Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is: The CandysDirt.com Team Staged 307 N. Waverly Pro Bono

Special Thanks to Shoot2Sell Architectural Photography, CORT Furniture Rental, and Jenn Matt Thatcher

Two weeks ago, one of my talented staff writers did what she does best — think outside the box and whip up a great editorial twist to one of our regular Tuesday $200k  posts.

You know how we offer up delicious samples of North Texas real estate here on CandysDirt.com, carefully culled AFFORDABLE real estate, virtually every day of the week? There is our signature Monday Morning Millionaire, Tuesday Two Hundred, Thursday Three Hundred, and Friday Four or Five Hundred. Let me not forget our Fort Worth Fridays — Fort Worth has the yummiest homes! And occasionally we do a Saturday Six or Seven Hundred. Of course we also weave editorial-worthy properties and “O” Homes in between those signature basics, along with regular local real estate and design news that affects how we live in North Texas.

We fell in love with 307 N. Waverly Drive. Not sure if it was the bones, the Tudor style, the location (within walking distance of Davis Street, the Kessler Theater, and Bishop Arts), or the detailed brickwork. Maybe it was the brick planter columns alongside the front doorway that reached out like welcoming arms. The North Oak Cliff home in the historic L.O. Daniel neighborhood is a three-bedroom, two-bath home with 1,410 square feet, built in 1924.

From the outside, it was cute as a button. But in our expert opinion, the interior photos left a lot to be desired, and didn’t show off this little angel at her very best.

 

We tried to explain in our post what we would have done, what could have been done. And we sure apologize if we hurt anyone’s feelings in doing so, because that was never our intent.

But we are committed to raising the bar in Dallas real estate, and I don’t mean champagne. We tell our readers — buyers, sellers, agents, real estate professionals — over and over again that, in the world of digital real estate, you simply must put your best face forward the very first time a property is revealed. Think of it as the unveiling of a masterpiece, or the debut of a hit Broadway show. You want all hands on deck, and every hair in place. Your home is going to be photographed for more than just a local magazine shoot — your home is going to be seen by the entire world!

That’s why, this year, I told our staff that we were going to hit it harder — call out lazy photography, lousy photos, and bad staging all to help the consumer and agent get the highest possible reviews and revenue for their listing.

It goes without saying that we will also help you achieve those goals every day with advice from experts, do’s and don’ts, and we always welcome your questions.

So when we heard that a few feelings had been hurt, we didn’t just say we were sorry. We jumped in to show you what we we were sorry about.

We put our money, sweat, and manicures where our mouths are. As did the wonderful folks at Shoot2Sell, CORT Furniture Rental, Dallas artist Jenn Matt Thatcher who offered to donate a painting, the entire CandysDirt.com staff and generous readers from all across North Texas. And we’re grateful for the talented staff of this blog, especially Karen Eubank of Eubank Staging, who lent her expertise for this project, as well as model home designer and Lifestylist Suzanne Felber.

We are not going to make a regular weekly feature out of it, no sir, but we were just amazed with the results. As were the homeowners. So amazed, that I wish we had had a live camera crew capture the looks on the faces of the homeowners when they came home.

“My son told me he felt like he was walking into a hotel room,” said Chris Neal, the homeowner. “The house looked amazing!”

We saw the potential, and hope you do, too. As Leah wrote in her original piece, which is now live again:

“If you add up the cost of staging (generally 1 to 2 percent of list price) and the cosmetic fixes, it would likely ring in under that amount, in my opinion. Listing a house with these kind of issues is like throwing money out the window. … Sometimes, a darling home comes on the market and its potential is marred by cosmetic problems, poor staging, and too much clutter.”

Does 307 N. Waverly have some issues? Of course it does. Can those issues be fixed? You betcha. I just hope you see what we saw, the great potential in this adorable little home listed for $249,000.

P.S.: Yeah, we might do this again. If you want your home staged by the CandysDirt.com team, it sure won’t be pro bono, but give us a shout at [email protected].