Real Estate Agent
Wayne Martin
Retired
Cell: 239-826-7400
More Info
Real Estate Agent
Alan May
Residential Real Estate specializing in Evanston, the entire north shore, and northern areas of Chicago.
Cell: 847-924-3313
Office: 847-869-7300
More Info

All About Illinois Real Estate

By Scott Seaton Jr. SLS Home Insp, The Home Inspector With a Heart!
(SLS Home Inspections-Kankakee Will Iroquois Grundy Counties)
Flower season is way too short.     Every April and May in Bourbonnais, Illinois we get an amazing blast of color thanks to the wide and assorted collection of flowers that bloom seemingly all at once. These flowers make real-life paintings in everyone's gardens and flower beds. Having a job where I get to visit homes and enjoy these beautiful gardens all over our area is a bonus that I don't take for granted.     Finding such beauty in what otherwise may be a very dull and drama free inspection and turns it into a perfect opportunity to snap a few pictures that will ultimately end up in a folder on my computer that is titled "Beauty Shots."  The picture above shows a really cool view of my inspection vehicle as seen through a pink crab apple tree from on top of the roof I was inspectin...
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By Evelyn Santiago, Managing Broker Heart Realty Group, Inc., Passionate About Real Estate & Our Clients!
(Heart Realty Group, Inc..)
May 2023 Closed Home Sales - Oswego, IL       The unofficial numbers for May, 2023 for single family detached home sales are as follows:   35 Total Homes Sold   8 at List Price   8 Under List Price   19 Over List Price       There are currently 33 homes available for sale.   5 are "New" listings   1 Price Change   27 are "Active" Listings   14 are New Construction   Which leaves 21 homes that are existing or resale homes. There are 5 homes currently listed for over $1 million dollars which is a bit unusual for a small village like Oswego, IL     With continued low inventory Seller's continue to enjoy the majority of homes selling for more than asking or list price. If you are interested in a market valuation of your existing home, please drop me a message or give me a call! With over 3...
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By Femme Capital Partners, Residential & Commercial Mortgage Broker
(Femme Capital Partners)
The mortgage industry has traditionally been male-dominated, but the tide is turning as more and more women are entering the field and making their mark.  Today there are a growing number of women-led mortgage companies that are outperforming their male-led mortgage counterparts.  In this blog post, we'll explore how they outperform and the benefits of working for a small brokerage versus a large bank or lender.  WHY WOMEN-LED MORTGAGE COMPANIES MATTERWomen-led mortgage companies are still relatively rare, but they are making a big impact.  According to a recent report by the National Association of Women in Real Estate Businesses, only 20% of the top 100 mortgage lenders are women-led.  However, those that are led by women are experiencing significant growth and success.  Why is this?F...
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By Margaret Goss, Chicago's North Shore & Winnetka Real Estate
(@Properties)
 What Sold in Your North Shore Village in April 2023?The actual numbers noted below have varied little from last month - in each village. It's the status quo for North Shore real estate - prices are holding up and homes are selling quickly. Condos and rentals are also experiencing low inventory. WINNETKAClick here to see all Winnetka homes sold in April 2023Homes for sale:  33Private network homes for sale:  9Current month's supply of inventory:  1.5Year-to-Date median price: $1,500,000See Winnetka homes for saleSee Winnetka condos for saleSee Winnetka townhouses for sale WILMETTEClick here to see all Wilmette homes sold in April 2023Homes for sale:  21Private network homes for sale: 15Current months supply of inventory:  1.3Year-to-date median price: $1,007,000See Wilmette homes for sa...
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By Margaret Goss, Chicago's North Shore & Winnetka Real Estate
(@Properties)
Winnetka North Shore Real Estate vs. the National Scene Have you read the headlines about the big price drops in many parts of the country? For instance, "Median home price tallies largest annual drop in more than a decade." Inman News. . . "home prices fell . . . for the first time in nearly 11 years " ForbesThe U.S. median home price is $400,52 which is a 3.3% drop over the past year. Many areas experiencing deep declines are pandemic boomtown markets - they grew at unsustainable rates from 2020 through 2022. They, of course, are now selling at bargain prices - really. Boise, Idaho home prices soared by 41% in those years while the rest of the nation experienced a 26% increase in prices. They're paying the "price" now.The North Shore continues to buck that trend. Low inventory is typi...
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By Margaret Goss, Chicago's North Shore & Winnetka Real Estate
(@Properties)
Hubbard Woods Winnetka Real Estate for April 2023 14 new listings in Hubbard Woods in April (heavy on the Tudor style!) Seven are already contingent. The least expensive home to be listed was priced at $1,100,000, and the median home price for Hubbard Woods is $1,270,000.Of the 8 closed home sales, 4 went over the list price, one was at the list price, and 3 were under the list price.  14 New Hubbard Woods Homes Listed in April 232 Woodlawn: $1,100,000 (contingent) 955 Vernon: $1,175,000 (contingent) 1413 Tower: $1,270,000 1271 Asbury: $1,295,000 (contingent) 1326 Tower: $1,299,000 1344 Sunview: $1,399,000 1503 Scott: $1,429,000 (contingent) 1045 Dinsmore: $1,995,000 1240 Asbury: $2,399,000 (contingent)     950 Westmoor: $2,549,000 (contingent) 1016 Westmoor: $2,599,000 (contingent) 812...
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By Evelyn Santiago, Managing Broker Heart Realty Group, Inc., Passionate About Real Estate & Our Clients!
(Heart Realty Group, Inc..)
We are heading to warmer weather this week and hopefully putting some of the rainy cold weather behind us.We currently have 29 available single family detached homes available for sale.  17 of the 29 are new construction "to be built" homes.  The remaining 12 are existing homes with 4 of those Million plus homes.  So if you do the math we only have 8 homes that are for the average buyer in Oswego, IL!In April there were 39 homes that  closed!  The breakdown is as follows:List Price - 6Less Than List - 14More than List - 19Almost half  went over list price!  Currently there are 64 homes under  contract and 6 in "Pending" status.Thinking of selling your home?   Give me a call and let's start today!
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By Scott Seaton Jr. SLS Home Insp, The Home Inspector With a Heart!
(SLS Home Inspections-Kankakee Will Iroquois Grundy Counties)
  Nope, I Didn't Always Know Everything     Someone recently asked me what it takes to start a home inspection business. How did you get started? You seem to know everything. Really?          When I started my business, I had the good fortune to already have a full-time job. Good thing too, because it was right before the mortgage crisis in 2008. That took some of the pressure off to make the leap to full time. I was able to ease into the inspection business and build my network and relationships with many local agents. I completed 4 free inspections in my first year for 4 willing friends that let me practice on their home. Yes, you read that right. 4, as in four.     I was told many things over the years by many different people in and out of the inspection business about how to grow y...
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By Evelyn Santiago, Managing Broker Heart Realty Group, Inc., Passionate About Real Estate & Our Clients!
(Heart Realty Group, Inc..)
Almost the end of the month - what  a month it was!  With some  days in the 70's and in the same week back to the 30's...it was quite a  roller coaster weather wise.Inventory levels remain very low with 30 single family homes listed as of 8:00 a.m. Friday, April 28th.  The reality is that only 13 of those homes are exisiting homes.  Of those 13 there are 4 that are a million or more.  So there really are only 9 homes for the average buyer in Oswego - a village of almost 40,000 people!  The rest of the 17 homes are new construction - with the majority to be built and a few close out models.Finding sellers willing to leave those low interest mortgages behind  is akin to finding a  needle in a haystack!  The attached single family home inventory is just as low or even lower!  With only 6 l...
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By Evelyn Santiago, Managing Broker Heart Realty Group, Inc., Passionate About Real Estate & Our Clients!
(Heart Realty Group, Inc..)
April, 2023 is half way done and along with the unusually warm  weather the real estate market in Oswego has to contend with very low single family home availabilty.  As of today, April 14, 2023 there are only 13 single  family homes in the "existing" or  "used" home category of the 27 total available in the MRED database for Oswego.Of those 13 - 4 are home listed for over $1M so currently there are only 9 homes listed for home buyers that want an  existing home that is not new construction!The price range is from $320K to $470K for a "used" home.   New construction prices start at $399,900 for a ranch home with a partial basement to $676K home with 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, 3 car garage and full basement home.In the detached single family home there are only 4 homes available  - 2 existing ...
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By Margaret Goss, Chicago's North Shore & Winnetka Real Estate
(@Properties)
What Sold in Your North Shore Village in March 2023? Most notably, inventory is creeping up but very slightly. Winnetka had 24 homes for sale a year ago and 30 now. Wilmette had 12 last year and 20 now. It's the same in every village along with the concurrent lessening of multiple offers. Most homes have been selling very close to the list price, with fewer properties selling $100,000s of dollars over the asking price. That still happens but it's becoming rare.The North Shore continues to have a robust seller's market with the supply of inventory well below a "balanced market" of 5-6 months of inventory.   WINNETKAClick here to see all Winnetka homes sold in March 2023Homes for sale:  30Private network homes for sale:  12Current month's supply of inventory:  1.5Year-to-Date median price...
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By Margaret Goss, Chicago's North Shore & Winnetka Real Estate
(@Properties)
Hubbard Woods Winnetka Home SalesMarch 2023Seven homes closed in March in Hubbard Woods. Four were sold over the list price, and three were sold below the list price. Days on market are starting to get slightly longer.  7 CLOSED HUBBARD WOODS HOMES March 2023 250 WoodlawnList price: $550,000Sold price: $525,000Days on market: 24 1111 MerrillList price: $625,000Sold price: $677,000Days on market: 5 888 Forest GlenList price: $1,049,000Sold price: $985,000Days on market: 95 924 Forest GlenList price: $975,000Sold price: $1,000,000Days on market: 53 1367 ScottList price: $1,799,000Sold price: $1,730,000Days on market: 16 895 TowerList price: $1,750,000Sold price: $1,900,000Days on market: 4   819 HumboldtList price: $2,475,000Sold price: $2,485,000Days on market: 445  5 NEW HUBBARD WOODS L...
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By Margaret Goss, Chicago's North Shore & Winnetka Real Estate
(@Properties)
North Shore Senior Center inNorthfield IL Where can adults 50+ find purpose, learning, aging support, socialization, memory care programs, volunteer opportunities, fitness and wellness programs, and caregiver resources?All of these can be found at the North Shore Senior Center (NSCC) located at the corner of Northfield and Winnetka Roads in Northfield. And the extent to which they do that is astounding!NSSC serves 24,000 adult seniors in 25 communities throughout the North Shore and farther out. I recently visited and was given a tour. There are a wealth of programs and services that NSCC provides for its members. I expected to see - but did not - oldsters sitting around playing bridge or mahjong and drinking tea.ServicesThe North Shore Senior Center is above all an organization that pr...
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By Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP, Selling Homes Changing Lives
(DFW FINE PROPERTIES)
Congratulations Scott Seaton Jr. SLS Home Insp for earning your virtual gold in exchange for three outstanding entries for the March to a Solution|ActiveRain March 2023 Challenge. Scott has been servicing his community as a Home Inspector when he started his Company, SCS in Kankakee and Bourbonnais, IL. Before that, he spent 30+ years in lumber, contractor work, and in wholesale building materials. With so many valuable years in business, I wonder if he ever thinks about Kenny O'Dell's lyrics "Behind Closed Doors," sung originally by Charlie Rich? With all the doors Scott has opened, during home inspections, is he ever really surprised to meet termites during a home inspection? Or worse, revisit the same termites and discover Termite Swarms in the same dwelling because the owner refused...
Comments 3
By Scott Seaton Jr. SLS Home Insp, The Home Inspector With a Heart!
(SLS Home Inspections-Kankakee Will Iroquois Grundy Counties)
Maybe a Seinfeld Episode?     Many years ago when I first started doing inspections, I had the pleasure of inspecting a condo for my daughter and her soon to be husband. The marriage didn't last for a few good reasons but that's not what this story is about. They were buying unit one of a 4 unit condo. The complex was horseshoe shaped with a detached row of garages in the middle of the horseshoe. The seller was home. As I walked around the back by the gas meters, I could smell a strong natural gas smell at the meters. I used my gas leak detector and located the leak on meter number one. I told the seller he should call the gas company, NICOR, and ask them to send a repair man. I kept doing the inspection and eventually made my way to the detached garage and as I wrapped it up and walked...
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By Scott Seaton Jr. SLS Home Insp, The Home Inspector With a Heart!
(SLS Home Inspections-Kankakee Will Iroquois Grundy Counties)
Not a Bozo Bucket For Sure     About 6-7 years ago, I had an inspection scheulded for a client that was buying his very first flip house. He owned a carpet cleaning business and this property was only $30,000. I remember thinking how many carpets he must have cleaned to save up $30K. Nothing was really out of the ordinary on the roof and exterior. The interior was a different story however. As I was in the basement looking at a section of about five  2x8 floor joists, I saw there were termite tunnels and what looked like squishy wood. There were entire sections I could actually squeeze and compress with my hands. There were also a short couple of pieces of 2x6 boards that the seller had attempted to nail in to the termite infested joists to help support the floor above. By attempted I m...
Comments 16
By Scott Seaton Jr. SLS Home Insp, The Home Inspector With a Heart!
(SLS Home Inspections-Kankakee Will Iroquois Grundy Counties)
Now Just Hold on a Second There.     There are many times when a seller is present at the home inspection. Most of the time they just hang around the house, in the kitchen or family room watching TV or reading, etc. They may say to check with them if we have any questions we need answered. Very helpful and totally fine with me and my buyer. We always remind the buyer that we are in the seller's home and we should wear boot covers, which I bring with for them just in case to respect the home. I also remind the buyers not to discuss anything within earshot of the sellers just to avoid an awkward situation.      Many years ago, one seller decided to change things and make up a new set of home inspection standards. The buyer agent had not yet arrived. As I was removing my ladder and startin...
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By Evelyn Santiago, Managing Broker Heart Realty Group, Inc., Passionate About Real Estate & Our Clients!
(Heart Realty Group, Inc..)
People always ask "How's the Market" whenever they find out that you are a real estate broker.   It's hard to answer  with so many experts saying things like - don't buy now - wait for interest  rates to go down,  best time to buy, and similar advice from one end of the spectrum to another.The reality is that the time to buy a home or invest in home varies depending on the individual and their current life style, financial condition, marital status or simply just life!  Just as "there's a home for every buyer" and  "Home  is where the Heart" is and other such quaint sentiments buying a home is not only a large financial commitment but an emotional commitment.Unlike other "assets" its not cut and dry.  For instance - my latest "Sold" listing has/had a lot of potential!  In an established...
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By Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP, Selling Homes Changing Lives
(DFW FINE PROPERTIES)
Wayne Martin - in appreciation for your participating in the March to a Solution|ActiveRain March 2003 Challenge, Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist and I virtually present to you two hands full of glittery gold coins! May you enjoy them and spend them anyway you want! Perhaps tonight with some good libations?  In your last entry, we wish to say, congratulations on winning your case! Having been "the Managing Broker of a large Real Estate Office of a National Franchise affiliation, and having intimate knowledge with the law, why would anyone be bold enough to take you to court? There was no evidence that they were right and your agent was wrong. They must have been crazy to take you to court and think they could slap you in the face. Case Law prevailed and you must have felt t...
Comments 9
By Kimberly Thurm, Broker / Relocation Consultant ABR, CRS, GRI, SFR
(Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago)
Check out this Beauty - Coming Soon in Ashwood Creek!!A Private Network Exclusive!!Located in Naperville's Ashwood Creek community, this former builder's model is in the highly-acclaimed Neuqua Valley HS. The contemporary brick and cedar exterior design and inviting front porch to create an eye-catching aesthetic. Inside, the grand 2-story foyer sets a beautiful first impression. You will find arches, wainscoting, boxed window seats, gorgeous trim, and millwork. At the heart of this home is an expansive chef's kitchen which features a large island, cooktop, double ovens, wet bar with beverage refrigerator, ample cabinet space, and granite. Additionally, it flows into the expansive family room complete with a stone fireplace, built-ins, and a wall of windows.   For more details click her...
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By Doug Anderson
(Blue Fence Real Estate)
Looking for a new home in Wadsworth? Look no further! Our website WadsworthHomesForSale.com is updated every 10 minutes directly from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and offers a wide selection of homes for sale in Wadsworth, Illinois, making it easy  to find the perfect home for you. From charming historic homes to modern new construction, Wadsworth offers a home for every taste and budget. Whether you're looking for a comfortable starter home or a luxury estate, our site has something for everyone.Our website is designed with your comfort in mind, making it easy to search for homes based on your  needs and preferences. You can search by price, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and more.  Additionally, we provide detailed information about each home and neighborhood,...
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By Doug Anderson
(Blue Fence Real Estate)
Looking for a new home in Woodridge? Look no further! Our website WoodridgeHomesForSale.com is updated every 10 minutes directly from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and offers a wide selection of homes for sale in Woodridge, Illinois, making it easy  to find the perfect home for you. From charming historic homes to modern new construction, Woodridge offers a home for every taste and budget. Whether you're looking for a comfortable starter home or a luxury estate, our site has something for everyone.Our website is designed with your comfort in mind, making it easy to search for homes based on your  needs and preferences. You can search by price, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and more.  Additionally, we provide detailed information about each home and neighborhood,...
Comments 0
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