Client First, Client Focused
By Contributor
By Contributor
If you’re thinking about selling a home in 2018, the three most critical components to the process are preparation, pricing, and presentation, says Megan McCleary, consistently one of the top selling real estate agents in the Western Suburbs.
Together with her husband and business partner, Tom McCleary, she runs the McCleary Group, a team within Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff. They help home buyers and sellers at every step of the process, always putting the client first.
McCleary is optimistic and excited about trends she’s seeing in the marketplace.
“I anticipate the Hinsdale market will see increased activity over the next year. In our market, there will continue to be buyers across all price points. We should see more interest from the millennials who have delayed buying a home and are now making the move,” she says, which means it’s going to be important for sellers’ homes to show well and be priced appropriately “Buyers will continue to prefer move-in ready homes. They are educated and savvy, so accurate pricing is crucial. Sellers will need to properly prepare and stage their homes before putting them on the market to appeal to the broadest base of buyers.”
McCleary helps her clients with staging, which is one of the most undervalued parts of the process. Often, a decision about whether a person wants to buy a house happens in the first few minutes of seeing the home.
Right now, “less is more” when staging, McCleary says. She works with sellers to reduce clutter and showcase the home in its best light. In terms of other trends in 2018, she thinks neutrals and mixed metals will continue to be appealing, along with pops of color.
“Hinsdale continues to be a strong investment for home buyers,” she says, which should make people feel confident. “The quaint village, fabulous schools, strong sense of community, and easy access to Chicago and both airports continue to make Hinsdale a wonderful place for people to plant their roots and raise families.”
McCleary knows that first-hand. She moved to Hinsdale when her kids were only babies, and now they are in high school at Hinsdale Central.
“We are embedded in the communities we serve and work strategically for all of our buyers and sellers,” she says.
Megan McCleary is with the McCleary Group, 35 S. Washington Street in Hinsdale, 630-780-1913, mcclearygroup.com.
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