If you’re planning on selling your Chicago-area home in Spring 2027, you’re thinking ahead. And, you have plenty of time to get your home, yourself, and your family prepped for this big move. Time is on your side; use it wisely!
First step, you’ll need to work with a real estate pro. LW Reedy real estate agents are the experienced, professional, and knowledgeable representatives you want on your side, selling what is likely your biggest single investment. We would be honored to be considered for the job and can share how we can get your home sold quickly and for the best price in the busy spring market.
Next, let’s look at what you can do to your home over the fall and winter to get it ready for a Spring 2027 sale.
Declutter
No one buying your home wants to look at your stuff. Put it all away. Hide your belongings in cabinets, drawers, closets, bins. Make sure tables, counters, doorways, entryways, and every spot is clean and clear so buyers can see your home – and its beautiful features – clearly.
Depersonalize
Make your home neutral before it goes up for sale. Take down personal photos, certificates, kids’ artwork, family schedules, and other items that call out loudly that this home is yours. You want other buyers to picture themselves in your home easily – without reminders that you still own it.
Pack away excess
In your quest to declutter, continue reviewing your home’s closets, cabinets, basement, garage, attic, shed, crawl space, and any other storage spots. Make your home look more spacious and open. Create open space in these areas to showcase its many storage opportunities. How can you do this when you’re still living in your home? Start packing up your excess belongings now. Choose to store away items temporarily in a storage unit, give away or donate items, or sell items of particular value. You have the time to do this, use it!
Stage it
Create a picture-perfect entrance to each space and area in your home. Closely judge what you see when you first enter each room. Your job is to make each entryway to every room look enticing. Work with the furniture and belongings you have or consult with a professional home stager to schedule and rent (in the spring) the perfect items to make your home look irresistible to buyers.
Attack the to-do list
Every homeowner has a to-do list for their home. Now is the time to attack that list and get those things done. Paint the front door, power wash the patio, paint the trim around the back door, tighten loose cabinet handles, clean air vents, replace an old closet door, and more.
Make needed repairs
These are the repairs you’ve been delaying doing on your home, but you need to get them done before you sell. Fix the fence gate that doesn’t close, replace the front screen door that is rusty, call a plumber for the slow-draining shower, change out the kitchen faucet that still leaks, and so on.
Consider small upgrades
Before you spend any significant cash and time on upgrades, consult with a real estate pro. We can advise whether it’s worth the investment to update lighting fixtures (usually a yes!) and replace worn carpeting (yes!) or remodel the primary bathroom (depends on the existing condition, the current real estate market, and your budget). Some updates may make your home sell quicker or for a better price, others may not. Regardless, if you get started now on a project, you are likely to be able to get small upgrades done before springtime.
Continue regular maintenance
While you wait to put your home up for sale, don’t stop maintaining your home. It’s more important now more than ever to keep everything in your home working and in good order. Keep those HVAC cleaning and inspection appointments, cut the grass, mulch, rake leaves, shovel and sweep, address and repair any problems promptly, and so on.
Work on curb appeal
With fresh eyes, drive up to your home and give it a long, hard look. Does it look appealing? Power wash your driveway, spiff up your garage door, paint your front door, wash your windows, trim the trees and bushes, sweep the sidewalk, clean the gutters, and more. From your curb, make your place look like a home you’d be eager to buy!
You’re almost ready
If you’ve been keeping your Chicago-area home well maintained, updated, and clean, your home will sell quicker and for a better price than any competing homes that aren’t similarly maintained, updated, and/or clean.
You have an advantage if you’re planning to sell your home in Spring 2027. With several months to work on preparing for the sale, you can spread out the tasks as your schedule and budget allows. The time gives you the confidence and flexibility to complete all the big – and little – things before spring hits and the for sale sign goes up in your yard.
While you plan for your home’s upcoming sale, be sure to talk to LW Reedy early. We can work with your timeline to have your home hit the real estate market first thing in the spring, right when the greatest number of homebuyers are ready to make a move.
Share the info
If you learned something about prepping your home for sale, be sure to share this blog post with your neighbors, friends, and family who might be thinking of selling their home. We’d also love to help those who might be buying a home in the Chicago area in the new year.
LW Reedy is Elmhurst’s local real estate resource for 75 years and counting. Rely on us for useful, practical real estate information. Contact us with your real estate questions.
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For more information about maintaining your home, preparing it for sale, or buying a new home in Chicagoland, contact your LW Reedy real estate agent.
