Case Study: How We Sold a Burnstead Home in Sammamish (Ilahee) in Less Than a Week

Case Study: How We Sold a Burnstead Home in Sammamish (Ilahee) in Less Than a Week — and Closed Before Our Clients Moved to France

Location: Sammamish, WA — Ilahee neighborhood
Home Type: Burnstead built home on a serene, park-like lot
Seller Goal: Sell for maximum value and close before an international move
Result: Listed in early December, pending in under a week with multiple offers, and successfully closed in early January—just days before departure.

When a seller has a hard international deadlin and the home needs preparation, success is never about luck. It’s about strategy, speed, and flawless coordination.

This is the story of how Sara Miller Group Real Estate helped our clients sell their Sammamish home on a tight holiday timeline, while they were still living in it and hosting family for Thanksgiving and then close in time for their January 7 flight to France.

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The Challenge: A Fast Timeline, Holiday Travel, and a Home That Needed Prep

Our clients reached out in mid-November just before Thanksgiving with a big life plan:
They were ready to sell everything and relocate to France for two years to enjoy retired life.

There were some major constraints:
✅ Their home needed to be sold for top dollar
✅ It needed to close by early January
✅ And it was right before Thanksgiving, with family arriving to stay

Adding complexity, the home needed market-ready upgrades and logistics, including:

* New carpet
* Touch-up paint
* Handyman repairs
* Professional cleaning
* Decluttering support
* Staging while they lived in the home

This is the type of sale where timelines can slip quickly—especially between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But with the right plan, it can also be one of the most powerful times to sell.

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Our Strategy: A “Concierge Listing Plan” Designed for Speed + Maximum Value

At Sara Miller Group, we treat every listing like a managed project, not a guessing game. For this sale, we used our signature process: a pre-listing concierge strategy designed to get a home market-ready fast without overwhelming the seller.

Step 1: Build a Prep Calendar and Work Backward From the Deadline

We created a detailed plan based on the sellers’ move date, then worked backward:

* Complete improvements
* Stage while occupied
* Professional photography + marketing assets
* List by the first week of December
* Create competitive urgency
* Close before January 7th

When sellers are facing an international move, the priority is to remove risk and create predictability—especially around inspections and closing.

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Vendor Coordination: The Advantage of Using Our Trusted Team

Our clients chose to use our full vendor network, which allowed everything to happen quickly and efficiently.

We coordinated:

* Carpet installation (new carpet was a key value upgrade)
* Paint touch-ups
* Handyman repairs
* Cleaning
* Decluttering + staging support

Because we manage scheduling, quality control, and sequencing, our sellers didn’t have to scramble or line up contractors during the holiday rush.

This is one of the most common reasons homes miss ideal listing windows: the prep process takes longer than expected. In this case, we kept it on track.

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Staging While Living There: The “Show-Ready” Home Without Disrupting Life

This home was staged while the sellers were still living in it—and during a time when they were hosting family.

We created a “live-in staging plan” that included:

* Styling the rooms for photography and showings
* Streamlining furniture layout to make the home feel larger and brighter
* Simple, repeatable show-ready steps the owners could maintain daily

Result: the home showed like a retreat and photographed beautifully, even though it was still being lived in.

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Pre-Inspection: How We Secured a Strong Offer Without an Inspection Contingency

One of the most important parts of our strategy was completing a **pre-inspection before listing**.

This is something we do whenever possible because it reduces uncertainty for everyone involved and often leads to stronger offers.

Why pre-inspections matter:

* Buyers feel confident writing their best offer
* Sellers reduce renegotiation risk
* Clean offers are more likely to close on time
* It can make inspection waivers possible (which is huge for a tight timeline)

In this sale, it worked exactly as intended:
We received multiple offers quickly—including a **very strong full-price offer** with **no inspection contingency**, thanks to the transparency and preparation upfront.

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Why Buyers Loved This Home: Burnstead Craftsmanship + an Unbeatable Sammamish Setting

This property had a combination that buyers rarely find:

A layout that lives beautifully

A thoughtful floorplan featured:

* A spacious great room anchored by a bright, open chef’s kitchen
* A breakfast nook, formal dining, living area, and den
* A dreamy primary suite with spa-style bath, walk-in closet, and sitting room (perfect for a quiet retreat or second workspace)
* Three additional bedrooms, including another ensuite—ideal for guests or multi-generational flexibility

A lot that feels like a private retreat

The setting delivered what so many buyers are looking for in Sammamish:

* A composite deck with a covered area for year-round enjoyment
* A koi pond and greenhouse
* A serene, park-like experience right at home

A location that checks every box

* Top-rated schools
* Starbucks, grocery shopping, and dining nearby
* Community trails right outside the door
* And the charm and consistency of the Ilahee neighborhood

With Burnstead quality, air conditioning, new carpet, and an exceptional lot, the home had a “rare-find” factor that created immediate demand.

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The Results: Under a Week to Pending, Multiple Offers, Closed Before Departure

Despite the tight holiday window, the outcome was exactly what the sellers hoped for:

* Listed in early December
* Pending in **under a week** with multiple offers
* Closed successfully in early January
* Sellers flew to France on January 7—relieved, excited, and completely on schedule

They didn’t just sell quickly. They sold with terms designed to protect the timeline and maximize thier return.

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What Made This Sale Successful (and Repeatable)

This wasn’t a “hot market” story. It was a process story.

Here’s what made the difference:

✅ 1) A deadline-driven plan

We built the timeline first and executed the prep and launch accordingly.

✅ 2) Full-service vendor coordination

The sellers used our trusted vendor team, allowing the home to be upgraded and ready quickly.

✅ 3) Pre-inspection to reduce risk

This led directly to stronger, cleaner offers and a more predictable closing.

✅ 4) Staging + presentation that created urgency

We staged while occupied and positioned the home as a lifestyle retreat in Sammamish.

✅ 5) Strong negotiation + offer strategy

We leveraged the competitive interest to secure excellent terms—including a no-inspection offer.

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Thinking of Selling in Sammamish (or the Eastside) on a Tight Timeline?

If you have a fixed move date—whether it’s relocation, retirement, downsizing, or an international transition—the key is having a team that can deliver:

* A strategic prep plan
* Vendor coordination
* Market-ready presentation
* Transparent inspection strategy
* A timeline-focused closing plan

At Sara Miller Group Real Estate, this is what we do.

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Ready to Talk?

If you’re considering selling in Sammamish, Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, or anywhere on the Eastside, reach out to start with a plan.

The goal isn’t just to sell—it’s to sell well, and close on your timeline.

Sara Miller

425 891-6488

saram@windermere.com