August 2007

How Your Mortgage Company Can Put Your Offer at Risk

August 31, 2007

Mortgages are not commodities. The service your mortgage company provides is just as important as the interest rate. I hope the following story illustrates this point. Last Thursday evening I received an offer on one of my listings. There was no mortgage pre-approval, so I called the buyer’s agent first thing on Friday. She didn’t Click to continue...

A Good Time to Look at Houses – After a Storm

August 28, 2007

With the storm we had last week, Saturday was a great day to look at houses and especially their basements. Shown left is some water we found in the basement of one of the houses I showed. Several, but not all of the houses I showed had water in their basements. The water in the Click to continue...

Evaluating Text Messaging for my Listings

August 24, 2007

Yesterday I investigated text messaging systems that deliver information about homes for sale. Currently, I provide my sellers a web address that hangs on their “for sale” sign. Buyers walking or driving by just need to write down the address which is typically the home’s address (e.g. 253SCollins.com) and enter that address in a browser Click to continue...

Relocating to the U.S.

August 21, 2007

A gentleman in the United Kingdom emailed me this week asking about areas of Chicago to investigate when he and his wife visit in September. They would like to relocate from the U.K. and also asked for sources of information about relocating to the U.S. Here are a couple of official U.S. government links I Click to continue...

What you Get for the Money in Lakeview

August 18, 2007

This week I received an email from a gentleman wanting to buy a condo “near Boystown”. As with other buyers who have asked me about the Boystown neighborhood and the Lakeview area which encompasses Boystown, he was quite surprised by how little he could buy in his price range. Lakeview and especially Boystown is definitely Click to continue...

When to Have Your House’s Photos Taken

August 15, 2007

I was supposed to have a photo shoot for a new listing in South Elgin today, but I cancelled it. It was forecast to be cloudy all day and thunderstorms were predicted. As the photos below of another listing of mine at 2124 Emma Court, Montgomery show, sunlight makes a tremendous difference in how attractive Click to continue...

Highland Park’s Exceptional Service Grocer

August 7, 2007

Sunday a couple from San Diego and I started their home search by visiting some open houses in Highland Park. One of the local businesses that gives Highland Park its unique character is Sunset Foods. The grocery store differentiates itself from the competition by providing curbside loading of groceries and getting items for customers even Click to continue...

Friendly Folks in Rogers Park

August 5, 2007

Yesterday while I was showing condos to a couple of gentlemen in Rogers Park, not one, but two residents came up to them and welcomed them to the neighborhood! In both cases we were standing in front of condos waiting for the listing agents to arrive. One man and one woman in different neighborhoods within Click to continue...

The Best Advice I Can Give Home Buyers Today

August 2, 2007

Even if you aren’t planning on buying a home for a year or two, meet with a mortgage consultant and have them review your finances. It shouldn’t cost you anything and if your credit is less than ideal, you’ll have time to fix it before you’re ready to buy. Getting financing for a home purchase Click to continue...