1081 Purcell Ln

Renovating before listing, without paying out of pocket

The trustee lived out of state, and one of her siblings, a beneficiary, was a contractor. The house was dated, and we could see how much more it would be worth with the right updates.

At the time, my brokerage offered a pre-sale renovation program that advanced the cost of improvements, to be repaid from the sale. That let the family update the house before listing without paying out of pocket. With the contractor sibling doing the work, the home went on the market looking like a freshly renovated property.

The updates brought in noticeably more than they cost, and all of the beneficiaries were very happy with the result. I only met the contractor in person; the trustee and I worked together long distance and became fast friends along the way.