Prepare a home you've held for decades — without writing the checks first.
Only the projects that return more than they cost. Crews managed. And through KW Renew, up to $50,000 of the work can be funded with nothing due until closing. Here is exactly how it works, and where the limits are.
Figures verified October 5, 2026 · KW Renew terms quoted from the lender's own program page; cost ranges are the Hulsey Team's April 2025 estimates and are labeled as such.
Most prep lists are too long. The right one is short and specific.
A house held for 20 or 30 years almost always needs something, and almost never needs everything. The question is not “what would make it nicer?” but “which dollars come back as more than a dollar at closing, in this neighborhood, for the buyers who are actually shopping here right now?”
That answer is different in Saratoga than in Watsonville, and different for an estate sale with heirs in three states than for a couple moving across town. So the prep plan starts with the net sheet, not the paint chips: what the house nets as-is, what it nets after a defined list of work, and the gap between them.
When the gap is small, I say so and we skip it. That is more often than people expect.
Paint, floors, light, clean, stage
Neutral paint, floor refinish or replacement where the existing floor is tired, updated light fixtures, a deep clean including windows, and staging the rooms buyers photograph. The costly, invisible items — roof, sewer lateral, foundation — get inspected and disclosed, not always replaced.
Kitchens and baths for someone else's taste
A new kitchen rarely returns its cost on a longtime-owner sale in this market; the buyer who pays the premium often wants to choose it. Full remodels before listing are the exception, and the net sheet has to prove it first.
Up to $50,000 for prep, $0 upfront, repaid at closing.
For many longtime owners the equity is enormous and the cash on hand is not. KW Renew is the program the Hulsey Team uses to bridge that gap. The terms below are quoted from the lender; I am a broker, not the lender, and I don't make the credit decision.
| Term | As stated by the lender |
|---|---|
| Amount | Up to $50,000 for home prep — staging, painting, repairs, moving and more. |
| Upfront cost | $0 upfront. No cost on funds you do not use. |
| Repayment | Loan funds, interest and fees are due upon closing of the sale, termination of the listing agreement, loan acceleration, or twelve months after origination — whichever is sooner. |
| Interest and fees | Interest applies, and there is an origination fee. The rate is set at approval; it is not published on the program page and I will not guess at it here. |
| Security | Unsecured — no lien is recorded against the home. Works with homes held in trusts, estates and LLCs. |
| Contractors | Use your own contractors and vendors, or the ones I manage. |
| Credit | Applying does not impact your credit score. Eligibility is not guaranteed; all loans are subject to credit approval and lender underwriting. |
| Lender | Notable Finance, LLC (NMLS #1824748) or Quorum Federal Credit Union. |
The estimate tool on the lender's page asks for a credit range and shows an indicative amount; a full application is a separate step. I'd rather you talk to me before either, because for some sellers the right answer is to spend nothing.
Typical ranges the team quotes for prep work
These are the Hulsey Team's own planning estimates (April 2025) for our two counties, not quotes. Real bids vary with the house, and every one of these lines is a decision, not a default.
Per room $750+ · trim $1,500+ depending on size · cabinets $3,500+ · full interior $9,000+ · full exterior $8,000+
Vinyl kitchen $900–$2,000 · carpet in bedrooms $1,500–$3,500 · hardwood throughout: quote
Deep clean (occupied) $500–$900 · vacant deep clean with windows $900+ · window cleaning $400–$600+
Home $500–$1,000 · pest $250–$750 · roof $150–$300 · sewer lateral $500 · septic $600–$900 · well $500–$700
Local storage $300–$600/month · pods $3,000+/month · full professional move $4,000+ · partial $650/day · dump runs $600+
Day labor $350/person · mulch $300+ · sod $900+ · gravel $900+ · door hardware $60+/door · light fixtures $350+ each
Projects of one to two weeks have typically run $3,000–$12,000; two to six weeks, $8,000–$50,000; longer than that, $50,000 and up. Those are the brackets we plan around, and the reason the KW Renew ceiling is where it is.
The people who do the rest of it — and why no money changes hands between us
Thirty years of belongings is the part of a sale nobody budgets for, and the part that stalls estates. I keep working relationships with the categories below and will introduce you to the right one for your house and your timeline. You hire them directly and pay them directly.
California permits a broker to pay compensation for licensed activity only to licensed persons. I don't pay these vendors for sending me clients and I don't take anything for sending them yours. The introduction is free, and the only thing I get out of it is a sale that runs on time.
- Senior move managers — sort, pack, set up the new place, and work at the pace of the person moving.
- Estate-sale and consignment companies — for what resells. Most of it doesn't, and the sooner that's accepted the faster the job goes.
- Clean-out, donation and haul-away — for everything else, with donation receipts where they matter.
- Painters, flooring, handymen, stagers, photographers — the crews I manage on the prep list.
- Estate-planning attorneys and CPAs — when the sale needs one and you don't already have one. How I work with them.
The room-by-room sort checklist (PDF) gives the sequence and honest cost ranges for all of this — free, no email.
Tell me about the house. I'll tell you what I'd do and what I'd skip.
What comes back is a short written list — the projects, the rough cost, the expected return, and whether KW Renew makes sense for them — alongside the net sheet. No obligation to list with me to get it.
Or just call: 408-375-1223. You get me, not an assistant.
Prep and KW Renew FAQ
How much can a seller borrow through KW Renew?
Up to $50,000 for home preparation — staging, painting, repairs, moving and similar costs — with $0 upfront. Loans are made by Notable Finance, LLC (NMLS #1824748) or Quorum Federal Credit Union, subject to credit approval and lender underwriting.
When is a KW Renew loan repaid?
Loan funds, interest and fees are due upon closing of the sale of the home, termination of the listing agreement, loan acceleration, or twelve months after origination — whichever comes first. Interest and an origination fee apply; there is no cost on funds you do not use.
Does applying affect my credit score?
According to the lender, applying does not impact your credit score. Eligibility is not guaranteed; all loans are subject to credit approval.
Is the loan secured by my house?
No. It is an unsecured loan — no lien is recorded against the property — and it can be used with homes held in a trust, an estate or an LLC. You may use your own contractors.
Do I have to do repairs at all, or can I sell as-is?
You can always sell as-is, and in some trust and estate sales that is the right call. But buyers price an as-is home as if every unknown were a worst case, so skipping the work usually costs more than the work would have. I recommend only the projects that return more than they cost in your specific micro-market, and I manage the crews.
Do you get a referral fee from the contractors, move managers or estate-sale companies you recommend?
No. California permits a broker to pay compensation for licensed activity only to licensed persons, and I neither pay nor accept referral fees from any of the vendors I introduce. You hire them directly.
I am a real estate broker, not a lender, a contractor, a CPA or an attorney. Loan terms are set by the lender and can change; confirm them at application.