Doors Wide Open: The Story That Sold This Magnolia Home
Every house has a story, and I know how to tell it.
In Magnolia, the right story can sell a house fast. For this listing, the story had two main features: selling the cool nano-doors that opened up the back of the house, and a surprise theater in the basement.
Turns out the weather cooperated for our photos! Can you imagine a summer night here—doors wide open, friends drifting between the deck and the kitchen, music playing, the sunset putting on a show?
The Second Part of the Story: the theater.
Of course, the living room-to-deck flow was the showstopper—but the house had another surprise: a full, built-in theater downstairs.
It was one of those rare extras that actually made sense. Not gimmicky, not “added on.” It worked. You could host a backyard dinner and then bring the group downstairs for a movie night. Kids watching a Pixar movie while the adults wrapped up upstairs? Perfect.
How about this for a home movie theater? Calibrated perfectly!
So now the story deepened:
Dinner on the deck.
Sunset fading out.
Then down to the theater for a film.
You don’t get that combo very often
The big challenge: What if the weather didn’t cooperate?
There was only one problem: we wanted to list in March, and we couldn’t depend on the weather to be sunny enough to showcase the indoor-outdoor flow from the kitchen to the deck.
We had to figure it out. The seller had blown out the back walls of the house and added "nano doors" that opened up to the deck. No awkward step down. No cramped sliding glass door. Just full, easy openness. And then—sunlight, space, and views of the canal, the Ballard Bridge and Mount Baker. That needed to be front and center.
We got in the house extra early in the morning to make sure we could capture the eastern morning light.
The answer: Let’s throw a cocktail party and make a commercial!
So I gathered some friends, and even some previous clients, and said, “Come by this cool house for a cocktail party, and we’ll film you for our commercial to sell it!” People loved it. We had a great time.
Where do you show the commercial? On the movie theater in the basement! (and now on my blog). What do you think?
I’d love to tell the story of your home, or find you a home that fits your story better.
Want to hear more stories like this?
Listing with a Restaurant-Worthy Kitchen – Ever wonder what it’s like to have a restaurant grade kitchen in your home?
What style of house is this? (and does it even matter?) - Magnolia doesn't have a lot of Federal architecture, but here was something different. Something rare.
When the Pool Steals the Show: Marketing the Unexpected in Magnolia - My clients had always imagined having a pool. Not a hot tub. Not a plunge pool. A real, cannonball-ready pool.
You May Not Want To Live With A Perfectionist..But You Definitely Want To Buy Their House - The story of this Magnolia home was all about the dedication of the seller!
Thinking about your own home?
Let’s talk. I’d love to help you tell its story, or find one that fits yours even better.
Let’s Talk,
—Matthew