After living in their first house for 40 years, Jude and Chris Sink are contemplating new retirement quarters. Just where they will move, they don’t know. One son lives in Massachusetts and the other in California.
“We’d like to go to California,” said Chris.
“I’d rather live in Florida,” said Jude.
Chris says they will relocate next year. Jude says, “You never know what will happen.”
A major concern is selling their brick and stone tri-level on the Southwest Side of Chicago. The couple hopes to trade even dollars when they buy so they don’t have to dip into their savings. Therefore, getting the highest price possible is important to them.
When Chris wrote and asked us for help, we put him and his wife in touch with Roz Cook, general manager for Century 21 Dabbs South in Chicago. The broker recently toured the Sink home and made several suggestions for improving its market value.
Garden beauty
The three-bedroom home is located on a corner lot and surrounded by dense landscaping. Jude nurtures both flower beds and an herb garden. A two-car detached garage and storage shed are also on site. The interior features include two full baths, an eat-in kitchen wrapped in wainscoting, a paneled lower-level family room, a large utility room and hardwood floors under carpeting.
Jude and Chris believe their home is in better condition than many 40-year-old homes. Both Sinks have health problems, which prevent them from performing heavy labor. “If we could, I’d just like to pack up my pajamas and computer and move out the door,” said Chris.
Cook concurred with their assessment as to the soundness of the home. “Your yard looks like a park,” she told the couple. “The house is sturdy and well-maintained but very much lived in. When you sell, everything has to look very bright and open. That’s what buyers want to see.”
Over the years the couple has amassed many, many personal possessions. Jude says one of the culprits is Chris’ extensive tool collection. Chris says one of the culprits is Jude’s teddy bear collection, which numbers close to 300.
“You just keep accumulating if you don’t move,” said Jude.
“If I were getting ready to sell, I’d have a garage sale to get rid of the clutter,” said Cook.
“It all goes with me,” said Jude. “Where I go, my bears and my belongings are going to go.”
“In that case, you can start packing and put the boxes in the crawl space,” said Cook.
“If we move, the bears don’t go in boxes,” said Jude. “They go in the back seat.” She conceded that some of her craft projects will be finished by the time they put the house on the market, so those will be put away.
Chris said maybe they would have a garage sale if they can find someone to help them.
Wooded lot
Other ideas Cook offered for visually enlarging the home included turning on the lamps and pulling back the draperies for maximum brightness during open houses and clearing the counters. The couple also should consider cutting back or removing a couple of the trees, which circle the property, she added. “I know you enjoy all the trees but others may not.”
“We just have to find the person who likes trees,” said Jude.
One project the couple must tackle is to repair a small patch of peeling paint in the kitchen because the peeling will scare off buyers and raise a red flag to home inspectors, Cook said. “If a buyer sees that, he’ll think you have major roof problems.”
Cook would also like to see the Sinks show off their hardwood floors in some way, perhaps by removing the orange shag carpeting from the guest bedroom. “A lot of buyers are looking for hardwood floors,” she explained.
Another project the broker recommended is replacing the back door, which has been somewhat worn from the weather. “A new door would be attractive but at the very least, I would scrape and paint,” she said.
