The Real Estate Team of Sandee Abern and Clint Wolf

Buying or selling a home? Why not work with the best?

Helping Northern Illinois home buyers and sellers for over 20 years!

So you are thinking about selling your home...

These tips will make your move easier, quicker and definitely less stressful...

1) Remember to make your bed every morning. Fluff up those pillows. Clean those 

dirty dishes. Pick up all of the loose newspapers and magazines.  Make sure that 

the kids clean up their rooms. Remember...it's the little things that count.

2) During the summer months, always make sure that your lawn and parkway is neat, 

clean and well manicured. Clean out your gutters and downspouts. Touch up any 

exterior paint scuffs.  In the winter months, make sure to keep your sidewalk and 

driveway well shoveled. Remember, first appearances are very important!

3) If you are a smoker, or have too many pets, remember to keep a window open! 

Nobody likes a smelly house.

4) Keep lights on when people are viewing your home. Dark houses don't show as 

well and are a lot harder to sell. 

5) Remember to turn off your t.v. when someone is looking at your home. The noise can 

be distracting. A little music couldn't hurt, however!

6) Pets are great (we must love them...we have two dogs). They can be a little distracting, 

however, if they are barking, jumping and slobbering all over the people who are 

looking at your home! Therefore, if you are having a showing and the weather is 

warm, we suggest putting pets outside or in the garage when you are showing 

your home.

7) Most homes smell fine (really). However, it doesn't hurt to have a little potpourri around 

to make your home smell even better. If you are hungry, you can even bake some nice 

smellin' bread and eat it when the buyers leave. Bon Appetite! 

8) If your carpeting has holes in it, replace it. If your carpeting is dirty, clean it. If your 

walls are a little scuffed up or the kids have been writing graffiti on them, get out 

the paint can and brush. Appearances are very important and can make or 

break a sale.

9) Organize, organize, organize! If your closets are cluttered, un-clutter them.  If your 

basement is full of boxes and ten years worth of newspapers, clean up the joint! 

Neater, more organized spaces look larger (and better). 

10) Before you put your house on the market, fix any broken appliances, repair any 

damaged blinds or window treatments, and replace any malfunctioning fixtures. 

Marking something as-is in a listing never looks good. 

11) If your windows are dirty, clean them. A light, bright house shows better than a 

dark, dingy one.

12) If your roof is leaking or if you have any damaged shingles, call in a roofer and get 

the problems repaired. Water spots on a ceiling is a definite turn-off to any 

prospective buyer.

13) Make sure that your countertops are clean before you leave in the morning. 

Nobody likes someone else's dirt.

14) Don't follow buyers or their agent through your home. Let the agent do his or her job. 

Any good agent knows how to show a home, and you may just get in the way.

15) If a buyer says something negative about your home, don't sweat it. Everyone has 

their own opinions about decorating, and their opinion doesn't make them right. 

Here are a few things NOT to do...

1) Use low wattage light bulbs. As we mentioned, light, bright houses show better than 

dark, shadowy ones.

2) Use big, dusty drapes over your windows. They make a room darker and seem smaller.

3) Keep that big, bold colorful wallpaper up. Everybody has different tastes, and your 

buyer's tastes will probably not match yours. If a buyer thinks that your wallpaper 

does not much his or her furniture, they may not buy your home. 

4) Make your rooms cozy by putting furniture in each spare corner. This simply makes 

your house look cluttered and makes the rooms seem smaller. 

Already sold your home? Click here to find out how to prepare for moving day!

To contact us, please click here.

Return to the main page by clicking here.

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate

Office: 847-465-3667

Cell: 847-409-4001 or 847-409-4003

E-mail us by clicking here.