Phanendra Yalamanchili and his wife, Kalyani, plan to spend time during their last few months at their three-bedroom home in Aurora tending a vegetable garden in their back yard and playing with their 9-month-old daughter, Swetha.
The Yalamanchilis recently enclosed the large back yard with a wooden fence, creating a barrier between it and a busy street next to it.
“It [the yard] is like a private sanctuary,” said Phanendra.
As much as they have enjoyed living in their home, the Yalamanchilis are planning to move in the fall to a house they are having built in Plainfield. The addition of their daughter has prompted a need for more space.
“We don’t want anything fancy. We just want bigger rooms,” explained Kalyani.
Their well-maintained 4-year-old home has taupe vinyl siding and green shutters. The couple has made several improvements to it, such as adding the fence. They are also finishing the basement.
As they begin planning for their move, however, the Yalamanchilis wrote to House Calls, seeking advice on how to show their house to its best advantage. We contacted Lynn Bodily and Quetta Kelly, Realtors for Re/Max Great American in North Aurora, who recently toured the home.
Standing in the back yard, Bodily praised the addition of the privacy fence, noting that buyers consider it an asset.
“It’s security,” said Bodily. “Emotionally, that’s something people like, especially if they have dogs or small children.”
Kelly noticed that the Yalamanchilis also have covers on their window wells.
“That’s great that you have window well covers,” she said. “They keep out leaves and small animals.”
Moving to the front of the home, Kelly observed that the Yalamanchilis have started repainting some of the home’s white trim and encouraged them to finish the job.
“You’ve only got one coat on,” she said. “A second coat will make it look more solid and white.”
Opening the front door and moving into the living room, the Realtors said that this room feels a bit cramped.
Bodily suggested moving a love seat and floor lamp closer to a corner of the room and removing a desk near the open doorway that leads from the entry foyer into the living room.
“Take the desk out and open this [doorway] up,” he said. “There shouldn’t be anything there.”
The Yalamanchilis’ home had been one of the models used by the development company when it was selling the subdivision. When arranging their furniture, Bodily recommended that the couple try to recall how it looked and felt as a model.
Bodily responded with a grin when Phanendra pointed out, “You know, when it’s a model, the furniture is real small, and it’s not very utilitarian.”
Kelly recommended removing some colorful throws placed on the cream-colored sofa and love seat in the living room.
The throws, one featuring Mickey Mouse, are too bright and playful and add too many patterns to this more formal room, she said.
Kalyani explained she is a fan of Mickey Mouse, a fact also reflected in the family room decor.
On one wall, Phanendra created an image of Mickey Mouse for his wife. He used compact discs to replicate Mickey Mouse’s round face and ears.
Kelly advised removing the Mickey Mouse face. People who have not picked up on Kalyani’s fondness for the cartoon character may be puzzled and wonder what it is. If it distracts buyers, they may not appreciate the room’s other features, such as large windows that allow plenty of natural light to brighten the room.
Moving into the kitchen, Bodily opened some cabinet doors and noticed that a few shelves are sagging from heavy glassware. He suggested removing or replacing these shelves. Since the family does not use the glassware on a daily basis, he also suggested they could start preparing to move it.
“I’d say pack the glassware up,” said Bodily.
As buyers tour a home, Bodily said they tend to make mental notes of anything that might give them a reason for offering a lower price, even sagging shelves.
“You don’t want to give them any reason to reduce the price they offer to you,” he said.
In the basement, the Yalamanchilis said they are planning to complete the room by adding ceiling tiles. However, some smaller projects also should be finished, including staining or painting a closet door, Bodily said.
“I was going to let the new buyer decide whether they want to stain or paint it,” Phanendra said.
“I’d go ahead and stain it because it looks unfinished to me,” Bodily said.
He also said they should add a shade to a window that offers a view of a window well.
“Just finish that off [with a shade]. It’s not attractive to look at,” Bodily explained.
On the home’s second floor, Bodily suggested that one of the smaller bedrooms would look larger if a bed were moved closer to a window rather than near the door.
The room has drapes with a pale blue floral pattern, which does not match the navy blue and cream quilt on the bed.
“I’d make it match,” he said. “Otherwise, you’ve got too many patterns going on here.”
