From the monthly archives:

October 2006

Sellers Have to be Flexible on Showings, Especially in the Upper Price Ranges

October 29, 2006

Today I will be showing several homes in the north and northwest suburbs. The first home I had scheduled to show was a house in Palatine priced at $749,000. After I had scheduled all the showings, I got a call from the listing broker informing me that the seller didn’t want the home shown today [...]

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If You Are a Single Home Buyer, You Are Not Alone

October 26, 2006

Single men and women were 30% of the home buying market in 2005 according to the National Association of Realtors. I find it interesting that women were 70% of single buyers while men were only 30%. You would think with men making more money than women, that the number would be the other way around. [...]

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Higher Property Taxes Mean Lower Offers!

October 25, 2006

I was searching for condos along the east side of Schaumburg this morning when I noticed that comparable units in the same development have significantly different property taxes. Even allowing for homeowner and senior exemptions, some condos have property taxes 60% higher than other comparable condos in the same development! Homes with significantly higher [...]

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How to Get More out of Your New Home Walk Through

October 23, 2006

Ardell DellaLoggia who writes for the Seattle real estate blog, RainCityGuide.Com, has a good tip for new construction buyers. She suggests bring your own blue tape to the walk through for marking items that need repair or a credit. That way, you won’t be dependent on the builder’s rep to mark items. Check out her [...]

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How Your Earnest Money is Delivered Can Make a Difference

October 21, 2006

A couple of weeks ago the seller for a listing I have in the Hermosa area of Chicago and a couple of buyers reached a verbal agreement for the sale of the house. The buyers’ agent got the buyers’ initials on changes to the initial offer and their check for earnest money. What typically happens [...]

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A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words. In Real Estate it’s Worth Even More.

October 19, 2006

Last night I met with a couple interested in selling their condo in Addison and moving up to a house. They have a very attractive home that needs little home staging. They had their condo on the market over a year ago with another Realtor, but it had only a dozen or so showings over [...]

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Mr. & Mrs. Too Much Home Buyer Video

October 17, 2006

With Google’s acquistion of YouTube.Com last week, I decided it was time to add some video to this blog. Enjoy!

Lake Michigan Water for Prospect Heights?

October 15, 2006

Yesterday afternoon I showed a couple of buyers houses in Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights. One of the homes (shown right) is a new home a short walk to downtown Arlington Heights offered at $949,900.
Prospect Heights is a small suburb just east of Arlington Heights, but you might have heard it mentioned in the [...]

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Downtown Chicago New Condo Market Still Strong

October 11, 2006

If you’re looking for more information on Chicago’s downtown new condo market, YoChicago.Com has an article by Don DeBat covering the market from top to bottom,”Chicago market defies housing bubble but ultra-luxury sales are slowing down“.
At the top is the ultra-luxury market defined at $700/sf on up. So a 1,000 sf. condo in this segment [...]

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Understand the Contingencies When Negotiating an Offer

October 10, 2006

Recently some clients of mine made an offer on a new 2 bedroom condo in the Sheridan Park neighborhood of the Uptown area of Chicago. Sheridan Park is bordered by Lawrence and Montrose on the north and south and Broadway and Clark on the east and west.
The offer was contingent on the buyers selling their [...]

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