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HOUSE CALLS - Neater trim could dress up Northbrook condo
By Annemarie Mannion
Special to the Tribune
Published April 16, 2004
In the four years since Rachel Zhong purchased her two-bedroom, two-bathroom condominium in Northbrook, she has made the transition from being single to married to being a mother.
Now she's already preparing for her next big transition: a move to a single-family house in Libertyville with her husband, Lee, and their 16-month-old daughter, Sophie.
"I really love this place. It's very quiet," Rachel said of her condo. "I don't want to leave. But we need a playroom for our daughter."
For advice on getting the condo ready for market, the Zhongs wrote to House Calls. We contacted Honore Frumentino, a Realtor with Koenig & Strey in Deerfield, who recently toured the property.
Frumentino said the condominium, on the first-floor of a three-story brick building, likely would appeal to a single person or couple without children. She advised the Zhongs keep these buyers in mind as they go about preparing the home for market.
"It's going to be a young couple or an empty nester that you're going to try to appeal to," she said.
Because the next owners probably won't have any small children, she advised that the Zhongs pack up their daughter's baby toys and move them into their new Libertyville home. Clearing clutter, she added, also will open up room to paint--the largest project that Frumentino suggested the Zhongs tackle before showing their home.
The condo has white walls and bleached oak floors in all rooms but the bedrooms. However, it was the wood trim drew Frumentino's attention.
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"It looks like someone tried to stain the woodwork to match the floor," she noticed. The paint job, done by previous owners, made the wood trim look mottled and discolored, Frumentino said. To correct it, she suggested the Zhongs paint the walls throughout the condo beige and paint the wood trim and ceiling white. "If there's a contrast between the white trim and the beige walls, it will make everything look crisp," said Frumentino, who suggested using a semi gloss paint on the trim to give it a little sheen. Frumentino also recommended new paint on the white kitchen cabinets. "You see how they [the cabinets] are beginning to look gray?" she asked. "A painter can come in and give them a nice fresh coat." Frumentino had other suggestions for the Zhongs. In one bedroom, she recommended removing a large computer desk to make the room feel less crowded. She also noticed a hole in the master bedroom door and recommended the door be replaced. When showing their home, she suggested that the Zhongs open the blinds and curtains to let in the light. "We want to frame the window [with the curtains]," she said, opening the draperies in the master bedroom to demonstrate. "I like the softness that they're creating around the window. Frumentino also told the Zhongs to list the improvements they've made to the unit to show potential buyers. This will help buyers when they compare their unit with others on the market. "These are things that you want to bring to buyers' attention so that they're willing to spend more money on your unit," she said. Among the improvements the Zhongs have made is a new white tile floor in the master bathroom. The floor, however, is covered by a large blue-and-white area rug that Frumentino suggested replacing with a smaller white one. "The rug is hiding the floor. And it's too much pattern in a small space," she said. She also said that new white bath towels would match the white rug and look pretty against the bathroom's green walls. Opening the louvered door of a closet that contains a water heater, Frumentino noticed that dust has collected. She advised vacuuming the door and the ceiling vents. Frumentino spotted a crack in the concrete patio. Because fixing the patio is the condo association's responsibility, she suggested getting a letter from the association stating when the repair would be made "so that buyers know that it's going to be the association's issue, not their issue." The Zhongs also should supply the buyer with pertinent information about the condominium association, such as its budget, reserves and when major work, such as roof repair, was done. Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune |
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