Tammy and John Breen know the true meaning of the term “starter home.” Their small brick ranch in the West Lawn neighborhood suited the two of them and their dog just fine when they moved in 2 1/2 years ago. Since then, son Ryan has joined the family and so has a second dog.
“We just don’t have enough room here,” said Tammy. “John wanted the dogs to have puppies, but not in this house.”
In a year or so, they would like to move up. That gives them time to complete some of their renovation projects and build up their savings.
To help make that dream come true, Teresa Zubricki of Re/Max Home Center in Chicago recently consulted with the Breens to offer advice on maximizing their selling price.
Located on a quiet residential street, the 50-year-old home offers two bedrooms, one bath, a living room, kitchen and a finished basement with separate laundry room.
Buyer appeal
“We are willing to do some improvements before we move but don’t know if we can do all of them,” said Tammy. “We want to do the ones that will help interest buyers.”
They already have replaced worn carpeting and half the ceiling in the basement. Ryan’s bedroom has been sweetly decorated in a Sesame Street motif. John also has completely updated the bathroom, a chore that included removing the pink wall paint a previous had owner used to change the bathtub’s color.
The biggest hurdle to overcome is the kitchen, which clearly shows its age with metal cabinets and plastic laminate lining the walls. John wants to remove the laminate and put in new cabinets. He doesn’t particularly like the present configuration of the appliances but isn’t sure how else to arrange them.
“You’re doing this for resale so whatever you do, do it in a very economical manner,” said Zubricki. “You’re handy, so you eliminate the cost of hiring labor, but I still wouldn’t get into moving gas and water pipes.”
She advised them to select a moderately priced cabinet style, paint the walls and perhaps add a wallpaper border.
Another project she recommended is to spruce up the wood doors to the closets and bedrooms. Most of them are scuffed and the doorknobs are mismatched.
“You can just sand these a little and put on a coat of shellac to make them look nice and shiny,” she said.
“I wouldn’t have paid any attention to the doors,” replied John.
“They’re one of the things that really bother me,” said Tammy.
Because the home has no garage, the basement has become the catchall for John’s weight-lifting bench, Ryan’s oversized toys, out-of-season clothing and extra furniture. As much of this as possible should be cleared out before putting the property on the market, Zubricki said.
“That will save us time in the long run,” said Tammy.
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John has installed a new suspended ceiling in part of the basement and there’s quite a contrast between it and the old, uneven tiles. But John said he does not plan to finish the entire ceiling. “My main concern right now is the kitchen,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ll have the time or money to do this, too.”
“You know what might be a good idea is to just tack some of these down so it looks a little better,” said Zubricki.
One idiosyncracy of this particular home is the furnace’s location-tucked inside a paneled compartment. To gain access, one panel must be unscrewed. Buyers will want to inspect the furnace and the screw mechanism will be a hindrance, said Zubricki. She suggested putting a couple of inexpensive hinges on the panel to turn it into a door.
John asked about the advisability of building a garage and Zubricki was lukewarm on the idea. “A garage will cost you between $4,400 and $5,000,” she said. “Will you get $5,000 extra for a brand new garage? I’ll go through the comparables with you but I think not.”
“The main thing is I don’t want to do too much,” said John. “I can put 14 karat gold on the walls and I’m only going to get so much for the house.”