The Property:
503 Mountain Laurel Road,
Fairfield, Connecticut
Founding agent for COMPASS, founder of the co-marketing division Coastal COMPASS and principal of Team SVP, Susan Vanech purchased the property with the intent to rehab and sell in a low inventory market with incredibly high demand. In such demand, Susan’s buyer client offered to purchase the contract before the closing even occurred. Susan knew the home deserved some attention and would secure a higher sale price if some of the objections could be resolved.
The Project: The home needed to be emptied, painted and polished throughout. And Susan knew the buyer pool would dramatically enlarge with every update.
This project paved the way for new partnership opportunities.
The People: Susan Vanech, builder, seller, realtor. Melissa Levy, designer, realtor investor. Carrie Braley, co-project manager and realtor. Cindy Lyon, media and marketing manager.
This quintessential colonial on a sought-after street in a premier location was the perfect fit for Melissa and Susan and team. The home met all of their qualifications for a first-time project together: a great location, a clear vision, and a minor refresh…or so they thought.
Melissa Levy and Susan Vanech
The Plan: The initial scope of work was simple: paint everything, refinish the floors, replace ceiling light fixtures and door and cabinet hardware, and then stage.
The Pivot: Soon after the wallpaper started coming off the walls, and as neighbors noticed the activity, new ideas started to flow and the vision for refreshing the house grew to a larger scope of work.
The team decided to completely transform the interior of the house for its future buyer. They committed to doing a complete renovation of the kitchen, three bathrooms, open walls to create better flow, add recessed lighting and new fixtures throughout, re-finish the basement, add laundry access in the basement to enable a proper mud room on the main floor, change all door hardware, and the list continued to grow as did the interest.
The collaboration was flawless and completely leveled up the property, taking it to new heights.
Aurora Circularity, Inc. Display and pre-owned luxury kitchens.
Photo courtesy of Aurora
The Partners: Meet Lisa Feldman of Aurora Circularity, Inc. The most impactful transformation on this project was rooted in the relationship with Aurora and the kitchen renovation. From dated to reclaimed to reenvisioned Aurora provided the most affordable way to include a luxury kitchen within a tight budget. The upcycled showroom display kitchen contributes immediate equity value in the property as the cabinetry would have four times the cost if purchased retail. This adds direct value to the home and saves thousands of pounds in carbon and waste in the process.
Once the renovation was complete, enter Birgit Anich, CEO of BA Staging and Interiors. Birgit Anich worked her magic, in creating livable, aspirational spaces showcasing the home to its fullest potential. Birgit doesn’t just fill a space with furniture. She understands the psychology of the target buying audience and curates a sublimely sublime setting for each space. She elevates by adding her personal art as well. For example, the photography of the iconic architecture of Grand Central Station, a psychological draw for New York City buyers.
Birgit Anich, CEO of BA Staging & Interiors
Photo by Karina Petry
The Platform: In addition to the renovation and staging, SVP was excited to participate in the COMPASS Private Exclusive Program. Before recommending a product, process or service to her clients, Susan prefers to have first-hand experience. So, she dives right in wearing her seller’s hat to experience the latest COMPASS marketing platform.
Part 1: Validate Pricing
TEAM SVP chose to share the home exclusively on the COMPASS platform to gauge interest and test the market with no risk of days on market or a price adjustment. What they learned was that the market would support a higher list price the further the home was improved.
Part 2: Generate Early Demand
TEAM SVP launched the listing within the COMPASS network to build buyer anticipation and generate more interest and exclusive inquiries. The inquiries continued as did the work on the home. Which motivated continued work on the home.
Part 3: Launch Listing on all Websites
TEAM SVP successfully tested the market and created early demand, then the listing was positioned for the strongest possible result when it was released on all public websites.
The Projection: List the home at a higher list price than originally suggested. Fill the weekend with appointments for buyers, agents and neighbors to see the completed project.
Accept an offer by Monday morning
The Participation: COMPASS colleague, Leslie Clarke, brought the winning offer. She alerted her buying clients of 503 Mountain Laurel as a private exclusive and they showed interest early in the process and returned as renovations continued. Once the property was ready for phase 3, Leslie and her clients were among the first in to view the property in completion. This gave Leslie’s clients the advantage to make a compelling offer, and SVP was able to take the house off the market before the first open house.
The Payoff: The seller was driving decisions on how to expose the home and the buyer was poised to perform in a competitive market.
Lisa Feldman proclaims, “The Aurora team has been working with Susan Vanech over the past decade. She is a passionate champion of the circular economy, incorporating showroom and gently used kitchens into many of her projects.”
“A picture is worth a thousand words, the beautiful kitchens Team SVP curates in each of their projects tell the circular economy story where everyone wins; The Earth, the properties that are enhanced, and the homeowners and showrooms that see the true value for their unique product. All while extending the life of this quality material another 20+ years. Aurora is proud to be the sustainability platform that makes this all possible.” ☐
From concept to close, a Coastal COMPASS collaboration results in success for clients navigating from harbor to home and everywhere in between.
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