Name: Scott Oakley
The home: A four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath ranch home built in 1979
Where: Roswell
Why he sold: Oakley, a corporate vice president of sales, wanted to move into the school district where his kids, Jake, 14, and Taylor, 12, attend middle school. An experienced home renovator, he opted to rent a house in their school district for a year, so he could find another property to renovate. "I loved the house, I just kind of got tired of having to drive [my kids] to and from school every single day," he said.
Days on the market: 3
Original price: $425,000
Sale price: $425,000
What it took
Although Oakley had only lived in the home for about a year-and-a-half, he made significant changes to the 37-year-old property.
“I renovate houses on the side and I have for 15 years, so when I bought the house, it was stepping into a time warp of 1979,” said Oakley. “I gutted the whole house down to the steps and rebuilt it the way I wanted.”
Within 12 hours of listing the home for sale, Oakley received three full-priced offers. Oakley credits part of this success to the hot real estate market. He also believes that custom features, such as a finished basement with a media room and wine cellar, attracted buyers.
“To have a wine cellar … you never see that in that price point,” said Oakley.
Oakley also had his home professionally decorated. Adding unique accents to his home, such as an automobile-themed room to the basement, was the finishing touch and made the house market-ready.
Potential stumbling block
Oakley accepted an offer from a buyer who could put 20 percent down but wanted to move in as soon as possible.
“It wasn’t selling a home that was the struggle, it was afterward, packing everything up in 22 days,” said Oakley. “I got the largest Pod that they make, and I hired a bunch of helpers to come over and we spent like three days and cleaned up.”
Although Oakley was apprehensive about finding a rental home that quickly, his real estate agent, Tania MacLeod with Harry Norman, Realtors, helped him find a house before the June 2015 closing. He signed a lease on a rental home in downtown Roswell that’s walking distance to shops and restaurants.
Seller’s hint
Oakley suggests focusing on the kitchen and bathrooms when preparing a home to sell. “People entertain and they spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and they want a nice bathroom, so that’s what sells,” he said.
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