From the monthly archives:

September 2008

Glencoe Frank Lloyd Wright Home Catches Attention of National Blogs

September 28, 2008

A Frank Lloyd Wright designed home for sale in Glencoe has caught the attention of several national blogs. Move.com, ZillowBlog.com, and The Huffington Post among others have written about the home for sale at 1027 Meadow in Glencoe.
As you would expect for the low price of $625K in Glencoe the 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 [...]

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Renters, Find Out If Your Building is in Foreclosure

September 25, 2008

A new service on BairdWarner.com lets renters find out if the building they are renting in is in foreclosure. Renters in a building that is foreclosed could be evicted.
To use the service:
1. Go to BairdWarner.com
2. Click on Property Search
3. In the Rentals Section, click the link to check if your building is in foreclosure [...]

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Know What a Mortgage Preapproval is, Your Agent & Loan Officer May Not!

September 22, 2008

Want to maximize the strength of your offer and minimize the time it will take to get it accepted? Make sure you have a mortgage preapproval, not a mortgage prequalification with your offer.
Years ago after one of my sellers got burned by a bad mortgage preapproval, I started having the loan consultant in my office, [...]

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Wilmette House Market Down Except at Top

September 18, 2008

I’m negotiating the purchase of a house in Wilmette priced in the $700Ks. Before I discussed an initial offer with my buyers I researched this North Shore suburb house market. Here are some of my findings.
The median price of a house in Wilmette for the past 12 months is down 3.4% from the previous 12 [...]

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Open Houses in Evanston Mysteriously Cancelled

September 16, 2008

Not everyone enjoyed the recent rains like our young friend shown left. I think there were at least 2 home sellers in Evanston for whom water was a big issue on Sunday.
A couple who’s home I listed in Evanston got a contract on it last week so I took them out looking for a larger [...]

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Mortgage Rates Drop Sharply!

September 11, 2008

If you’ve been waiting for a sign that it’s time to buy a home, you got it on Monday. According to MSNBC.com, mortgage rates dropped sharply on Monday. Bob Walters, chief economist at Quicken Loans said, “I’ve seen a drop like this happen maybe two or three times in my 17 years in the business”. [...]

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The Domino Effect in Real Estate

September 8, 2008

Today a couple of my buyers were supposed to have the closing for their new condo in the South Loop, but they fell prey to the domino effect.
The woman buying their Lincoln Park condo was supposed to close on the sale of her condo last week. An issue arose with her buyer’s financing and her [...]

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New Home Orientations are Challenging in the Dark!

September 4, 2008

Yesterday I attended a new home orientation at the Library Towers condo development in the South Loop. My buyers got their first opportunity to inspect their new condo and have a home inspector check it out as well.
Unfortunately, several lights in the condo didn’t work so it was harder to spot imperfections. I normally carry [...]

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A Helpful Realtor in Provincetown, MA

September 1, 2008

As has happened many times, I was in the middle of negotiating a home purchase when I left for vacation in Provincetown, MA last week. My partner, Mary Kaye, and I go there for a week during the summer almost every year.
The home seller (for sale by owner) and I came to a [...]

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