A clean uncluttered kitchen makes a great impression on buyers. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media)

Rockford area property owners looking to list real estate this spring are in luck. A historically low inventory of homes for sale, good interest rates and approaching warmer weather are all indicators that this year’s prime real estate season holds much promise for sellers and buyers alike.

Charlie Roos, an agent with Gambino Realtors, is optimistic about the real estate market for 2016, and offers some tips for home sellers.

“Right now, it’s very good to be a seller,” he said. “Our inventory (of homes for sale) is the lowest it’s been in 15 or 16 years; interest rates are still in the low [3 percent], so it’s a great time to be a buyer, but with our inventory being low, that’s good for the sellers as well. We’re going into what’s going to be a very positive spring market.”

Statistics from the Rockford Area Association of Realtors (RAAR) show 2,866 homes for sale during February of 2011 compared to 1,543 homes for sale during February of 2016. This 46% drop in inventory works to the seller’s advantage. There were only 173 homes sold during February of 2011 compared to 267 homes sold during February of 2016. According to Roos, this increase in sales, despite a lower inventory, points to a demand for housing in the Rockford area due to lower interest rates and an improving market sentiment.

The best time to list a home depends largely on the weather Roos said.

“Our market really picks up on the first warm weekend, usually in March or April,” he said. “When people feel like the weather has switched, that’s when we see the biggest influx of buyers come out.

Being a family community, the majority of home buyers are looking to move during the spring and summer months so they can be moved and settled before school starts in the fall. I would say that between March and October is our prime selling season.”

Before listing a home for sale, Roos encourages sellers to pay special attention to three key areas of the house: the front door, main living spaces and the kitchen.

“No matter what size house you have, open space is a premium. If it looks like a house is too small because you have too much stuff, that’s going to hurt you in the long run,” he said.

A tidy and welcoming front door area make a great first impression on a prospective buyer. Roos says sprucing up the entrance to a home and clearing away unnecessary items around the house go a long way in attracting buyers.

“Declutter first, because it’s going to make it a lot easier when that move comes. If you have your house on the market and someone wants to move in 30 or 45 days; clutter is a big problem for a lot of sellers,” he said.

A clean, decluttered kitchen is also important in marketing a house to buyers, Roos said. Just having a few dishes in the sink or bottles and food on the countertop can make a kitchen look messy and small.

Roos advises clients to hold off on doing major home improvements before selling.
“I don’t recommend spending $10,000 on some upgrade before listing a home, because we can never guarantee that the seller will recoup that expense,” he said. “If there is something that really, really needs to be repaired; like if a window is falling out, yes, you need to make that repair.”

Freshening up a home with some neutral paint and making small repairs around the house are inexpensive ways to prepare for a sale.

“If you have colors in the house that are really bold, you might want to tone those down … if a color really stands out, a buyer could find that objectionable,” he said.

According to Roos, having a home professionally staged for an open house is not crucial to the success of the sale.

“Staging a home with gorgeous furniture is not the end all in selling a house. At least 50 percent of the houses I show are empty and having an empty home does not make an unfavorable impression. Having a nice home at the right price is the main focus of selling,” he said.

Decluttering, making small repairs, showcasing open spaces and a thorough cleaning are key ingredients to having a successful open house.

Roos adds to that list, clearing any snow off of walkways and the driveway, keeping pets confined or out of the house and one special touch.

“Bake a cake or cookies so that after the first impression of the front door, people come in and get that homey feeling about your house,” he said.

While the enticing aroma of baked goods can enhance an open house experience, other smells in a home work to the opposite effect.

“If you have pets, like to cook a lot or if you smoke, these strong odors can be detrimental to selling your house,” Roos said. “I’ve listed homes of smokers and as soon as people walked in the door at the open house, they turned around and left. You will lose money in a home sale if people can smell strong odors in the house.”

Selling or buying a home can be both exciting and stressful. Homeowners equipped with solid advice on how to market their property, can take advantage of the positive 2016 real estate forecast and ultimately turn a ‘FOR SALE’ sign into a ‘SOLD’ sign.

— Positive trends and handy tips aid home sellers —