2257 Fulton St., San Francisco

Site Conditions

Family needed quick turnaround on sale of middle unit of Edwardian duplex

Busy professional couple had already purchased their next home and had no time fuss over prepping their condo

Landscape architect-designed back yard, a potential major selling point, was rundown and sad

Results of Our Work

5 bids received

Sold $1.35M; $151,000 over asking

$10,620 spent on prepping/resurfacing produces a 600% ROI

Busy Professional Couple Says, “Help!”

This husband-and-wife team had their hands full with a toddler, an already-purchased Oakland home and a baby on the way.

They needed their condo sale executed quickly and liked our plan enough to handed us their keys and say, “Go!”

Their handsome Edwardian flat was made less desirable by having a unit above and both bedrooms facing noisy Fulton Street. In other news … condo values were falling and Covid was upon us.

This middle unit shared what had been a spectacular yard. Custom designed by a landscape architect, it was filled with succulents, night lighting, an outdoor bar, fire pit and stone pathways.

But now the backyard was overgrown with no interest from the other unit owners in reviving it. Craig felt this space was vital to an attractive sales price, so the sellers got the neighbors’ okay then paid the entire landscaping bill.

We discovered seismic upgrades—a new foundation and soft-story retrofitting—had been done but left out of the marketing material when the couple purchased. You can bet we mentioned them!

Foyer (before) The entry area was poorly lit and distracting with dark furniture and many area rugs.

Foyer (after) We brightened the home’s first impression. Sellers were concerned about the floor condition so we made some spot repairs rather than refinishing, saving them about $4,000.

Kitchen (before) This important room was dark and lived-in.

Kitchen (after) We spruced it right up with fresh paint, cleaning, recaulking and modern lighting.

Dining Room (before) Craig got a lot of resistance to his impression that the room felt too heavy, traditional and ornate.

Dining Room (after) Our designer woke up the space with brighter paint, lighter-weight furniture and a more contemporary, clean-lined chandelier.

Living Room (before) The large black screen of the TV and the packed shelves overpowered the built-in shelves in the family room.

Living Room (after) We gave the shelves some breathing room, kept the existing chandelier fixture and scaled back the furniture to let the architecture take center stage.

Door Hardware (before) Mismatched door handles and hardware did not tell potential highest-paying buyers that this was a well-cared-for and meticulously appointed home.

Door Hardware (after) Time consuming to source and install consistent hardware? Yes. But it portrayed a much more treasured home.

Bathroom (before) The bathrooms suffered from stained and missing caulk, tarnished and pockmarked finishes.

Bathroom (after) Our contractor meticulously recaulked, and refinished the hardware, replacing where needed to give bathrooms a finished, fresh almost-new appearance.

Bedroom (before) The bedrooms faced the noisy traffic on Fulton Street, and our budget for upgrades was minimal.

Bedroom (after) With a very limited budget, we made the existing light fixture work and replaced only the damaged floor planks (saving about $4,000). We imported serenity with the cool gray tones.