Although Nancy and Beau Martin of Northbrook have no plans to sell their home anytime soon, they bought it as an interim residence. The three-bedroom Cape Cod suits their lifestyle now, plus that of 14-month-old Buck, but as the family expands they will need more space. They envision living here another two to five years.
So far, the Martins have updated the kitchen, master bedroom and one of the two full baths. They have more improvements in mind but want to put their money into those that will have the greatest payback.
To help them map out a strategy, we arranged for the couple to meet Elaine Meo of Kahn Realty Inc. in Northbrook. The agent toured the home and made several suggestions for increasing its value and market appeal.
“We’d like to sell at top dollar and think that planning ahead will help us do that,” Nancy told her.
“We also want to make sure the upgrades we make to the house will have broad appeal, not just to our tastes,” Beau added.
The three-bedroom home is about 50 years old. The first floor features an L-shaped combination living/dining room with hardwood floors; a family room with fireplace and window seat; the kitchen; a bedroom/office; and a full bath. On the second floor are two more bedrooms separated by a full bath. There’s also a one-car detached garage, a cedar deck and a finished basement. The Martins have lived here four years.
“My advice to you will be totally different than if you were going to leave in three months,” Meo told them. “You’ve got some time to enjoy the things you do. Just be temperate in how you spend your money. Don’t do anything extravagant.”
The living/dining room sports a chair rail with dark green wallpaper above it and beige paint underneath. Meo’s feelings about the color are mixed, she said. On the one hand, a lighter hue would enlarge the room but the green adds warmth and fits with the design of the house. Nancy said she originally planned to strip the rail but now the color has grown on her.
“See what kind of condition it is in when you are ready to sell,” Meo suggested. “If it is in disrepair, take it down and put up something light. If not, you can leave it.”
A more important goal is to brighten the living room, Meo said. Presently the room contains only an antique bureau and an upholstered chair because the Martins are undecided on how to furnish it. Meo told them to look for small-scale furniture to maximize the space. But it may be difficult, she added, with today’s trend toward overstuffed furniture. In the meantime they can put a buffet lamp or two on the bureau and a floor lamp near the chair. “Look for things you can take with you,” she added.
“What do you think about re-finishing the floors?” Nancy asked. “We haven’t done it yet and you can see where it is worn. I’d like that for myself.”
“That would be a worthwhile thing to do,” said the agent. “Other people like hardwood floors, too.”
Nancy and Beau intend to replace the beige carpeting running up the stairs to the second floor and to remodel the full bath there. The bath offers little storage and has blue fixtures and a small shower stall. The couple hopes to gut the room and enlarge it by expanding into unused chimney space.
Meo was very supportive of the plan. “You shouldn’t do a whole bath if you are going to leave in a year but with four or five years, there is a lot you can do.”
The basement is used primarily as a catch-all but the Martins have plans to organize the clutter and turn the area into livable space. The walls are covered with dark wood wainscoting topped with a coat of off-white stucco. The floor is vinyl and worn. Beau’s idea is to paint the wood black and put in a black and white checkered tile floor. Meo endorsed the plan.
“You’ve reinforced a lot of the same ideas we had,” Beau said at the end of the consultation.
“It’s everything I wanted to hear and everything I’m willing to do,” said Nancy. “These are all things I can do and stay within my taste.”
