Just about any home sale situation is going to somehow be different, yet somehow the same. The end goal? To sell a home. The paths to get to that point though can be numerous and varied.
When we put our home on the market several years ago in the Chicagoland area, we weren’t exactly sure what to expect. However, throughout the process, we learned things that not only helped us better understand how to sell a home in general, but understand how to sell one in the Chicagoland area as well.
Comp appropriately
For anyone who has ever looked at a detailed map of Chicago, it’s like a hundred little towns and villages all snuggled up against one another. This means that selling a home in one suburb or village could be completely different than selling in a neighboring area even if it’s just a few blocks away.
What holds true in the suburb just down the street might not be what resonates in your particular area. Schools, area amenities, available transportation routes and hubs, property tax rates, and crime statistics can have huge ramifications upon area listing prices and home values. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that the comps being used for selling a home — even if they’re seemingly in close proximity — are appropriate and relevant to your particular home style, type and location.
Note big-ticket area amenities
In the Chicagoland area, just as it is in many real estate markets, it’s not necessarily just about the home that’s being sold. While the description of the home itself can certainly be a crucial factor to the successful sale of a home, the description of the location and/or area amenities can be equally important, if not more so.
“Near the Brookfield Zoo”, “Close to the Lincoln Park Zoo”, “Conveniently located inside the Chicago ‘Loop'”, “Just steps away from Metra commuter rail line” (which can be big for those commuting to downtown), “Top-rated schools”, “Just blocks from community center and pool”, etc. can be eye-catching descriptors and may do more to sell a home than descriptors like “Fresh paint throughout” or “New tile in kitchen”.
Many buyers are looking for more than just a place to rest their heads each night. They also want a place to live their lives. Touting area amenities let’s them know that there is more to your home than just a structure.
Pick the right agent
It can be critical to the successful sale of your Chicagoland area home that you find a good real estate agent with expertise in your particular area. Because Chicagoland covers such a large area — stretching throughout northeastern Illinois from nearly Wisconsin to Indiana — and so many different neighborhoods, an agent isn’t likely to have an expertise that covers the entire area.
In fact, many agents specialize in particular suburban sections or areas of the Chicagoland area. This means that picking one who is knowledgeable about the suburb or village in which you live can make a huge difference in how your home is marketed.
You can often get a pretty good feel for who is selling what and where just by looking at the “for sale” and “sold” or “sale pending” signs in a particular area. Noting the agents name or company name can be a great way to pinpoint agents who are familiar with selling in your particular area especially if you see multiple listings and sales with a certain agent.
And so, by considering some of these tactics, it could make your home sale efforts in the Chicagoland area just a little easier, and hopefully make the home sale process less costly as well.
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Disclaimer:
The author is not a licensed financial or real estate professional. The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute advice of any kind. Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is solely at the reader’s discretion.
