I helped this client purchase this home 17 years ago. She lived there continuously, loving the connection to nature, the generous floor plan, the little garden overlooking a forested ravine and the secure garage. When the time came for her to move on to a one-level home for retirement, we knew we needed to refresh the home to buff out the wear and tear of years of daily life with a dog, and re-focus attention on the good living spaces (which had become rare as newer townhome construction increasingly got smaller and skinnier over the years). The budget for market prep was tight.

We managed to get the job done by leveraging our signature Compass Concierge FREE loan (ask me about that!). With a fresh coat of paint, some deep cleaning, and a few minor repairs, we capped it off with staging that really showed the lifestyle on offer. Then we targeted marketing to heavily featured the rarities buyers would not find in other area homes: the good floor plan, the privacy, the forested outlooks, the garage, and the fenced garden. Yes, it was originally a "cheaply built" vinyl-sided townhome, now 26 years old...but we directed attention to what made it unusually desirable.

Despite pricing at a solid (not low) $700,000, selling the uniqueness worked and we generated 8 offers, with a final sales price of $781,000 or 11.6% over asking. Best of all, because of the bidding war, my client was able to pay less for her new home in the country on acreage than she got for her city townhome. Win-win!

Here were our marketing remarks on the listing:

Are you tired of too-skinny, unlivable new construction? Step up to this house-sized townhome with a supremely comfortable floor plan perched above the protected forests of Carkeek Park, with trails just around the corner.

Why look at a neighbor's walls out all your windows? Here, you can throw open your doors to hummingbirds, woodpeckers, owls & sweet privacy. Why compromise on a dinky kitchen with no room to entertain when you can have big, light spaces that make sense? And why park out in the rain when you can have an attached garage?

There's even a fully fenced easy-care garden overlooking the park, for pooch.

Welcome to the Woodland Townhome; it just lives better.

Close to heaps of grocers & restaurants, including the Metropolitan Market coming soon! Not a condo; no HOA; no dues.