When I met Helen, she was 91 and had just lost her husband of 60 years. She was living in a rundown house in Rockridge, holding onto memories and ignoring the peeling paint.
Although her home was located in one of the East Bay’s most desirable neighborhoods, Helen sat on a couch with broken springs in a living room with no heat.
It was time for Helen to give up the house and transition to senior care. But she had no savings. This old word house was her only asset, and she needed to sell it to finance her next phase in life.
I knew I had to help her. I pulled together a full-service team to give Helen’s home a facelift and prep it for sale.
Working closely with Helen and her family, we started with spreadsheets to determine which property improvements were necessary, how much they’d cost and which ones would give Helen the best return on investment.
Helen didn’t have resources to fund the work, so I offered up-front financing. I also made arrangements so contractors and vendors would be paid with proceeds rom the sale.
After modernizing, refinishing, and landscaping, Helen’s house sold for probably $200,000 more than it would have before upgrades!
Helen then could afford her new life in an assisted living community in San Leandro.
– Linnette Edwards, Encircle Founder and Senior Real Estate Specialist (R)
