Selling a Kennewick Home: How Staging Added $25K to the Sales Price

Sara and Brett have worked with me multiple times over the years — buying, selling, and even referring friends my way. So when it came time to sell their Kennewick home before a move out of state, they didn’t hesitate to reach out.

Before we listed, Sara texted me with an interesting twist: Their neighbor had told them on three different occasions that they had a friend who might want to buy the house off-market. The neighbor’s friend was asking questions about how to buy their house with just a lawyer’s help.

Sara’s response made me smile: “I don’t think you understand the devotion and trust we have in our Realtor®.” They wanted the sale handled right, and they wanted me to handle it. What an honor to have clients who trust me that much!

An Extra $25K…Thanks to Staging

When I visited the home before we listed it, I said to Sara and Brett that we should list it somewhere around $525,000. They were on board with that price.

Sharon Atchison, my preferred professional stager, gave them a list of updates to get the house ready to sell. Brett and Sara rolled up their sleeves, took her staging advice to heart, and checked off every item on Sharon’s suggestion list.

By the time Sharon and I walked through right before going live, the house looked incredible. I said we should raise the list price to $550,000. Again, Brett and Sara were on board and trusted my judgment and knowledge of the local real estate market.

So we listed the home at that price, and on day one, we got a full-price offer!

Negotiating a Chain of Sales Contingencies

That’s when the negotiations kicked in. The buyers wanted their closing costs covered — that’s several thousand dollars they wanted Brett and Sara to pay. But on the first day of showings, we weren’t willing to give up that ground.

The offer moved forward, but inspection requests were heavy. Sara and Brett didn’t have the time or money to tackle all the repairs.

One of the biggest sticking points was the roof. The buyers pushed hard for a new roof, which would be a big expense for Brett and Sara as they were trying to buy their new home in another state.

Rather than let the deal fall apart, I connected them with a trusted local roofer who agreed to do the job and get paid after the house closed. His bid also came in lower than the others, which saved Brett and Sara thousands of dollars and kept the sale alive.

To make things even more interesting, their deal was the final link in a chain of three connected transactions. One home sale had to fund the next, which funded Sara and Brett’s. We held our breath through an unexpected 24-hour delay while the first deal’s funds cleared, and then — finally — we closed.

Why a Realtor Matters

This sale was a great example of the value of having a great Tri-Cities Realtor in your corner. My stager, Sharon, provided guidance that helped us sell the home for $25,000 more than my original estimate. Then, when pushback over repairs and navigating a delay-causing chain of sales almost derailed the sale, we found a great local roofer who worked with our needs and kept both sides of the transaction happy.

Would a real estate lawyer have been able to do all that? I don’t think so. Can AI do that? Again, pretty sure it can’t. In the end, I’m thrilled that Brett and Sara got exactly what they deserved — a smooth, profitable sale, handled with care.

If you’re thinking about selling your Tri-Cities home, I’d love to provide you with the same level of strategy and dedication. Get in touch anytime. I’m ready to help.