Obviously you have many, many choices when it comes to listing your home. Anyone licensed by the state of Illinois as a real estate salesperson or broker is legally allowed to list your property for sale.

But that does not mean that everyone with the state licensure is qualified to get you the best possible outcome on your listing. For starters, only members of the Chicago Association of REALTORS® (not the same thing as the state license) have access to the MLS.

Beyond the basics, consider the following when weighing your options for the important role of listing agent on your transaction:

Experience. Does this REALTOR have multiple years of experience as a REALTOR, as well as a proven track record of success in bringing listings to a successful close? More specifically, do they have a track record of success and experience in Lakeview, listing homes like yours?

Professionalism. Is the REALTOR you are considering using this as a side hustle, or are they full-time in the game? Do they live and breathe Lakeview real estate? Are they plugged into the real estate community? From office and staff to marketing materials to presentation, are they the real deal?

Reputation. Look the REALTOR up. Speak to past clients if possible. Check out their past listings — most sold listings are up on public-facing websites. Look at online reviews on Google, Facebook, or consumer-trust watchdog sites like Yelp.

Support. How accessible is the REALTOR and his/her team? When you call during business hours, does someone pick up and does your problem get solved? Do emails get returned with the pertinent information? Do you have access to text? Chat support? Selling a home is a big deal, and your listing agent should be there for you every step of the way!

Excellent question! We expect to earn your business, not just have it fall in our laps. Chris DeWilde is constantly working hard to bolster our reputation as a Lakeview real estate agent second to none. Here’s how we do it:

Our track record speaks for itself. We can point to numerous successful listings in Lakeview — homes in a variety of styles, sizes, and classes — that sold quickly for the asking price or above. We can refer you to happy clients, and all of this can be independently verified online.

Our marketing game is unmatched. Chris DeWilde believes that marketing is the key to a successful listing, and we go the extra mile. Unlike most agents, we back up our Lakeview listings with full-scale digital marketing campaigns. Best of all, we believe in this method so much that we put our money where our mouth is — we take on the cost of the ad campaigns ourselves.

We’re at your service 24/7. Your listing is important to you, and it’s important to us. The last thing we want to do is make it feel like we’re not at your service — whenever you might need us. As our client, you have complete unfettered access to our team. Call, email, text, stop by whenever and we’ll take care of you. We even have someone on call 24/7 for emergencies, so we’re never out of reach.

Chris DeWilde has extensive experience in listing property in Chicago’s most exclusive neighborhoods, including numerous listings in Lakeview. We constantly keep up-to-date on the sales and listing data out of Lakeview, including making multiple visits to the neighborhood every week for on-the-ground intel, so we always know exactly what’s going on. Of all the real estate agencies in Chicagoland, few have the experience or the commitment we have to successfully listing Lakeview homes for sale.

We’re glad you asked! Marketing is actually quite the point of pride for Chris DeWilde. Marketing is how you sell anything, and Lakeview homes are no exception. As such, marketing your listing is basically the entire ball game.

In addition to the MLS listing and outreach to other REALTORs, we have our own personal database of interested buyers and a network of professionals and connectors ready to get the word out about our listing.

Additionally, Chris DeWilde goes above and beyond with a “digital-first” strategy — the kind that other real estate agencies are unwilling to use. This includes search engine ads, social media ads, and other time-tested methods of performing targeted outreach to the perfect potential buyers.

This isn’t as simple as “boosting” a social post — it takes practice to reach the right audience with the right listing, and Chris DeWilde has spent years perfecting an effective strategy that produces measurably better outcomes — shorter listings, and higher sale prices.

Moreover, these digital marketing campaigns are free of charge to you. We take on all the cost and all the risk of running these digital marketing campaigns — that’s how sure we are of their effectiveness.

Definitely! Staging and presentation make a big difference when it comes to selling quickly for full market value. Don’t leave it to the buyer’s imagination — you want them to be able to see the potential, to imagine themselves living there, to picture your property as a part of their legacy.

Proper staging of a property involves thorough cleaning, fixing obvious defects, and upgrading the curb appeal. It also often involves scaling back the personal touches and making the home a blank slate — the right mix of “specific to my home” and “appealing to everyone.” We might repaint, bring in new furniture and decorations, and open up or close off certain spaces.

Ultimately, first impressions are everything. We help you make sure that your Lakeview home makes the best impression possible on everyone who walks through the doors.

There are a variety of easy steps you can take to enhance the “curb appeal” of your home before you sell. For the record, “curb appeal” is the impression your home makes from the public street, i.e. anything you can see from the curb. It therefore constitutes the earliest first impression visitors will have of your home.

You can enhance your curb appeal by:

Cleaning everything. Consider a power wash of your windows, walkways, and siding.

Repainting. If your paint job looks a little worn, consider a fresh paint job. Even something as simple as repainting the front door can make a big difference.

Landscaping. Get the front lawn looking beautiful. Consider adding flowers and other attractive plants. Trim trees and give some thought to easy stone decorations like pavers and xeriscapes.

Fixing obvious problems. Replace broken shingles, reattach or replace broken gutters, and replace rotted wood or broken siding panels.

Of course! We have been listing property in Lakeview for years, and we have deep contacts in the neighborhood. We can recommend vendors, contractors, and service providers for any type of home services.

Since we expect that the performance of these professionals will reflect on us, we carefully vet our recommendations so that our clients are never disappointed with any of our people. We hope that you will be so satisfied with our recommendations that we can become your trusted source of referrals for all your home service needs.

We can also act as point-person and even project manager for many home service projects so you don’t even need to think about it. Our goal is to make the process of listing your home in Lakeview as painless and stress-free for you as possible, so you don’t miss a beat in focusing on the things that really matter to you.

Yes, absolutely. Professional photography is one of the best ways to demonstrate the qualities and characteristics of your home in the most positive light. Quick, poorly lit cell phone pictures won’t do, so we bring in professional photographers who specialize in depicting real estate. We will photograph every aspect of your home from the inside and out. Where possible we will photograph your home both empty and staged, and with select Lakeview homes we can even offer drone photography, video tours, and 3D rendering tours.

We strive to make the listing process as easy as possible for the homeowner. However, there are several documents you can supply to us that will make the process quicker and easier. Documents you should supply to us (if you have them at hand) include:

The purchase contract from when you acquired the home. This contract includes useful information that we can use to expedite your listing.

Insurance information. This helps us present proof of insurance, as well as several details that will help us make a stronger listing.

Warranty information. Any appliances or structures that are included with the sale and are still under warranty will help sweeten the deal.

Any recent appraisals. If the home has been appraised recently, it will help us set the right price.

HOA Documents. This will help us prepare the listing with any HOA fees and restrictions that buyers need to know about upfront.

Home listings in Lakeview must comply with the Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Act. This requires you to disclose certain known or possible defects in the property, including but not limited to leaks, structural defects, appliance and system issues, presence of hazardous materials, infestations, lot and boundary issues, and history of methamphetamine production on the premises. 

If you are unaware of any defects, that’s okay — but the law requires that in many circumstances you disclose what might be wrong with the property. This is to cover your liability for any legal fees that might arise from defects to the property after closing.

Of course, the time from listing to sale can vary widely. The average in Chicago is around 40-50 days to get under contract, then roughly another month for due diligence and financing. In Lakeview, that timeframe is shorter, with listings staying on the market closer to a month.

How long your listing stays on the market depends largely on setting the right initial listing price and the strength of your marketing. With the right price and the attention of motivated buyers, listings in desirable areas like Lakeview go quickly. Bidding wars aren’t uncommon.

If time is of the essence and we need a quick sale, there are methods and techniques we can use to shorten that process. Ultimately, it’s about finding the right balance between speed and value. A little patience goes a long way toward getting top dollar and using homeownership as a vehicle to build wealth.

Preparing your listing properly will go a long way toward making sure your home sells as quickly as possible. If it’s taking longer than expected, we have several options we can try, including:

Rethinking the price

Sprucing up the curb appeal

Repairing more defects

Adding incentives like a warranty or included closing costs

Soliciting feedback from prospects and buyer’s agents to see what we can do better

Increase and adjust our digital marketing campaigns to target different buyers.

When you list with Chris DeWilde, we are your champions. We handle all communications with prospective buyers, buyers’ agents, and anyone else interested in your listing. We strategize in advance to identify what terms are non-negotiable, what we are willing to compromise on … even what we’re willing to initially demand that we intend to give away to get the buyer to agree to the terms we actually do want. 

We’re careful to give away no information about you or your home that might give the other side an upper hand. Meanwhile, while maintaining a friendly demeanor we ask probing questions psychologically calibrated to get the other side to give up information we can use to our advantage. We do this every day, and we’re pros.

Chris DeWilde is committed to 24/7 access for our clients. We’re always available by phone, email, text, or chat support (the whole team) or you’re welcome to just drop by our office. Additionally, we maintain a 24/7 call center so if something comes up — even in the middle of the night — we’re here for you.

If you partner with Chris DeWilde to list your home in Lakeview, the process of selling your home will look something like this:

1. Initial Strategy Session. We convene to discuss goals and expectations for the listing.
   
   
2. Evaluation of the Home. We make a short visit to the home to start getting a concrete idea of what we’re working with.
   
   
3. Listing Agreement. If you’re ready to move forward with Chris DeWilde, we sign a limited-term agreement for the exclusive right to sell your home.
   
   
4. Prepare the Home. We organize the cleaning, staging, curb-appeal upgrades, and repairs of urgent defects to get your home ready for sale. We also order professional photography to show your home in the best light on all marketing collateral.
   
   
5. Marketing. We list the home on the MLS and use a combination of traditional and digital channels to get the word out about your listing, as fast as possible, to the widest audience of qualified potential buyers.
   
   
6. Showings. Through a combination of open houses and individual showings, we give as many potential buyers as possible the chance to see the home with as little disruption as possible.
   
   
7. Negotiations. When offers start to come in, we evaluate the offers in the context of your goals, decide on the best offer, and negotiate terms with the most favorable offers.
   
   
8. Contingency Period. This is the buyer’s chance to perform inspections and get approved for financing (if they need it).
   
   
9. Closing. After the title work and legal due diligence are complete, we close escrow and distribute the proceeds. That’s it! Sold.