From the monthly archives:

April 2007

Route 59 in Naperville – Allow More Time for Travel

April 29, 2007

I spent over 8 hours showing houses in Naperville this weekend to 2 different couples. Both of the couples have one or both partners with jobs in downtown Chicago, so proximity to a Metra station is a key factor.
After the couple I worked with Saturday found a house they were interested in, we drove [...]

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Realtor.Com – Good for Starting a Home Search, But Not Serious Searching

April 27, 2007

This afternoon a family relocating from Michigan sent me a list of 9 houses they would like in see in Naperville. They developed the list by looking at homes for sale on Realtor.Com. Before they sent the list, I mentioned that one or two of the homes might no longer be on the market. When [...]

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“Bought & Sold” to Premiere Sunday on HGTV

April 25, 2007

Can’t get enough real estate drama and silliness? HGTV sent me a note this morning about their latest real estate reality show, “Bought & Sold“. It premieres this Sunday at 9 p.m.
The show features the experiences 12 Realtors® in northern New Jersey. Below is a clip of one of the Realtors. YouTube.Com has a [...]

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New Eastside Neighborhood in Chicago’s Loop

April 23, 2007

This afternoon I showed condos in the New Eastside neighborhood within the Loop area of Chicago. New Eastside is east of Michigan Avenue between Chicago Avenue on the north and Grant Park on the south. The neighborhood includes the Aon Center, the Hyatt Regency Chicago, and Swissôtel Chicago.
Getting around New Eastside can be confusing at [...]

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Real Estate Humor: Charlotte Church as a Real Estate Agent

April 21, 2007

Here’s a spoof on real estate agents from the Charlotte Church Show. Remind you of any real estate agents you’ve met at an open house?

DuPage & Will County Property Taxes

April 19, 2007

This morning I received an email from a gentleman considering relocating to Naperville. He asked for help understanding property tax rates there since Naperville is in both DuPage and Will counties.
Tax rates in the Chicago area are usually described in terms of an amount per $100 of value by governments (e.g. $7.5 per $100 of [...]

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Pre-Listing Home Inspections

April 17, 2007

David Ousley, president of Building Specs of Illinois spoke at my office yesterday about pre-listing home inspections. Typically, home buyers hire a home inspector after their offer has been accepted on a home. With a pre-listing home inspection, home sellers hire a home inspector before putting their home on the market.
According to David, homes for [...]

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Better Caves and Gardens

April 15, 2007

This morning Chicago Tribune real estate columnist, Mary Umberger, reported on a study by British archaeologists of more than 400 caves. The archaeologists concluded that the inhabitants had 5 real estate criteria: larger entrances, deeper passages, at high altitudes, with entrances facing east or west and a level area outside the entrances – criteria not [...]

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Average Sale Prices No Indicator of Entry Level Prices

April 13, 2007

Last night I searched for 2 bedroom condos for sale in the Niles area. A gentleman had contacted me looking for a condo for his parents who used to live in Niles. There weren’t any condos for sale in Niles in the price range he gave me1, so I widened my search to the adjacent [...]

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Centex Named Most Admired Home Builder

April 11, 2007

The Daily Herald reported on Sunday that Centex Corporation was recently named most admired home builder by Fortune magazine. Fortune ranked Centex #1 among home builders for: people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment, and quality of products/services.
I’ve taken buyers to Centex’s Copper Springs new home [...]

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