Here’s How We Sold This Seattle Home For $376,120 Over Asking & Set a Record in the Neighborhood 

Have you ever been curious as to whether or not real estate agents actually follow their own advice when it’s time to sell their *own* homes? Well, when Brian and I went to sell our house in North Beacon Hill this past summer, I certainly did follow my own advice to a T!

Before I dive into exactly how I prepared our home for the market, I’m going to give you all of the numbers up front: 

– Our North Beacon Hill home was built in 2017, features a 2,700-square-foot layout, and includes 4 bedrooms + 3.5 baths + a 2-car garage 

– In 2017, we bought the house for $1,385,000

– In 2021, we spent $50,000 preparing the home to sell (including updates + staging) 

– In July 2021, we listed the home for $1,649,880

– We sold the house for $2,026,000, which is $376,120 over asking (aka 22.8% over the list price) 

Ready to see how we sold our North Beacon Hill home for 22.8% over the list price and set an all-time record for the neighborhood? Keep reading! 

How We Prepared Our North Beacon Hill Home for Market & How Much It All Cost 

We spent a total of $50,000 prepping our house for sale. Here’s what we did and how much each update cost: 

Paved driveway & remodeled adjacent patio = $18,000

When we bought our home in North Beacon Hill, there were always a few things that we weren’t super happy with. But like so many people, we didn’t do anything about these items until we went to sell our home. For example, we had a gravel driveway while we lived here, and it was never great, so we finally paved it and made it nice for the next owners. We also decided to completely redo the adjacent patio. We added stairs from the driveway down to the lower adjacent patio, and we fixed the patio, fully modernizing it and making it a space you’d actually want to hang out. 

Extensive gardening = $3,000

I followed my own advice and sold our own during the summer. Look at how green and lush everything is! It’s Seattle at its best! Selling your home anytime between March and July is typically ideal (or lately, even as early as February can be great). Since it was summer, we of course needed to do extensive gardening to make sure the setting looked its very best. I planted a ton of flowering plants (I tried to focus on plants that smelled amazing!) and really spruced up the environment around the house. It’s so important for everyone who comes to tour the house to be impressed by the setting. Because I did all of the gardening myself, the total cost of $3,000 was just for the plants I purchased. 

Refinishing decks & re-staining side of house = $1,500

Our home has a LOT of decks, and we wanted them all to look brand new. Also, since the siding on our house is stained and not painted, we needed to do some re-staining. The southern wall of the house (the side that gets all of the sun) needed to be re-stained, and a few cedar boards that had cupped needed to be replaced as well. Since Brian and I did all of the work ourselves, the cost was just the $1,500 we spent on materials. 

Tile work in dining room, powder room, and upstairs baths = $8,000

One of the things I wanted to do was really update the overall look of several of the spaces throughout the home. When we originally bought the house, it was a much lower price point, and the finish quality was not going to be commensurate with how much the house could be worth in 2021. I knew that by not updating a few key finishes, we would run the risk of leaving money on the table.

This is an important thing to consider when you’re updating your home to sell—the finishes in your home should be more in line with what a buyer at your home’s price point will be expecting. So, we tiled the entire wall above the built-in hutch in the dining room. We dolled up the powder room and tiled the entire wall behind the sink and installed a new mirror and new light. We put in a new backsplash in the primary bath, and updated tiling mistakes the builder had made along the way. The $8,000 price tag for this one includes the tile and labor. 

Refinished all hardwood floors in the house = $10,000

This one is pretty straightforward. The hardwoods needed a refresh to get this home looking as new as possible! 

Staging = $10,000

As listing day approached, it was time for staging and all of the other marketing and listing preparation. Staging is a big deal, and ALL of the homes we list—without question—are staged. I paid extra for the upgraded staging package, and all in we spent $10,000 on staging. I know sometimes sellers will balk at the staging price tag, but when you see how much our house sold for… you’ll know it was a total no brainer! 

Here’s How We Marketed Our North Beacon Hill to Get the Most Attention Possible 

In addition to staging, we had stunning professional photography taken of the home, including drone shots during the day and at twilight. We had a video tour created so people could tour the home from the comfort of their couches before venturing out in person. All of our listings are also featured on unique listing pages on our website, which showcase in-depth write-ups about the home’s amenities, the neighborhood it’s in, and anything noteworthy potential buyers need to know. We write accompanying blog posts to further highlight important aspects about a home or the neighborhood it’s in, and all of this content is promoted and sponsored on our team and team members’ social media channels and via our newsletter. This is all in addition to hosting open houses and all of the in-person tours we do as well. We do this with every single one of our listings, whether it’s a condo in Capitol Hill or a $3 million home in Bellevue. 

The day our North Beacon Hill home hit the market, it totally blew up online! It was getting a ton of attention which was just a hint of what would happen at the open houses. Each of our open houses had over 100 people attend, with lines to get in going down the driveway. 

Here’s How We Chose the Winning Offer

We ended up receiving 18 offers on our offer review date. In Seattle, this is a very healthy amount of offers at this price point of $1,649,880 (although it does not compare to the amount of offers a home at this price point would very likely receive in our next door neighbor Bellevue, for reference).

On our offer review date, we carefully reviewed all of the offers. Many people tried to offer early with offers that expired, and we just let them expire. They simply sent their “expired” offers again. 

In the end, our winning offer was the offer for the highest amount of money. It was also very well-written, and it was the cleanest offer as well. The highest bid does not always win, but this particular offer was an all-around winner. We had worked with this particular agent before, and we already knew that all of his clients are well-prepared and know what they’re doing. We knew they would close, and we knew their lender was one we could trust. A good, experienced agent can go a long way in helping their clients win a home. 

Again, here’s how all of the money worked out: 

– In 2017, we bought the house for $1,385,000

– In 2021, we spent $50,000 preparing the home to sell (including updates + staging) 

– In July 2021, we listed the home for $1,649,880

– We ended up selling the house for $2,026,000, which is $376,120 over asking (aka 22.8% over the list price). 

Because of all of the work we put into the home, the upgrades we made, the staging we did, and the above-and-beyond marketing, our Hybrid Hill House on North Beacon HIll sold for more money than any home ever (and since) on North Beacon Hill. And keep in mind, it’s not even the largest house in North Beacon Hill. Hybrid Hill House is only 2,700-square-feet, and there are houses that are 4,500-square-feet with panoramic views of the Puget Sound in North Beacon Hill that haven’t sold for this much. We are of course thrilled with the final results, and yes—we follow our own advice! 😉 

Why Did You Move After Only 4 Years of Living in Hybrid Hill House? 

Many people have asked me and Brian why we sold a house that we loved so much, and after only 4 years of living there. Well, I picked up a Covid hobby of working on old Mercedes cars! I quickly found myself in need of a bigger garage than the 2-car garage the Hybrid Hill House had. As I was researching options, coincidentally, our neighbor just a few doors down had a cute Craftsman with a massive 6-car shop off of the back that he wanted to sell. He wanted to move out of state to spend more time with his grandkids, and when he found out I was interested, he asked if I would just buy it from him.

After closing on the new property, I started remodeling both the house and the shop. When we were able to move in, we sold Hybrid Hill House. We are loving our new place, and we love that it has the same views as the Hybrid Hill place, and that it’s in the same neighborhood (same street!) that we were already in. We adore North Beacon Hill for so many reasons. 

Stay tuned for another blog about remodeling the shop and remodeling the Craftsman cutie! 

Want to learn more about our real estate tips for selling your home in Seattle and Bellevue? Check out our Youtube Playlist “What Seattle Home Sellers Need to Know”!

Have a question about selling your home in Seattle or on the Eastside? We’re happy to chat! Reach out to us here.