Top 5 Challenges of Selling Your Home

How to Overcome the Top 5 Challenges of Selling Your Home


So you’re ready to sell your home … but are you prepared to deal with all of the hurdles along the way? Before you put your home on the market, you need to plan ahead for each of these five challenges.

Challenge #1: Getting your home ready to sell


Once your home is on the market and you’re ready to schedule showings, your Mainstreet REALTOR®️ can connect you with a home stager, who will help you stage your home to command the most interest and best price. Home staging serves a different purpose than decorating a house you will actually live in, so even if you enjoy interior design, this is another area where it’s helpful to work with professionals who deal with home sales every day. There are even new options like virtual staging and tours to consider.


Together, your Mainstreet REALTOR®️ and home stager will maximize the desirability of your home, so it sells faster and at a higher price than it would if you tried to sell it yourself.

Couple holding

Challenge #2: Pricing


Most homesellers don't really know what their homes can command in today's market. You can browse local home listings, but that can only tell you so much. You won’t know what sets these homes apart, how their prices were set, or whether they will sell in a timely manner. Online estimates may reflect sales from the past few years that don’t align with today’s market. 


Emotional attachment to your home may also sway your judgement in naming a price. What you really need is to find a price that works for you and also for a buyer, so your home will sell and not sit on the market for months and months.


Again, a local Mainstreet REALTOR®️ is your best bet for objective pricing. They know how to sell your house. Their experience will inform a price that considers all the amenities of your home, your goals and the current state of the market. They will help you choose a price that will attract buyers and ultimately maximize the sale price of your home.

Challenge #3: Knowing how to prepare for inspections


Even once you’ve found the perfect buyer, your home needs to pass inspection before the sale can be finalized. The inspection is a thorough look at every aspect of your home, from checking that the outlets work properly to looking at the state of any fireplaces. You’ll need to ensure that the inspector has access to every part of your home, including electrical panels, the furnace, under-sink plumbing and so forth. You’ll also want to have documentation of the work you’ve had done on the home in the past handy.


You may have heard that the homebuying frenzy of the last few years led some buyers to waive this step. Take note: the market has changed, and many of today’s buyers will expect a thorough inspection before closing on a home. 


After an inspection, you’ll be left with a list of items the home inspector feels need improvement. You may feel that some of these items may be required in order to close the deal, while others may be simply recommendations or non-issues. Your Mainstreet REALTOR® can help you determine how to respond to inspection results, and which changes will truly up your property value.

Challenge #4: Understanding paperwork


If there’s one thing that’s constant across all home sales, it’s paperwork. And if you’re buying a new home at the same time as you’re selling your existing home, you’ll have even more to juggle. It’s one thing to gather together all of the forms and documents, but it’s another to understand what you’re looking at in every step of the process.


Your Mainstreet REALTOR® can help you understand the implications of the paperwork throughout selling your current home and buying a new one. Their expertise will help you come to the best financial outcome, and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks that could hurt your sale.

Challenge #5: Managing stress


Especially if you’re trying to do it all alone, selling your home is intensely emotional and complex. Knowing that you’re working with an expert can help ease your stress throughout the selling process. By working with a Mainstreet REALTOR®, you’ll have a guide and an advocate in every stage of selling your home. 


Are you ready to find the right partner to help you sell your home? Hire a Mainstreet REALTOR® today.

Mainstreet 2026 Economic Forecast: Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold

By Amy Robey • February 5, 2026
“Not too hot, not too cold, just right,” is how Thomas Walstrum, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, described the S&P Global GDP forecast. Walstrum spoke at a local event hosted by Mainstreet REALTORS® on January 14. He shared that, despite headlines, the economy in 2025 was actually boring — in a good way — and that he expects 2026 to be a decent year for the economy. According to forecasts presented at the event, real GDP growth is expected to be about 2.2%, close to what economists consider normal long-term growth. “The economy is kind of settled in very close to its long-run growth rates,” Walstrum noted. This is good for Chicagoland, which he pointed out has a tightly linked economy with the overall U.S. In other words, when the U.S. economy is healthy so is the Chicago economy. Walstrum shared that analysts see the Fed lowering interest rates in 2026 to a point where they are neither stimulating nor slowing the economy, meaning rates are expected to level out rather than rise sharply. At the same time, the U.S. has a faster growth pace than the Chicago metro area, which includes the city and surrounding suburbs. Walstrum suspects there are two main reasons for this: “The two big ones are our industry mix and our climate.” The weather, particularly during the pandemic, pulled people south and west, a trend some local REALTORS® are now seeing reverse. “More people are moving back to Chicagoland after long periods of time away. This seems to be driven largely by high homeowners insurance costs in other states,” said Jason Hinsley, Designated Managing Broker, RE/MAX Metropolitan. When it comes to employment growth over the next four qu arters, Chicagoland is expected to continue growing, though at a slower, more sustainable pace. “I’ve been talking about Chicago being slow growth but Chicago is actually a very strong economy in terms of both size and earnings,” Walstrum noted. “Unemployment has been coming up but not in a recessionary way. It’s just slightly cool, and still a very healthy labor market,” he added. Against the broader economic backdrop, local REALTORS® also shared their reflections on 2025 and predictions for 2026. “As I reflect on 2025, what stood out was that the market was still fast-paced and sellers continued to have the advantage, even though buyers were more cautious than in past years,” said Michelle Mauntel-MacDonald, REALTOR®, Keller Williams Premiere Properties. “If rates happen to dip, I believe the market may pick up quickly and prices will rise again. I also understand that the decisions the government makes affect the market. It will be interesting to see what the next year brings,” noted Stacy Beeson, REALTOR®, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group, Shorewood. Income per capita in both the U.S. and the Chicago metro area is expected to grow by 3.2%. “Chicago is a very productive place, with lots of people earning lots of money. And S&P doesn’t see that advantage for Chicago going away,” Walstrum said. Before the housing bubble, the Chicago metro area’s home prices were above median home prices in the U.S. “And then it started to lag… home prices in other big cities in the country have grown a lot faster than Chicago’s home prices over the last 15 years. And what that means, according to this data, is that Chicago is actually now one of the most affordable large cities in the country,” Walstrum explained. This relative affordability gives buyers more room to be selective and helps sellers attract serious, qualified buyers. “One of the big advantages, at least from an economist’s perspective, of being a slower-growth place is that slower-growth places tend to have slower growth in the cost of living,” he concluded. When viewed alongside housing data, Chicagoland stands out as a compelling place to purchase a home and live. Taken together, the economic outlook and local market insights point to a year defined more by stability than surprises. With the broader economy growing at a steady pace, interest rates expected to level out rather than spike and Chicagoland maintaining its relative affordability compared to other major metro areas, buyers and sellers alike have room to make thoughtful, informed decisions. While the market remains competitive, especially for well-priced homes, today’s conditions offer more balance than in recent years, giving buyers time to be selective and sellers confidence that serious demand is still there as 2026 approaches.

Keep the Presents Safe: Holiday Scam Prevention Strategies

By Wesley Rusick • November 24, 2025
Imagine a holiday season with zero presents because someone emptied your bank account in the blink of an eye. Which means you can also say goodbye to that mortgage payment.
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