How Did a Targeted Renovation Turn an Original-Condition Unionville Home Into $200,000 Over Asking?

A family in one of Unionville's established court pockets, with a detached four-bedroom home that had served them well for years and a tenant in the walkout lower level. By July they had decided it was time for the next chapter, and they reached out to Michael John Lau to understand what the home could realistically achieve.

The first conversation was not about price. It was about what they wanted the sale to do for them, what their timeline looked like, and how much they were prepared to put into the home before it hit the market. Michael walked through the property the same day, because the answers to those questions depend on what the home actually looks like, room by room.

The home was in original condition. Good bones, a strong Unionville address, a large footprint of roughly 2,926 square feet above grade, and a walkout lower level with its own kitchen. But stipple ceilings, dated colours, and the small wear that comes with years of family life would have put it at a disadvantage against renovated competition in the same price band.

Listing as-is would have invited buyers to price in a full renovation, and in Unionville that number gets large quickly. At the other extreme, a full renovation before listing would have cost real money, taken months, and returned only a fraction of its cost on resale. Add a tenant whose schedule and rights had to be respected throughout, and the sellers were facing three problems at once: what to fix, how to fix it without losing the summer, and how to do all of it with someone living downstairs.

A targeted renovation, not a full one. The question Michael John Lau asked about every possible update was the same: will a Unionville buyer pay this back, and then some? Paint, smooth ceilings, and a short list of repairs passed that test. A new kitchen and new bathrooms did not. The goal was never the highest possible renovation. It was the highest possible return for the sellers.

That framing mattered because it kept the budget small, the timeline short, and the sellers in control. Instead of guessing at what buyers might want, the plan was built around what current Unionville sales showed buyers were actually paying a premium for: a home that feels move-in ready on the walkthrough, even if the finishes are not brand new.

Michael brought in his trusted contractors and managed the work himself, so the sellers were not coordinating trades, quotes, and schedules on top of everything else. The scope stayed disciplined from start to finish.

1. 01

   Fresh paint throughout

   A current neutral palette that let the home's size and light do the work, and photographed well.

2. 02

   Smooth ceilings

   The single update that most changed how the home read on a walkthrough: dated stipple gone, rooms instantly feeling newer.

3. 03

   Targeted updates and repairs

   Only the items a buyer or a home inspector would flag. Nothing cosmetic that would not pay for itself.

4. 04

   Professional staging

   Every room given a purpose, with the walkout lower level shown as the flexible space it is rather than as a tenant's suite.

5. 05

   The tenant, handled

   Notice, access, and showing windows coordinated with the tenant throughout, so the renovation and the showings ran on schedule and the buyer had clear information about the lower level.

6. 06

   Priced to invite competition

   Listed at $1,399,999, a number drawn from current Unionville comparables and set to bring the whole buyer pool through the door rather than to test the ceiling on day one.

More than 75 viewings. Unionville buyers responded to a home that looked and felt ready, at a price that made it worth competing for. By offer night there were six offers on the table.

Six offers is where the work shifts from marketing to negotiation. Michael John Lau reviewed each one for more than its headline number: deposit, conditions, closing date, and how well each buyer was positioned to actually close. He then negotiated for the combination of highest price and strongest terms, so the sellers were not trading certainty for a number that might fall apart later. The home sold for $1,600,800, which is $200,801 over the list price, with terms the sellers were comfortable with.

The best part was not the number. It was watching the sellers move forward confidently into their next chapter, knowing the money they spent on preparation had come back to them many times over.