April 2008

Chicago Real Estate Transfer Tax Increases, But Not for Buyers!

April 29, 2008

Back in February I wrote about the Chicago City Council’s vote to increase the buyer transfer tax on homes (see “Tax to Buy a Chicago Home Increases 40% April 1st – No Joke!“). The tax increased, but fortunately for buyers, sellers ended up paying the increase. In a last minute ammendment, the council voted for Click to continue...

Oak Park Condo Dog Limits

April 25, 2008

Recently, I worked with buyers who have 2 dogs. They seriously considered a new condo development in Oak Park and mentioned the dogs to the staff at the sales office who didn’t mention an issue with the dogs. Later while at an open house for a townhouse in neighboring Forest Park, they mentioned the dogs Click to continue...

The Standard Chicago Lot Size

April 21, 2008

If you see the term, “Standard Chicago Lot”, on listings and don’t know what it means, you’re not alone. In fact, a lot Chicago listing agents don’t know what it means either! In a very non-scientific test yesterday, I picked 3 areas of Chicago and searched for listings with a lot size of Standard Chicago Click to continue...

Evanston Median House Prices Flat to Higher in 2 out of 3 Zip Codes

April 14, 2008

On Saturday I met with a couple of gentlemen who want to sell their house in Evanston and move to a larger house in the same area. Their house is in the 60201 zip code in Evanston which had the highest rise of any Evanston zip code for median house sale prices* during the past Click to continue...

Forest Park Median Sale Prices on the Rise!

April 11, 2008

Yesterday I showed townhouses in the north part of Forest Park. I think the area has a lot going for it being walking distance to both Oak Park’s downtown and Forest Park’s downtown. While many Chicago suburbs have seen dips in their median sale prices over the past 2 years, median home prices in Forest Click to continue...

Houses with True In-Law Arrangements Require Some Digging

April 8, 2008

Last weekend I showed houses with in-law arrangements in Mount Prospect and Des Plaines to a gentleman relocating from Dallas and his mother. His mother currently has a house in the far northwest Chicago suburbs, but it’s too far a commute to his job in Northbrook and they both agree that they would like to Click to continue...

Buffalo Grove – Good High School Choices

April 5, 2008

Today one of the houses I showed buyers from Seattle was in Buffalo Grove. They picked the house to see because schools for their daughter are a priority and this house is served by Adlai E Stevenson High School which they’ve heard good things about. However, Stevenson isn’t the only high school with a good Click to continue...

Will Your New Home Be In A Special Service Area (SSA)?

April 2, 2008

A week ago one of my buyers said he wanted to take a second look at a townhouse in Aurora. The showing instructions said to call the seller to schedule showings, so when speaking with the seller, I took the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his home. One of my questions was Click to continue...