From the monthly archives:

August 2006

A Walkthrough is an Important Step in Buying a Home

August 27, 2006

Yesterday a couple of buyers and I did a walkthrough of the newly rehabbed Edgewater condo they are buying. A walkthrough is an opportunity for buyers to verify that any inspection issues were resolved and make sure the rest of the home is still in acceptable condition.
The buyers found several inspection issues that the seller [...]

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Major Chicago Newspapers Online

August 25, 2006

Thinking of moving to the Chicago area? Here are links to some of the Chicago newspapers online:
Chicago Tribune   Chicago Sun-Times   Daily Herald   Crain’s Chicago Business   Chicago Reader
Similar Posts:

Chicago – Cheaper than San Francisco, But More Expensive Than Miami
Chicago & Suburbs Online Rental Search Sites
The Value of Brick in Houses
Median Price of Suburban Homes Climbs up to 39% Over Past [...]

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Consult with your Realtor When Negotiating Inspection Issues

August 24, 2006

Yesterday a home seller killed the sale of his house. If he had consulted with his Realtor® before responding to inspection issues, this might have been avoided.
My buyer’s inspections revealed several major problems with the house including radon at unacceptable levels and 2 natural gas leaks. Through her real estate attorney, my buyer requested that [...]

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Unfortunately, Housing Discrimination Still Exists

August 23, 2006

A major national real estate chain was accused of violating fair housing laws in Chicago yesterday according to CBS 2 Chicago. African-American National Fair Housing Alliance Agents posing as buyers in the Lakeview, Lincoln Park and Gold Coast areas were treated differently by Realtors® than white agents posing as buyers. Know your rights. For more [...]

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Make Sure your Real Estate Attorney Knows how to Communicate with You

August 21, 2006

My closings that were delayed from last Tuesday (see previous post) took place on Thursday. The delay was caused by a mortgage company that sent the wrong questionnaire to my seller’s condo association and didn’t catch the mistake until it was too late. Unfortunately, the mortgage company wasn’t the only one who messed up. I [...]

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An Example Why Your Lender’s Service is so Important!

August 15, 2006

There are a lot of very unhappy people today because a mortgage lender messed-up. One of my sellers was supposed to close on the sale of her home in Palatine this morning and then close on the sale of her new home in Harvard this afternoon. An hour and a half before the first closing [...]

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How to Drive Away People From Your Open House

August 14, 2006

Yesterday I met with a woman wanting to sell her house in the Logan Square area of Chicago. While I was there I thought I would check out some of the open houses in Logan Square and Hermosa.
One open house especially caught my eye because the listing broker was a well advertised discount broker. I [...]

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Check Out The Neighbors

August 12, 2006

Want a clue for how well a home’s value will appreciate? Check out the neighbors’ homes. Are they attractive & well maintained or is it obvious that the owners are neglecting them?
One of my buyers was ready to make an offer on a house in Roselle this week, but changed her mind after taking [...]

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I Must be Doing Something Right!

August 9, 2006

I had a nice surprise late yesterday when I learned that I was named one of the Top 10 Women Real Estate Bloggers by SellsiusRealEstate.Com! Sellsius is a national online real estate community.
In its June issue, Metro Chicago Real Estate Magazine said my blog “…has many of the features that characterize the best real estate [...]

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How Buyers Find the Resale Home They Buy

August 5, 2006

To the right is a chart of how buyers find the resale home they buy. It’s based on a survey of buyers by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
The most common way was through a Realtor® (blue), followed by the Internet (purple) and yard signs (yellow).
To a much lesser extent they found the home [...]

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