MIDTOWN REALTY

Tim provided an analysis of the return on investment of various levels of remodeling the year prior to us listing the house. The house had not been remodeled since it was built in 1954. We wondered if it would be best to just sell it as-is, as a scraper. Tim's analysis, using comps of other houses in the area that had sold with various degrees of updating/remodeling, showed us that it would be a good investment to remodel the house. His analysis also gave us insight on just what we should remodel and how much we should invest so as to achieve the "sweet spot" of remodeling and investing not too much and not too little. We invested $135,000 in the remodel and it returned us approximately $600,000 to $700,000 in increased sale price. Furthermore, Tim provided multiple recommendations for the designer, stager, general contractors, painter, roofer, flooring installer, plumber, inspectors , etc. which made the project a success and much easier and faster than if I had to find contractors on my own. Because Tim's projects represent a substantial part of these vendor's workflow, they performed better and were more responsive. Tim frequently visited the house during the renovations to check on the progress and details. When he and/or I were not happy with a detail or when there was a lack of coordination between the vendors, he would call them and get it fixed. Furthermore, based on Tim's deep experience with Palo Alto, he understood who our market was and we reflected that insight in the style of the remodel and in the staging. This very high level of service was all provided within a standard 5% commission. Tim definitely earned his commission. The house sold for about $500,000 more than asking price, which was about $400,000 more than our highest hopes and realistic comps. Hiring Tim was probably the best investment decision I have made in my life.