From the monthly archives:

January 2009

5 Good Reasons to Buy a Home Now

January 30, 2009

Here’s a recent interview with Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors. To get to the “5 good reasons” skip ahead 3 minutes.

Chicago & Suburbs Online Rental Search Sites

January 28, 2009

Yesterday I was texting on Twitter (ID franbailey) with a woman who will be moving here with her husband from Miami in a few months. They’ll initially be renting and then plan to buy a home. I’ve been hearing from a lot more people relocating to the Chicago area that plan to rent for [...]

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$7,500 1st Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Podcast

January 26, 2009

First time home buyers have a great opportunity this year with the federal government’s $7,500 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. However, a lot of first time home buyers haven’t heard about it or don’t understand how it works. The Illinois Association of Realtors recently released a podcast (17 mins.) that gives a good [...]

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Home Buyers May Want to Include C.L.U.E. Report Contingency in Offers

January 23, 2009

Today’s Daily Herald had a good suggestion that I’m going to pass along to my home buyers. In his article, “Buyers, sellers alike should get a ‘clue’ when pondering a home sale“, real estate columnist David Myers responded to a question about making an offer on a home contingent on receiving an acceptable C.L.U.E. (Comprehensive [...]

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Northbrook’s Northbrook Court has Top Brands & Service

January 22, 2009

Want a home near a mall with top name brands and the level of service you expect from them? Then consider, Northbrook, IL or its neighboring suburbs of Highland Park, Glencoe, Wheeling, Deerfield, and Glenview. Northbrook’s Northbrook Court is home to numerous top brands including Tommy Bahama’s, Crate and Barrel, Ralph Lauren, Cole [...]

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Cook County IL Assessor May Lower Home Valuations!

January 21, 2009

The Chicago Sun-Times reported today that the Cook County Assessor is looking at cutting home valuations.
Similar Posts:

Higher Property Taxes Mean Lower Offers!
Governor’s Property Tax Assessment Controversy Shines a Light on Assessment Confusion Part 1
Cook County 2008 property tax rates released
Governor’s Property Tax Assessment Shines a Light on Assessment Confusion Part 2
DuPage & Will County Property [...]

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Regional Economic Forecast 2009 Highlights 3 of 3

January 20, 2009

In part 2 of this blog post series I shared Lawrence Yun’s chart showing that the number of existing home sales have dropped back to 1998 levels.
Buyers considering a new condo in downtown Chicago need to take a good look at Gail Lissner’s chart which I recreated below. This year 4700 new condos in [...]

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Regional Economic Forecast 2009 Highlights 2 of 3

January 18, 2009

In part 1 of this blog post series I shared James E. Glassman’s chart showing that home prices are now back in line with household incomes.
Another Regional Economic Forecast 2009 Panelist, Lawrence Yun, presented the chart below showing that the number of existing home sales has dropped back to 1998 levels. However, now there [...]

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Regional Economic Forecast 2009 Highlights 1 of 3

January 16, 2009

Yesterday I attended the Regional Economic Forecast 2009 at the Palmer House Hilton. The event was sponsored by the Chicago Assoc. of Realtors and other Chicago area Realtor Boards.
Chicago Magazine’s Deal Estate Columnist, Dennis Rodkin, moderated a panel consisting of:

Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Assoc. of Realtors
Michael S. Miller, Assoc. Prof of Economics [...]

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Barrington House Sale Prices Drop 27% 4th Qtr. 2008!

January 14, 2009

Last night I reviewed market statistics for house sales in Barrington. A friend of mine who owns a house in Barrington is wondering if she should sell her home now.
The median sale price# for houses in Barrington for the last quarter of 2008 dropped 27% from the same period a year earlier from $642,500 to [...]

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