4QSJOH 3FBM &TUBUF 2011
/PU TP FYUSFNF.",&07&3 WILLOWS HOME
WAS TRANSFORMED FOR RESALE IN JUST SEVEN WEEKS
Doug Willbanks
Before, the tiny kitchen lacked storage space as well as modern appliances.
Veronica Weber
The contractor, now doing business as “Three Guys from Reno,” suggested replacing the old red-brick fireplace surround with a new wooden mantel and travertine marble that’s repeated elsewhere in the house.
by Carol Blitzer nce their daughter went off to college, Hanako Yanagi and Rick Wolff decided to relocate to Wine Country. Within days of looking, they signed a lease and moved in. But they really needed to sell their Willows home, where they’d lived since 1995. Over the years they had replaced the original 1945 windows, added pavers to the driveway and entryway and worked on the landscaping. The house needed a lot more than paint to create curb appeal. Their Realtor, Doug Willbanks, with Coldwell Banker, Menlo Park, advised them to spruce up before putting the house on the market. His comparison-sales numbers convinced them that they could get closer to $1 million than the mid-$800,000s that an “as is” sale could produce. They signed their Sonoma lease in February, knowing they’d need to list their Menlo Park home in the
O
Veronica Weber
The new kitchen has granite counter tops, a basket-weave backsplash and travertine flooring — and soft-close drawers, halogen lighting under the upper cabinets and a bevy of brand-new GE Profile appliances.
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Spring Real Estate Special Section I Page 33