Problem

In today’s real estate market homeowners need to take a hard look at readying a house for sale. Dull, worn or outdated floors can be a major turn off to buyers and be a key reason why a home sits on the market and does not sell. In fact over 60% of a buyer’s decision is based on the condition of the floors.

At the top of the list is fixing, replacing, freshening or updating so the home is turn-key and move-in ready. Making these changes will give the home a fresh, trendy look and the sellers  an edge over the competition.

First off, the husband, a Lockheed Martin Executive (one of our many Lockheed Martin referrals who has used us more than once) was moving his family out of state due to a job transfer. His wife, who loved their home here in Medford was heartbroken. Eventually they realized this was not a temporary move, so they began to ready the house for sale. So torn about the situation, this wife poured her heart and soul into finishing it the way she would like to see it done, were she doing it for herself.

Take a look at the BEFORE picture. While the overall appearance is adequate, there was some damage in certain areas before we began. But mostly, it lacked pizzazz. And today the trend is going away from the golden or honey oak. Today buyers want a darker, more sleek and fresher look that is clean and more contemporary to decor solutions.

Solution

During our consultation, which included the homeowner, Chris and myself, and a home staging professional, we confirmed to them that the darker look is “all the buzz” and what people are looking to do these days. In fact, I told them we are refinishing wood floors that don’t have any problems just because folks want the fresh look you see in the stores and on the home shows.

So for this house in a popular Medford neighborhood, these sellers felt their decision to refinish the floors darker would give them the fresh trendy updated look that would appeal to prospective buyers. They were betting that it would make their home stand out and potentially beat out the other homes on the market. What they didn’t want was to have their home look like all the others and sit on the market for months, or even years. So with a plan that would give them an “edge” they commissioned us, and  we set about right away to do our work.

First, we removed the golden color and  then stained the floors Antique Brown. Then our skilled technicians finished the floors with a safe, low VOC water based finish (made from whey—a byproduct of cheese making). With this quality product, the sellers did not need to worry about any lingering odors that might turn off potential buyers.

Secondly, we removed the carpet runners from the wood stairs, stained the treads, and painted the risers white to match the stringers and spindles.  We also sanded and stained the railings to match. The result was a very clean contemporary look that one could easily find trending on Pinterest or Houzz.

Afterthoughts

Not only was the agent impressed, the homeowners fell in love with their home all over again despite having to sell. The previous owner, who we had worked for in this particular home over 30 times, toured the home during an open house. Her jaw hit the floor, she commented to us she was simply stunned. The realtor soon got an offer.And we got a lot of inquiry from others who saw these pictures of our work.

See for yourself in the AFTER images the potential of our hardwood refinishing services.

Call us at 609.953.0472 or contact us online for a free estimate to see what we can do for your hardwood floors.  You can fall in love with them all over again.