BENTLEIGH CASE STUDY
Project Type: Renovate to Sell
Project
ID
48JAS
Low-Budget Renovation in Bentleigh Unlocks Hidden Value
The owners of this dated two-bedroom home in Bentleigh, in Melbourne’s south-east, had inherited the property and wanted to sell. They knew it wouldn’t reach its full market potential in its current condition, but with no renovation experience – and no upfront budget – they didn’t know where to start.
That’s where Kudo Homes came in. We provided expert guidance on renovating for profit and styling to sell. By choosing our ‘renovate now, pay later’ model, the owners were able to complete $36,000 worth of improvements without paying a cent until the property settled.
With a clear goal to maximise sale price and attract buyers fast, we focused on smart, low-cost updates that deliver high impact. A full interior repaint and polished timber floors instantly brightened the space. We introduced a neutral colour scheme to enhance natural light and provide a clean backdrop for modern furniture staging.
The kitchen and bathroom were left intact as they were in great condition, and a fresh coat of paint and tile clean made them feel brand new. The lounge room’s beautiful fireplace and leadlight doors didn’t need more than a refresh and staging to shine.
Beyond the interiors, the home received a full exterior soft wash, front and backyard landscaping, and a professional clean. We added new tiles to the laundry and toilet, trimmed back trees, laid fresh mulch, and cleaned up all outdoor spaces for maximum street appeal.
To save money and reduce waste, we rehomed unwanted furniture and household items rather than sending them to landfill, cutting down on tip fees and helping the environment.
With expert staging and thoughtful updates, this transformation was complete within just two weeks. The result? A beautifully presented home, ready for market, with no upfront cost to the owners and nothing left to do.
Oh, and they made a whopping $160,000 more than their agent told them to expect after the renovation costs were factored in.
And that’s the impact of a Kudo “renovate to sell” makeover.
THE FINAL RESULT
Kudo Homes was able to renovate and style the property to achieve a sale price of $888,000 – $163,000 more than the top of CoreLogic’s estimated value range. We achieved this result within two weeks with a budget of $36,000, and nothing for the owners to pay until settlement.
Selling price: the property sold for $888,000.
Owner investment: our client spent $36,000 renovating this property.
Based on the corelogic data, the owners profited $163,000 more than the estimated value range as you can see below.
You don’t always have to spend big to make a good return. This two-bedroom property could have done with a new bathroom; it was clean, tidy and functional, but was significantly dated. However, the postcode deemed it unviable. Adding another bathroom to this property would have cost around $18,000 in additional funding which – in our opinion – had a too greater chance to eat into the owner’s profits. It just wasn’t worth the investment.
