A five-day showing period culminated in a Maplewood, New Jersey, property closing at $1,188,000—$388,000 above its $800,000 list price, representing a 48.5% premium. The home at 25 Burnett Terrace, built in 1923 and untouched for over two decades, sold in just six weeks. Mark Slade of Mark Slade Homes led the preparation and listing, focusing on addressing visible deficiencies that could deter buyers.
According to Slade, the basement was the most significant initial problem. Previous owners had covered basement windows with corrugated plastic sheeting, leaving the room dark and uninviting. In the final 24 hours before launch, the team removed the sheeting and cleaned the glass underneath, transforming the space. The sunroom received a similar treatment: dark wood paneling was painted dove white. Five light fixtures on the first floor were replaced, though the sellers opted not to replace the full ten recommended. Slade personally addressed the open staircase to the third floor, which lacked balustrades, by installing wooden lattice painted to match existing railings. Peeling paint near the rear entrance was touched up, fresh flowers were placed throughout, and planters were added at the front door. The property was fully staged, tree branches blocking sightlines were trimmed before photography, and mulch was laid to improve curb appeal.
Slade uses a taxi analogy to explain the importance of these details: buyers enter with a mental budget, and every imperfection they notice reduces that budget incrementally. A cracked window, dark basement, or unfinished staircase may not be dealbreakers individually, but collectively they erode a buyer's willingness to pay a premium. The goal of preparation is to eliminate these 'meter-running' issues before launch.
The market response was substantial. Seventy groups attended open houses, leading to 32 buyer agency appointments and 16 offers. The top three offers were statistically tied, prompting a best-and-final round. Two buyers returned with higher numbers, and the winning offer of $1,188,000 became the highest such result in Maplewood year to date. The sellers, empty nesters who had already moved out, selected the team partly because Slade offered to manage contractors in their absence, being on-site daily or every other day during preparation.
This outcome challenges the instinct of sellers with dated properties to price low and hope for the best. The 25 Burnett Terrace result shows that a home untouched for 20 years is not automatically a liability; it becomes one only if it launches without proper preparation. Slade advises sellers to begin not with pricing but with a walkthrough. He offers resources on the preparation process at the seller resources page of his website.
The transaction highlights the potential for significant returns when strategic preparation is applied to older homes. For homeowners considering listing, the lesson is clear: the gap between a property's initial condition and its launch-day presentation is where value is created.
