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Selling a House in Chicago? Here’s What Happened When I Put My Home Up for Sale

At a certain point in our lives, we might be faced with the decision to sell our home and move. Here is my story on selling a house in Chicago.

For me, it was to head to New York City for an exciting new career opportunity, but there could be many reasons you might need to sell your home. Maybe you’re like me and have been offered a job in a new city. Perhaps you have a growing family and need more space. It might even just be time for a change.

But no matter the reason, selling a home comes with its fair share of challenges. There’s certainly a lot of work involved in everything leading up to actually putting your house on the market, but I’d like to talk about what happens next. So, without further ado, here are three things that happened after I put my home in Chicago up for sale.

1. It Immediately Started to Feel Less Like My Home

Almost as soon as my home went up on the Market Listing Service, or MLS, it started to feel a little less like it was mine each day. Of course, there was the large “FOR SALE” sign that was driven into the ground from prominent placement in my front yard, but there are other things involved in selling a home that you don’t think about.

For instance, I came home one day to find a lock box on my door. Sure, it was a little unsettling to see at first, but I do understand the importance of allowing my agent to show the house when I’m not home.

Still, it made me feel a little bit like I was no longer the owner of my home, even though I hadn’t sold yet and was still very much living inside. Plus, the thought of random people (potential buyers, mind you) walking around in my home while I wasn’t there was initially a little weird, but you get over it. It would be a real pain for your agent to have to track you down and coordinate schedules every time they want to show the home, so you can expect a lockbox to be part of the process.

And it doesn’t stop on the exterior, the inside of my home started to feel different too. Not only was the feel a bit off, but it actually looked different, too.

It wasn’t just my imagination, either. My furniture had been moved around to make the space look more enticing. And my entire home was SPOTLESS! I’m normally fairly neat on my own, but it was noticeably cleaner and more sensibly laid out. My personal possessions had mostly been removed as well, which makes sense, as a potential buyer isn’t going to want to see pictures of me and my family, rather be able to visualize how they would dress the place up for themselves.

It definitely gave me the comfort that my realtor knew what she was doing. So, I’m certainly not complaining here, merely just saying it was noticeable and since the layout was changed, it certainly took away from the feel that it was “me.”

2. I Needed to Leave at a Moment’s Notice

The thought of someone taking a stroll and take a look through my home when I wasn’t there was initially unsettling, but then I thought about how weird it would be to walk around a home I was considering buying with the current owner there. That’s why when it came time for showings, I’d get a call telling me to get on out of there — sometimes at the drop of a hat!

I did get some notice for when the open house would be, but for the most part, my agent needed to be able to strike with a showing while the iron is hot, which sometimes meant I’d only have a matter of minutes to leave before potential buyers would arrive for a showing. It took a little getting used to at first, but after a week or so I settled into being more flexible. It’s definitely something you need to keep in mind when you put your house up for sale.

3.Things Slowed Down After the Initial Rush

It was an exciting time right after my house when up on the market, with my home getting a real makeover plus lots of showings and open houses. This made me think I was going to have this thing sold within a few weeks, but that wasn’t the case. Here’s what actually happened: things slowed down.

The initial offers weren’t coming in anywhere near my asking price, and then there started to be less offers altogether. I wasn’t prepared for this, but apparently, it is pretty normal. The highest traffic I saw was during the first three weeks, but apparently, most homes take a few months to sell.

It’s easy to get discouraged, but what can you do? I would recommend being patient and trusting in your agent. Even lowball offers are better than none at all, and often this can lead to further negotiations.

Summary

The initial stages of selling a home in Chicago, or anywhere for that matter, are quite a challenge. My home became less and less my own. I learned I needed to be patient with the traditional process of selling a home, however, I was short on time. Selling your house in Chicago can be a stressful time.

That’s why in the end, I actually wound up going a slightly different route since I needed to get what I could for my home fast. I turned to Max Cash Home Offers and was able to sell my home almost instantly. If you’re looking to sell your home in the Chicago area and are in a time crunch like I was, I recommend giving them a look. The entire process can take as little as a few days!

Max Cash Home Offers offers instant cash offers on houses nationwide. We do not provide legal or financial advice. For information on foreclosure, eviction or any other legal situation make sure you contact a local attorney.

 

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Author: Ryan Cruz

Ryan received his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the University of La Verne. Ryan has a strong passion for marketing and the real estate industry while leading and managing all online marketing efforts for Max Cash Home Offers.

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