Thursday Three Hundred: What a Difference Staging and Remodeling Makes in a 1950s Cottage

Are you ready for a stunning before-and-after? Let’s start off with the vitals on 6248 Ravendale, a cottage built in 1950 in Caruth Terrace. It’s a 1,397-square-foot traditional with two bedrooms, one bathroom and a single garage. It’s marketed by Jan Baldwin of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s for $299,500.

Now, to you, this cute little house may not sound like much, but wait until you get a peek at the remodel that made this so-so house into a cozy, cute cottage that would be the envy of any neighborhood.

The first thing you’ll notice is the fresh paint and landscaping outside the home, which raises the profile to a whole different level by making the shutters and doors neutral, adding more inviting furniture to the porch, and tidying the front to add crucial curb appeal.

Of course the interiors have been brightened up, too, with neutral paint and white furniture, and lovely accessories. It’s a far cry from the dark, uninviting interiors in the first listing photos.

The kitchen has had a facelift, too, with bright cabinets replacing the dark ones, opening the space and making it much more photogenic. The paint on the walls makes this modest kitchen look much bigger, too, and adding  beadboard for the backsplash instead of the eclectic tile makes the space look much more unified.

Really, the backyard is the same, but what is different is the cozy furniture that makes the area show much better. Now tell us: Which house would you buy for almost $300,000? The before or the after?