Gail Dianis and her husband, John, no longer park their car in the garage behind their home in Clarendon Hills because it is not structurally sound. The roof on their quaint home also is in need of major repairs.
The couple, who have lived in this white frame home for 14 years, are considering putting it on the market. They wonder, however, whether they should go to the expense of making major repairs that are likely to amount to thousands of dollars.
“The roof and garage are pretty well shot,” said Gail. “The roof hasn’t been done in years. There are five layers (of roofing) that have been added over the years. It (replacing or repairing it) would be quite a lot of work.”
Although Meryl Adams, a broker for Adams & Myers Realtors in Hinsdale, dislikes the trend of tearing down smaller, older homes and putting up larger ones in their place, she said the Dianis home appears to be a tear-down candidate.
“I hate to see all these little, old homes going. But, they’re going,” Adams said.
Adams was asked by Selling Points to advise the Dianises on ways to enhance their home before putting it on the market. Rather than going straight to a Realtor, however, Adams said, in this case, the couple might want to contact builders who would consider purchasing the home with the idea of tearing it down.
“I think the least you do with the house the better,” Adams said. “We don’t know if it’s going to be torn down. If a young couple would purchase it, they would want concessions on the price.”
She recommended that the Dianises make calls to builders in the area and invite them to tour the property. The home, which was built in 1918, is on a 60 by 170 foot lot. It also is not far away from a scenic pond, which can be seen from the second floor of the house.
Despite some of its repair problems, the three-bedroom home was praised by Adams for its unique character. Gail said there is evidence to suggest that the house is a Sears home. In the early part of this century, people ordered homes from Sears, Roebuck and Co. The homes were shipped by railroad and assembled on the spot.
This small, frame home, according to Gail, was built on a farm. It was originally inhabited by a family of farm workers. The hardware on the doors of the house and some of its other architectural features appear to be similar to those of other Sears houses. In addition, Gail said a neighbor who had lived a long time on the block had told her that he had heard it is a Sears home.
If the couple decide to try to sell their home to someone who would live in it, rather than tear it down, Adams said they may want to attempt to verify the Sears connection.
Sears homes are appreciated today for their charm and historic interest and that connection should be trumpeted when this home goes on the market, Adams said.
To play up the link to Sears, Adams suggested that the couple might place an historic plaque on the front of the home noting the year it was built and any other interesting data they can dig up.
Walking through the home, Adams said she liked the decor of the first floor, which includes a living room, dining room, master bedroom and kitchen. The floral wallpaper in the living and dining rooms, she said, are in keeping with the home’s vintage look. There also is a concrete basement, which is well lighted by an above-ground window and offers additional living space.
Despite these attributes, Gail said they put the home on the market for about four months last year and found no takers. Like Adams, visitors often liked the downstairs, but were disappointed by the size of the second-floor bedrooms.
The bedrooms, agreed Adams, are small. They are occupied by the couple’s teenage daughters, who may find their lives disrupted a bit when it comes time to show the home. Adams suggested that the family clear away as many extraneous items from these rooms as possible when showing the home.
The home’s small size and the roof and garage repairs may limit the number of people who would be interested in purchasing it. Tearing it down is an option, although Adams said, “I hate to see these maverick houses go.”
