Crescent Park, Palo Alto
Stephen and Annie were moving to Washington, D.C. They wanted their Crescent Park home to sell quickly and for a premium, without uprooting their household before early summer.
The house was charming but not easy. Built in 1938, the New England colonial had no open floor plan or modern finishes, and one bedroom was very small, with no closet.
The original idea was to list in May. In early spring, Chris saw a better window. Inventory was low, prices were well above the year before, and buyers were competing hard.
So he proposed a bold plan. While Stephen and Annie were away for two weeks in March, movers packed most of their belongings into storage. The house was refreshed, staged and listed the first weekend they were gone, with offers due the following week. If it didn't sell, they would move back in and try again in May.
Chris looked past the home's quirks to what made it special: a quiet cul-de- sac, directly across from a park. He staged the second-floor deck as an extra living room overlooking the green. And he listed the house $200,000 above the original plan.
On the first day of offers, the house sold for $125,000 over asking, with no contingencies and a free rent-back through the end of June.
Within 12 hours, the house was sold and Stephen and Annie's offer on their new home in Washington had been accepted.
