Above: Open House timelapse
I first became aware of the home at 878 Franklin Avenue sometime in 2018/2019, when a Realtor friend, Nick, first purchased the home. He had invited me over to see his new home, and I had no idea what I was walking into. As a Realtor, I see many types of homes in many areas — it's not often I would say to myself, “I would live here.” This was one of those rare homes.
The home was designed and built for and by Ohio's first female architect, Florence Kenyon Hayden Rector. The stucco 3-story facade with its French doors and steel casement windows seems more Los Angeles, CA than Columbus, OH, and therefore stands out.
In the spring of this year, Nick mentioned he would be listing the home so he and his family could make the move to California, and that he was juggling preparing the home for sale, his son finishing school, finding a new home across the country, and life in general. I thought about it and made a phone call, something like, “You know I love your house and I know how to market a home — let me list and market your house.” He said, “Let me talk to my husband about it,” and the rest is history.
In preparation for listing the home, Nick had exterior listing photos done the year before, which was a huge help, because Nick and his family were preparing for a week-long trip out of town and wanted the home listed and shown during that period of time. My obstacle was that we were not able to do the Coming Soon period with all of the interior photos of the home, because the home wasn't being staged and photographed until right before Nick and his family left town. So I had to use what I had and market the home with teaser marketing, with the catchphrase at the end: “Like what you see? Wait until you see the inside.”
At the end of the Coming Soon period, listing photos were added to the listing so that when the listing went active, it would show up in searches. The showings were steady, and a Sunday open house was planned. It was very well attended, and soon after we received multiple offers from buyers that actually attended the open house. We negotiated a purchase price $15,000 over list price, with Nick's ideal closing date and delayed possession, and closed on May 1st, 2026.
SOLD for $15,000 Over List Price for $890,000. 878 Franklin Avenue in Olde Towne East. Seller Representation.
Nick’s Google Review:
“Bill's marketing plan for our home was outstanding! He made sure our home stood out and maximized our first days on market. This lead to our home receiving multiple offers above list price and with the best terms for our needs. Bill is the best realtor in Columbus hands down!
Above: Original teaser video
