I recently closed escrow on 18 Trellis Drive in Terra Linda. My client has gotten on in years and moved into assisted living at Alma Via, which is just on the other side of Northgate opposite the old Sears building. I was very happy for her because she has a lot of friends at Alma Via, many from her days volunteering at the Nazareth House. It’s really an ideal living situation for her. Whenever I visit, I can tell she is very happy and fully enjoying the activities Alma Via offers throughout every day.
My client has lived a good life, and she treated her home extremely well. Our pest report came back with nothing on it. I had one Realtor ask me if the report was missing pages, because he’d never seen a completely clean pest report. The home inspector’s comments on the house were sparse and relatively inconsequential, which is also quite rare. When you present a house like 18 Trellis Dr to the market, you know people are going to appreciate it’s condition. Although somewhat dated, everything was in great shape. Here’s my marketing description for the property:
"Pride of Ownership! An exceptionally well cared for home, 18 Trellis Drive has been in the same family since the early 1960's. So much thought and care have been put into the home including recently refinished wood flooring, recessed lighting, dual pane windows for energy efficiency and a solar thermal water heating system. The air conditioning, furnace and ducting have all been updated in addition to the main electric meter. You are going to love the mature and artfully crafted landscaping in the front and back yards. You are only two playing fields away from Vallecito Elementary School, and half a block from the Freitas Park community playground and green space. Close to shopping, transportation, and award winning Miller Creek Schools 18 Trellis Drive is a wonderful place to call home!"
The market responded well to the listing. We came on the market the same week as 108 Trellis, which was the same floor plan and had a pool, plus they were in an arguably better location up the street. There had been some updates and upgrades to 108 and they took an offer before the first weekend. We waited and had a lot of interest, good showings and a great open house. Sometimes it pays to wait. 108 Trellis closed for $1,225,000. We closed for $1,315,000. They had been offered at $1,239,000 and we were at $1,255,000. From a pure marketing perspective, I would have preferred to start at $1,249,000 but the floor refinishing cost $6,000 and my client felt that should be built into the price. That was alright by me.
Because of low inventory and the condition of the home I felt confident with our price, and the sale could not have worked out better. There was competition down to the wire, and we ended up accepting a great offer with no contingencies and a quick close. It helped that we had all the inspections done up front, so the buyers could feel comfortable making offers without physical inspection contingencies. The eventual buyer and his agent were both great to work with, the transaction was very smooth from the start to finish. 18 Trellis Drive was as close to a perfect sale as you can get.