Relaxing on a chaise on her back-yard deck, Ramona Bitta enjoys the beauty and serenity of the 1 -acre lot on which her house stands in north suburban Hawthorne Woods.
It is not unusual, she said, to see deer poised on the grass or birds fluttering near a feeder.
Although she loves the rustic setting of her four-bedroom ranch, she has been mulling over the idea of moving.
“I don’t know what I’m ready for–[maybe] a smaller house and a smaller yard,” said Bitta who has lived for 14 years in this 21-year-old house.
Giving up her well-kept home would be a sacrifice, she said. But the upkeep and maintenance of the large yard is a difficult task that she could easily do without.
She asked Selling Points for tips on getting her home ready for market. We, in turn, contacted Jackie Rowlette, a buyer and seller specialist for Coldwell Banker/Great American in Lake Zurich.
A hail storm that occurred just days before our visit prompted the first recommendation that Rowlette made. Golfball-size hail had chipped the almond-colored wood siding on this spacious home, which also features brown brick on the exterior.
Bitta said she had already contacted her insurance agency about making the repair. While the work is being done, Rowlette advised applying the paint brush to the home’s steel front door, which currently is dark brown.
The door could be painted almond to match the siding, she said.
“I think you should go light rather than dark [brown],” said Rowlette. “It [almond] would make it look updated and stand out.”
Rowlette said she sees a trend among younger buyers who seem to like a front door painted in an attention-attracting color. If Bitta wanted to be adventurous, Rowlette suggested she might try a burgundy color on the door or extend another color from the home’s interior to the exterior.
“They [buyers] like the front door to stand out,” Rowlette said.
Although Bitta said that almond on the front door is as adventurous as she is likely to get, she agreed that painting the door almond would brighten the exterior.
Moving into the home’s entry foyer, Rowlette noted that lightening the front door also would benefit the interior.
“This is a dark area,” said Rowlette, explaining that the almond color would brighten the interior.
In other rooms of the home, particularly the living and dining rooms, Rowlette suggested that Bitta highlight the floor-to-ceiling windows by having the blinds pulled fully open during showings.
“You want to show people that you have these [floor to ceiling] windows,” she said.
Rowlette also suggested removing a leaf from the six-seat table in the dining room to give the impression of ample space.
“Take that leaf out,” she said. “This is a very big dining room, but you also have big furniture.”
One room that impressed Rowlette was an informal dining room attached to the kitchen. It features a wall of knotty pine cabinets, sunlight flowing through a sliding glass door overlooking the deck and back yard and a French country decor.
“This is fabulous. This is going to sell your house,” said the Realtor. Her only suggestion was Bitta move a baker’s rack blocking a window so that buyers can easily look outside.
Moving to the basement, the Realtor noted an oddity that Bitta said has been there since she moved in.
A door from the laundry room leads to an L-shaped staircase that goes into the basement. Midway down the staircase is a landing. Several feet above the landing is the door that leads into the garage.
Since there is a gap of several feet between the garage door and the staircase, Rowlette suggested that Bitta investigate whether the staircase needs to be addressed before selling the house.
She suggested contacting Lake County officials and several home inspectors to determine whether the staircase needs to be extended to meet the door from the garage.
Obviously, it would be a hazard for anyone who does not know that there is a drop between the garage door and basement, she said.
“I’d call the county. And say, `Here’s the scenario. What are the rules governing a door that leads to nowhere?,”‘ she said.
Also, Bitta said there are small areas of seepage in the basement. Rowlette suggested fixing the areas where the seepage is occurring or getting three estimates to let buyers know what it would cost to fix.
“People are afraid of water,” said Rowlette.
Although she may decide to let a future owner handle it, Rowlette said Bitta would be better off to fix it, rather than getting estimates and have the repair cost become a point of negotiation with buyers.
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