7626 Holly St, Oakland

Developer Series

Exterior (before): The developer client bought the home at a price he liked and came to Craig for urgent help with the 1928 Tudor-style property. It needed an overhaul that honored the traditional design elements and spoke to contemporary tastes.

Exterior (after): The new picket fence mimicked the peaked roofline, Tudor architecture and entry archway. Buyers responded to the fenced grassy area’s sense of privacy and boundary from the road. The new front window and removal of front door gate worked well for curb appeal.

Living room (before): On the upside, dramatic high-volume ceilings, an oversized front window and hardwood flooring. Needed lots of TLC to do it justice.

Living room (after): With everything in neutral white, the dramatic ceiling peak took center stage. Lighting was upgraded to recessed LEDs and oak floors were stained a dark brown for a rich grounding contrast.

Living room 2 (before): The white on white fireplace was effectively camouflaged. We wanted more contrast to call attention to its charming silhouette.

Living room 2 (after): The developer chose to paint the fireplace a sophisticated color that highlighted its lovely symmetry. Painting out the entire fireplace, firebox included, gave the room a rich, finished look.

Kitchen (before): – The existing kitchen finishes were 50+ years old. The closed-off, poorly lit room was anchored by an antiqued vinyl flooring pattern. We envisioned opening the kitchen, breakfast room and entry hall into one continuous open space.

Kitchen (after): To save money, we chose a cool-colored vinyl tile that simulated hardwood in this area. Now airy and bright, it was punctuated by the distinct arch of the front door.

Dining room (before): One caveat in moving the dining area here was to allow adequate space to walk through comfortably.

Dining room (after): Since this photo was taken, we replaced the chair near the window with a narrow bench to provide even more breathing room.

Bathroom (before): The bathroom was a do-over, taken to the studs.

Bathroom (after): Repositioned the toilet and outfitted the room with clean, modern finishes. Our favorite touch—the entire wall of mirror to give buyers a great view of their favorite subject … themselves.

Bedroom (before): Very rough and in need of a full makeover.

Bedroom (after): The bedrooms were improved by adding recessed can lights, fresh paint and casual-comfy staging. Keep in mind the lovely floors are vinyl, not hardwood.

Bedroom 2 (before): Dreary, with one small window made for a claustrophobic room.

Bedroom (after): Installing a larger window brought in more natural light and opened a nice view of the back yard.

Back yard (before): Another neglected area. The fence had been only partially replaced.

Back yard (after): Craig asked the developer to complete the fence in one consistent finish from end to end. He also recommended they add a window to the garage to show ADU possibilities and for a more finished look.

Living room/dining room (after): A pleasing, modern home that attracted 10 offers.

Site Conditions

A challenged part of Oakland’s Arroyo Viejo neighborhood, with broken-down vehicles, oil stains on the road
Next door neighbor’s car was up on blocks, not a pretty invitation to the community
Completely rundown home, purchased for cash from the lienholder

Results of Our Work

Planted front yard grass, added picket fence for hominess and privacy
Kitchen and bathroom taken down to the studs, remodeled with premium finishes
Added a half-bath and stacked laundry area off the kitchen
Installed a large window in the garage, painted the space as an optional ADU
Replaced all floors, systems, windows and finishes with tasteful premium materials

The Numbers

Listed $449K
Sold $ 610K
Offers – 10
Days on market – 29

See how we presented the property

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A Toolkit for Developer Decision Making

Craig offers home flippers, developers and renovators what’s essentially a toolkit for decision making. His goal is to help them achieve the very highest sales price in the shortest time, with bullet-proof consistency.

These clients often collaborate with Craig to choose homes that deliver the biggest payday. His experience as a contractor, home makeover manager for sellers and high-volume Realtor® is a match for evaluating properties. He assists by identifying likely homes, forecasting sale price and contributing to the remodel plan and budget.

Several successes with this client
Even though the relationship with the developer of this Holly Street property was fairly recently established, he and Craig had already achieved great results on several homes. In this case, the developer managed the $80,000 renovation.

Craig’s design team provides recommendations, and while the developer may not follow every one, he admits he listens because, “Craig has to produce the sales results for us.” The team also supports a cohesive style in the renovation, matching a home’s period detail with corresponding finishes, fixtures and fashion.

Attention to detail 
Craig enjoyed working with neighbors to remove abandoned cars, cover those in mid-repair and clean oil and transmission fluid stains off the street. The developer entrusted the project to Craig, knowing he’d get the job done. Despite being about 10 weeks into the Covid crisis, the offer date saw 10 bids and the sellers were entirely satisfied.

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