Survival was the objective when Gladys and Werner Schroeder bought their 15-acre property in Crystal Lake 26 years ago. In event of economic collapse or natural disaster, they can hunt, fish and grow their own vegetables. Drinkable water is available in their spring-fed pond.
”You can live off this land and always have meat on your table,” Werner said.
The acreage is bordered by virgin forest and subdivided by berry patches and groves of fruit trees. In between are fields of grass, which Werner keeps neatly mowed. He is proud of the fact that he has not used fertilizers or pesticides on the property.
”I believe in nature,” he told Mary Siewenie of ERA Wolf and Associates in Crystal Lake.
”You sure have plenty of it here,” she replied. ”This is beautiful.”
Now, at age 70, Werner would like to be relieved of some of his outdoor chores. He and Gladys spend winters in Arkansas and hope to move there permanently a year from now.
Siewenie toured the property and offered several ideas to help the Schroeders make it even more attractive to buyers.
Beamed ceilings
The three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home sits at an angle on the site so that each window has a different view. The exterior is cedar and the interior is almost entirely wood. The ceilings are beamed and the floors are of glossy hard rock maple.
Werner designed the home, which also features a vaulted ceiling and a fieldstone fireplace in the living/dining room, zoned heating throughout, an eat-in kitchen, a two-car attached garage and a finished crawlspace.
Siewenie`s primary advice was to enhance the ambience along the route to the front door, by trimming off overgrown branches along the driveway and moving a boat from the front of the property to a more secluded location.
”You`re selling the house, not the boat,” she said. ”You don`t want to take anyone`s attention away from what they are driving to.”
Because of the home`s placement on the property, the garage is the first structure potential buyers will see. On this particular day, the garage door was open, revealing a disarray of tools and sports equipment.
”We have too much stuff in here, I agree,” Gladys said.
”You have enough room in here to build some more shelves to organize some of these things,” Siewenie noted.
A pathway alongside the garage leads to a patio and entrance to the kitchen. The formal entry to the living room is farther away, so the Schroeders have always used the patio access, they said. Prospective buyers will probably follow suit, said Siewenie, so the patio should be made as attractive as possible. The grandchildrens` toys should be put away when the home is shown and the flower pots should be set strategically in place, she said.
Half of the patio is covered with a worn carpeting, which Siewenie advocated having cleaned.
”We`ll have to get a new one,” Gladys said. If they do lay a new piece of floor covering, a brown indoor/outdoor carpet would blend well with the dark wood deck, Siewenie said.
Inside the home, Siewenie had few suggestions. She did tell the Schroeders to turn on all the lights for showings, even on sunny days.
Bright idea
”Look what a difference it makes,” she said. ”The paneling has a beautiful warm glow but you don`t see it unless the lights are on.”
She also pointed out a few window sills with worn varnish, which could use refinishing.
”The sun does that,” Gladys explained.
Siewenie`s last piece of advice is for the Schroeders to be patient. Because of the large size, the property will take longer than most to sell, she said. ”You have something very unique here. You have to find someone who wants 15 acres and is willing to pay for it.”
”Yes,” agreed Werner. ”We`ve got to get someone who wants more out of life.”
