Albany Gem on Stannage

Judy Shelton lived in her Albany home for over 50 years. Having raised both her children and her grandchildren in this home, she had accumulated decades of memories and possessions.  Her grandson had just graduated high school and was heading up north to attend college; Judy no longer needed such a big house and wanted to move to be near her grandson and one of her daughters. The thought of selling her family home seemed overwhelming and she knew she needed to find support to help with the physical and emotional aspects of the move.  Judy had originally consulted with a friend who is a Realtor in Walnut Creek so she had an idea of what would be involved in the process. Concerned that her Realtor friend didn’t know the Albany market well enough, she talk talked to some friends who referred her to us. She gave us a call and quickly realized that having a local agent would in fact be in her best interest.  We seemed a good fit as and liked each other from the beginning so we started to work together.

Judy’s home, while structurally sound, was in need of some updating.  Though the kitchen and one of the baths had already been worked on, there was a lot of work left to be done.  Before we could focus on prepping the house we needed a plan to move Judy out and empty out the well-loved house.  With the help nearby family, we were able to both find her a temporary place to live near her grandson and clear out the house.  Judy gave us a healthy budget of $50,000 and based on our advice, she  set an additional 10% in reserves to cover the unknowns.  We used our resources to gather bids and then assessed which updates would give her the highest return on investment.  Together we decided on new floors, new interior and exterior paint, a facelift to the bathroom, landscaping both the front and backyard, and rebuilding a two-car garage. We brought in our incredible team of contractors, painters and plumbers and transformed the entire house into beautiful cohesive space that would be attractive to many Albany buyers.  

Judy’s step-daughter called and said “I cannot believe what you have done to her house, it looks absolutely incredible!”  Judy called and was practically in tears, she couldn’t believe the transformation.  She was so appreciative of the care and consideration we put into each decision. We designed a space that was modern, efficient and bright, and made the backyard an extension of the house.  It was simply gorgeous!

With the design in place, we discussed the list price and the many different kinds of pricing strategies used in the East bay.  In Albany, like much of the East bay, the list price matters!   Happily,  we received multiple offers within days of coming on the market.  To our surprise, the sales prices far exceeded both Judy’s expectations and our predictions. The best part is that with the additional proceeds, Judy was able to move out of her rental and purchase a home with cash where she now lives.  When we asked Judy about her overall real estate experience the thing that stood out in her mind was the sales price – she was so grateful. She was also appreciative of our local knowledge, great ideas, and excellent communication throughout the process.

We love working with clients like Judy.  We are so happy to know that Judy is now living comfortably in her new home, near her family.  If you know of others like Judy and her family, we would love to help them too.  Just call us at 510-612-5546 or visit our website at www.kristaandrosie.flywheelsites.com and we promise to give them the same great service that we gave Judy.