After their four children were almost all grown and out on their own, Sally and Don Devitt were able to build the large house they wanted. It didn’t take long to realize they had too much space and too many bathrooms to clean.
“I want a smaller home to take care of,” wrote Sally in a letter to Selling Points. “Plus, we no longer want to do stairs.”
Two years ago they tried to sell the brick split level in Wood Dale themselves but found no takers. Now the couple is ready to try again and want to know what they can do better this time. We asked David J. Sloan of Century 21 Sloan in Bensenville to check out the property and make some recommendations.
The five-year-old home features three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and formal dining room. The family room was enormous, so the Devitts walled off a section to create a den/study/fourth bedroom. The kitchen and living room have bay windows and the family room has a fireplace. The kitchen countertops are ceramic tile. The home also has a sub-basement, two-car attached garage, carpeted three-season back porch and rear deck.
Great impression
“This is a Better Homes and Gardens house,” said Sloan.
“I thought for sure you would say someone would want a larger family room and then I’d have to take down the wall I just put up,” said Don.
No, the family room is still large enough to accommodate a pool table if someone wants it, said Sloan. “You made a very usable (den/study) without taking much space from the family room. You also did it very discreetly so no one would ever know” a wall was erected.
Intending to live in the house for many years, Sally and Don decorated to please their themselves. What they like is Americana furnishings and the color blue. The wall-to-wall carpeting is medium blue and the ceramic tile foyer and kitchen floors are heathered blue. The window treatments and wallpaper patterns vary but are generally blue and white. Two of the bathrooms have light blue tile.
“My daughter said you were going to tell us to change the carpeting,” said Sally.
Though the decor is extremely personalized, Sloan liked it because it is well done and incorporates lots of white. Buyer reactions will be strong, either for or against. He advised them not to spend any money changing anything but to be upfront about the color scheme. It should be emphasized in the multiple listing if they sell through a broker, in advertising copy and again in a brochure or feature sheet. Doing so will signal buyers who want a decorated home and ward off those who have a different color preference. “You’re looking at a smaller market who will like it more,” he said.
Another possible objection is the barren acreage directly across the street from the Devitt home. Beyond that is a commercial district of the village. When the couple moved in, the land was wooded. Then a developer cleared the trees and had just started construction on luxury townhomes when Sally and Don tried to sell the first time. A few of the buildings are up now but the progress has been slow, said Sally.
Sloan agreed that although the townhomes will be an attractive addition to the neighborhood, the view isn’t a great one now. He suggested the Devitts contact the village zoning department to check on the status of the development and for reassurance that the land will be used for residential purposes. The information will arm them when buyer questions are raised.
One improvement Sloan would like to see is additional back yard landscaping. In this subdivision the lots are not deep and the village does not permit fencing. Hedges or shrubbery of some type create a greater sense of privacy than presently exists. “I can’t help thinking some definition would be to your benefit,” he said.
The Devitts should also think about making arrangements for the dog, Cap, whose affections are for family members only. Cap has a fierce bark and is likely to make buyers and agents uncomfortable, said Sloan. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do?”
Sally said they have a cage and can put Cap in the basement. If they have an open house or know about showings in advance, they can take him to one of their children’s homes.
“Can you leave him permanently?” asked Sloan, partly in jest.
“Don would like to,” Sally said with a smile.
Sloan found nothing else to change inside or outside the Devitt home. “That’s the good news and the bad news,” he said. In explanation he told them while they don’t have to invest in costly improvements they also have little to negotiate with. If they seriously want to sell and move on, the house will have to be priced competitively. Perhaps they will have to make an adjustment in their asking price.
“When all else fails, that’s the only thing you’ve got,” said Sloan.
