Sold with 4 offers in 4 days, for $283,000 over the asking price of $2,595,000. 

This was a classic example of a home that had become so customized to the seller's unique tastes, uses and personality over the prior 30 years that it was a marvel and a joy to visit, but would have been difficult to sell for top dollar.

The potential value of this truly remarkable property was obscured by multi-color paint schemes inside and out, some deferred maintenance, and the owner's wonderful collections. Taken together, the overall impression made an already highly eclectic and unique home feel disjointed, visually busy, a bit confusing and too "specific" when it came to tastes.

First, we worked with the seller to make a few needed repairs and minor updates. Concurrently, she invested in a full interior and exterior paint job. We selected color schemes to calm and unify both the exterior architectural elements and the interior flow and feel of the home as much as possible. This also gave us an opportunity to brighten the home and create a fresh, neutral, more contemporary backdrop for the next phase of our plan: a full staging of the home after moving the seller out. This way we could reference current design trends, unify the look and feel of the spaces, and tap into our buyer profile's lifestyle fantasies.

All of this work gave us a visually fresh home to film and photograph for a strong marketing package.

The result was an extraordinary response from a sleepy summer market with peaking interest rates: back-to-back showings, open houses heaving with interested buyers, and ultimately, four very strong offers. The seller invested just under $100,000 preparing the home for market for an estimated return of $300,000 to $400,000 over what we believe the home would have sold for had we listed it as-is.

Our Marketing Remarks From The Official Listing:

You just found an astonishing and thoroughly charming refuge hidden in plain sight, a half-block from the waterfront. The scope and scale of the property are nearly undetectable from the street. Enter, and it unfolds into an enchanted retreat ringed with exquisite privacy, lush gardens and lake, Cascade and Mount Rainier views.

The house delights all ages, with surprises around every corner. Indoor/outdoor spaces abound in this sweetly rambling vacation-style home.

And those gardens! Ponds, stream, exquisite plantings, pathways, fire pit, Buddha grove.

Want even more expansive lake views? Selectively prune your trees to easily double water views from the main floor.

The home includes a legally permitted 1-bedroom ADU on the garden level.

Solar panels. AC. Underground rain cistern. Huge shop. Greenhouse. Extraordinary!