudor-style three-bedroom, two and one-half bathroom home in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn had great bones and maintained its period charm, but was in need of a major refresh before it hit the market.
Marino knew that some of the major components of the home needed to be addressed. The stager and general contractor with CZ Construction Group upgraded the old-school radiator heat with central AC, removed some clunky glass bricks that clashed with the 1930s Tudor design, sanded and stained the original hardwood flooring, added some lighting fixtures, painted every room, upgraded the bathroom vanities and fixtures, and totally revamped the kitchen.
“The kitchen, while clean and livable, was so dated and unusable in design,” the stager recalled. “It featured a strange island that blocked the traffic flow of the room and didn’t really add anything, and not enough cabinets for today’s living.”
Marino wanted to make sure to keep any vintage details that were still in good shape. Thankfully, they were able to salvage the vintage bathtub and tile surround in the primary bathroom, as well as the floor tile in the first-floor half-bath.
In total, the owner spent $90,000 in investments. About $85,000 were in renovations and upgrades, while $5,000 was spent on design and staging. According to Marino, comparable renovated three-bedroom homes in the area were selling for around $385,000, while some partially renovated four-bedroom homes were going for about $400,000. Fully finished four-bedroom homes were selling closer to $450,000.
“I knew that with the right design, we could match the design appeal of those bigger four-bedroom homes, even without the extra bedroom,” Marino says. “We listed at $430,000. We had dozens of people at the open house the first two days on the market. We had multiple offers above the asking price within 48 hours.”
Marino says the owner is already looking for his next investment property after an exciting experience with the stager and general contractor.
“This was a pretty amazing transformation for this owner,” Marino says. “This whole package, from soup to nuts, is what sold this home. And the best part — it only took us 60 days.”
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
