Dorothy and Logan Wharton figure they have 10 months to make their Elgin home as marketable as possible.
Their plans are to relocate to Florida, where they can watch their three granddaughters grow up. “And my husband hates these cold winters,” said Dorothy. She retired from teaching a year ago; Logan will retire next year.
Dorothy wrote to us and asked for advice on which improvement projects would be likely to bring the best results. In turn, we asked Barbara K. Yeaton of Century 21 New Heritage Inc. in Elgin to visit the Wharton home and make recommendations.
The 25-year-old home has three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and four levels of living space. On the street level a slate foyer leads to a family room with fireplace, a powder room and a furnished summer porch that could be converted to year-round use. A few steps up is the second level, with an eat-in kitchen, a formal dining room and a living room with large bay window.
The bedrooms-including a master suite-and two baths are on the top floor. A finished basement with shuttered storage and crawl space are on the bottom.
During the nine years the Whartons have lived here, they installed new kitchen cabinets and added the summer porch.
Storage area
“Your house is gorgeous,” Yeaton said. “You’ve decorated very well.” The most important project to tackle now, she said, is the basement. The wood-paneled walls and red shag carpeting provide a comfortable room for everyday living but the Whartons use the area primarily for storage. Furniture and boxes line the perimeter.
“We never think about the basement,” Dorothy said. “It’s just there.”
Yeaton advised creating a room in the finished space, which will be particularly attractive to buyers with children. “Organize your furniture, clean out the bookcases and throw everything else in the crawlspace,” she said.
“I do,” said Dorothy with a chuckle. “Up to the ceiling.”
“That’s good,” said Yeaton. “It lets people know the basement is dry.”
One potential objection could be the darkness of the basement, especially as buyers head down the stairs. “It’s a little tough,” said the broker. “For someone whose depth perception is a little off, it could be a problem.”
She did not recommend investing in new carpeting at this point. Wait until the house has been on the market for a month or so and see what kinds of comment come in, Yeaton advised. Instead, perhaps the carpeting on the steps could be changed or the stairwell painted white.
The next area to look at is the foyer, Yeaton said. “It’s the first thing buyers are going to hit.” Although the entry is spacious and opens to the light-filled living room, the black slate tile darkens it. Yeaton suggested replacing the red Oriental runners with light-colored ones to complement the white grout. “It will be harder on your laundry bills but cheaper than replacing the tile. I’d also put stronger light bulbs in the (overhead) fixture.”
Dorothy said she could pick up a couple of sisal rugs, which are fairly easy to keep clean.
Bright ideas
The paneled family room is an area where the darkness concerns Dorothy. The summer porch, though accessed by double glass doors, adjoins the room and cuts off much of the back yard light. She has read that many people are painting their paneling white these days. Is that something she should do? she asked.
Yeaton advised against it. Only two walls are paneled and one of them is a short wall. A less time-consuming fix is to keep the roll-up blinds open on the porch while the house is being shown. The broker said she would also remove two wood chairs to open up the floor space.
“But then I can only seat three people,” Dorothy responded.
“You’re not seating people, you’re selling your house,” Yeaton said.
When the conversation turned to when to put the house on the market, the broker pointed out that for real estate, spring begins early. January and February are busy contract-writing months.
Dorothy said they want to wait until the weather breaks so they can stage the summer porch with their wicker sofa, chairs and decorative accents. “That’s why the basement looks the way it does. We store all the (porch) furniture down there.”
