Areas ServedKing County, Washington

Licensed general contractor and REALTOR in Auburn, Washington.

I have renovated in Auburn.

01 / Why It Matters HereAuburn

Most agents can tell you the price. I can tell you the problem.

Elisha Cruson is a licensed general contractor, home designer and REALTOR serving Auburn and the wider King County area of Washington. Before real estate she spent over a decade in construction management running commercial projects from planning through completion.

In Auburn specifically, much of the housing is post-war through 1990s, where the biggest return is usually opening up a closed floor plan rather than replacing finishes.

That matters because the cost of finding it during the inspection is always higher than the cost of finding it before you list.

Lea Hill
West Hill
Lakeland Hills

What I check first in a Auburn house

Which walls are load-bearing before anyone talks about opening the plan
Original siding and whether it has another decade in it
Water heater age against the rest of the systems
Attic insulation depth, cheap to fix and visible on a report

02 / Work in AuburnBuilt, Not Just Listed

I have actually worked here.

I have renovated in Auburn. Auburn River Remodel is one of mine. You can see the scope, the photographs and what the work involved.

See Auburn River Remodel

03 / How I Look At ItFour Lenses, One Walkthrough

Four opinions, one person, one afternoon.

Lens 01

Realtor

What buyers in your Auburn price range expect right now, and what competing listings already offer.

Lens 02

Contractor

Starting with which walls are load-bearing before anyone talks about opening the plan, and everything else that becomes the buyer's leverage.

Lens 03

Designer

The updates that change how the home reads the moment someone walks through the door.

Lens 04

Investor

Where the money returns, and just as often where it does not and we skip it.

04 / Straight AnswersAuburn

Questions Auburn owners actually ask.

Do I need to renovate before selling in Auburn?

Usually not extensively. In Auburn the deciding factor is condition rather than style: much of the housing is post-war through 1990s, where the biggest return is usually opening up a closed floor plan rather than replacing finishes. A walkthrough identifies which specific items are worth doing and which will not return what they cost.

What adds the most value to a Auburn home before listing?

Paint, flooring, lighting and curb appeal return the most relative to cost almost everywhere, Auburn included. Beyond that it depends on the house. I have renovated in Auburn. The point of the walkthrough is to tell you which of those actually applies to yours.

Can one person handle both the renovation and the sale in Auburn?

That is the whole point of how I work. I hold a Washington contractor registration (CC ELISHMP742CQ) and a Washington broker licence (24016181), so the person telling you what the work costs is the same person telling you what it returns at sale. I serve Auburn and the wider King County area including Lea Hill, West Hill, Lakeland Hills.

05 / Next StepAuburn, Washington

Let's walk your Auburn house.

The consultation is free and there is no obligation attached to it. Worst case, you find out you do not need to do anything.

Book a Free Walkthrough Call (206) 730-0550

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