Here is an excellent resource to research the local North Shore Communities.  It's called Wild Onions and for those of you who don't know... Chicago is local Indian languge meaning "Stinky Onions"... so I presume that's the reason for the name. It's an interactive map, so your client can click on the community you're interested in, and find out all sorts of information about a community, without YOU violating any Fair Housing Laws. http://www.wildonions.org/InteractiveMap/NorthSuburbs_Chicago_Map.htm It gives all sorts of demographic information... population, and breakdown by ancestry, per capita income, median household income, lots of information that we, as Realtors, are not allowed to discuss.     10/27/2008

It was the perfect day to drive around town and look at Halloween Decorations in Evanston!!                                   10/25/2008

  Evanston Halloween Events:   Trick or Treat Hours on October 31, 2008 is 4 to 7 p.m Spooky Daze at Fleetwood-Jourdaine Center 1655 Foster Street  Friday October 27 from 6-8:30 pm for children 4-12 includes costume parade games, clowns, magic show, refreshments. Everything Free. Bug-a-Boo Walk at Ladd Arboretum Oct. 27 at the Ecology Center from 4- 6:40 pm Robert Crown Center Halloween Skate Party Tuesday October 30 from 6-7:15 pm Project Pumpkin at Northwestern's Norris University Center for children ages 4 to 12. Contact Alondra Canizal @ a-canizal@northwestern.edu for dates.     10/20/2008

Many years ago... Jerry Seinfeld asked... Why are the Democrats and Republicans represented by a Donkey and an Elephant?  Whose bright idea was that?  Wouldn't you like to have been a fly on the wall for that meeting? [move to Democratic Headquarters] Q: What should we use to represent our party? A: I know, I know... how about an ASS!?  All: yeah, that's a great idea... let's use an ASS!)... well, you get the idea... [Zip to Republican Headquarters] Q: And what symbol should we use?  A: How about a pachyderm??] WHAT?     So.. how exactly did we end up using a Jack-Ass and an Elephant??  Here's the timely scoop, based largely on information gleaned from Wikipedia, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Initially the Democratic party called itself the "Republican Party," (caught y... 10/18/2008

In order to attract attention, and new potential business, you have to do something that isn't currently being done by others.  You have to be different. Unique. Now I know what you're thinking.  How is "blogging" along with 114,000 other Active Rain members, something different and unique?  Aren't we just following the herd, just a few more lemmings hurtling toward the cliff? Well, according to NAR there are currently 1.2 million Realtors® in the U.S., and there are more real estate agents who are not members of NAR.  So those of us "blogging" on Active Rain represent only the vanguard, the leading edge of less than 10% of those selling residential real estate in the united states. So there are over a million of us, maybe a million and a half who have not fully embraced the internet.  ... 10/13/2008

As a “Short Sale” Specialist I  find it  important to discuss how the real estate market is being influenced by the number of “Short Sales” and “Foreclosures” in Evanston. The statistics I am about to report are only accurate to a point. Part of the problem is real estate agents are not disclosing their listings as “Short Sales” in the MLS even though the Real Estate Board has now improved the data entry on  both “Short Sales” and “Bank Owned” properties. With that in mind, here are the third quarter results on”Short Sales” and”Bank Owned” properties in Evanston. Currently, there are 23 “Short Sales” Listings  and  4 “Bank Owned” Listings in Evanston. This represents 7%-9% of all “Active Listings” in Evanston, IL During the past nine months, 8 “Short Sales”  and 4 “Bank Owned”  have cl... 10/08/2008

We are now in the final quarter for 2008 and I think many realtors would say they hope to get through with this year and into next year. Here is where Evanston stands for the first three quarters of 2008. What pops out in the statistics are the sales volume figures for single family homes and Attached Homes. Single Family sales are slightly off by 14% while Sales figures for Attached homes is off by 40%. In 2007, 322 single family homes sold in Evanston.  In 2008, Evanston sold  276 single family homes. In 2007,  581 Attached homes sold in Evanston.  In 2008, 350 Attached homes have sold. Both Single family and Attached homes sales volume figures are down. Total Sales volume for single family homes is down 16% and 44% for attached homes from the previous year. One final interesting fac... 10/03/2008

I am compelled to write about the 700 billion dollar bailout plan. Here is my problem, nobody is talking about helping the homeowner who is about to lose his home. Mr Paulson states, this bailout is not the same bailout which took place for the Savings and Loan Industry. During the Savings and Loan crisis, the treasury owned the real estate as collateral. Mr Paulson says the bailout today will not involve ownership of real estate as collateral. I say thats crazy....If the government is going to bailout bad mortgage securities and not attach a value to them then I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the plan.  I say these loans are worth nothing if you do not use the real estate as collateral.   So, here is my solution to the financial mess and it should not cost $700 billi... 09/23/2008

 Today was a nice sunny day and I decided to go “Touring” properties for sale in Evanston. Here is what I saw today: Price Range: $217,000- For a little over $200,000 you can buy a 5 room, 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo located on the 3rd floor of a Vintage building in South Evanston. This sunny unit had a lot of space and charm with decorative fireplace in the living room, bay windows, formal dining room, heated indoor garage. $399,000-For just under $400,000 you can buy a 7 room, 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath Georgian. This home had beautiful hardwood floor, new bay window in living room, formal dining room, lovely backyard garden, finished basement with play room, laundry and storage. $475,000- Just reduced below $500,000 you can buy a 9 room, 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath recently remodeled  (90% New Constru... 09/09/2008

George J. Cyrus, Jr. passed away on Friday night.  Among other things, he was also the founder of our agency (Cyrus Realtors) and our office, which was later purchased by Coldwell Banker.  Following is a letter published by the local Chamber of Commerce executive director, Jonathan Perman.  I thought it was appropriate to post here: It is with profound personal sadness that I bring to you news that George J. Cyrus, Jr. passed away on Friday night.  George defined what it meant to be a business leader.  He was involved in so many facets of Evanston, providing wise counsel, serving on boards, providing financial resources, and most of all, contributing to the advancement of this community with his incisive wisdom and his outreach.  George served on The Evanston Chamber board for at least ... 09/09/2008

I've had a local colleague, friend, acquantaince, Rachel Harrigan, with whom I've had only one transaction come down with a serious illness only a short while ago.  She was diagnosed with tumors in August (I won't go into the details here). Her disease progressed rapidly, and she died quietly and peacefully this morning holding her husband, Pat's, hand.  Her husband has been updating the community by blogging (welcome to the 21st century) daily with her progress. I don't know where he found the strength. I literally gasped, as I checked her blog this morning, and it noted her passing. http://www.rachiereport.blogspot.com/ It hit me harder than it should, I have no right to feel this sad for someone I hardly knew, and yet... there it is. I find myself sad beyond understanding.  I've been... 09/09/2008

Homeowners who think it's normal for their dryer to take more than one cycle to dry clothes -- think again. Lint accumulation or blockage in the vent is a known cause of dryers running inefficiently, says Greg Longe, managing partner, Dryer Vent Wizard (DVW), Dry Clothes, Safe Homes, the largest chain of dryer vent specialists in the U.S. "While consumers are aware of the need to conserve energy, they are still unaware that yearly dryer and dryer vent maintenance can help cut energy bills as well as prevent dryer fires," says Longe. The average home spends about $1900 on energy costs every year, according to research conducted by Energy Star, a program managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy. "With energy costs rising... 08/03/2008

07/31/2008

I was compelled to write Senator Dodd about the Home Loan Rescue Plan and am re-printing it here:   " I am writing you in reference to the Home Loan Rescue Plan. I am a Realtor in Illinos doing Short Sales and REO sales. Here is the problem with your plan. As you state it is a volunary program that requires an agreement between the borrower and the lender. The lender must agree to refinance at the current market value with the person who is in default. Many people in default should never have gotten a loan in the first place and will probably default  on a new loan unless they are required to get credit counseling and learn how to budget their money. Currently, as a short sale specialist, we are finding the lender a new more qualified buyer than the one they have  and are asking the len... 07/25/2008

 "Chicago Residential Real Estate is flat" according to Chicago Crains Magazine. The median price for a home in Chicago is $249,600 down 6.6% in 2007. To find out more information about New Construction, Existing Home Sales, and Rental Information just click on the link to Chicago Crains. 07/16/2008

I am happy to announce my new website address to serve you better. I am all about providing the public with FREE INFORMATION about the Real Estate Market in Evanston, Chicago, and the North Shore. As you visit the site I think you will find it very easy to use. Just scroll down to the picture tabs on the home page to search for listings, school information, featured listings, mortgage information, buyer and seller tips, and a way to contact me personally. If you want to find out how much your home is worth before contacting an agent just go to the Select Page and scroll down to Recent Home Sales. I hope you enjoy the new website and tell others to visit. 07/14/2008

Michael J. Johnson is a local artist from Evanston, Il who deserves attention. I am allowing Michael the opportunity to describe who he is on my blog because I find his work absolutely beautiful: ” I am an artist. I paint animals, nature and portraits. Art is my job. When I was four years old the doctor told my family that I have Down syndrome. It’s no big deal! Sometimes I have to work harder but I get the job done. You can see more of my work on the Internet. Just search for Michael Jurogue Johnson.” That is what I did and here is some of the work you will find by Michael. Victorian House Portrait Sunflowers Summer Vacation Golden Tunnel These pictures and many more of Michael’s art can be seen at Michaels own website. You can also learn more about Michael on youtube. 07/08/2008

A recent article in the business section of the Chicago Tribune was devoted to how bank reserves are being affected by non-performing loans. In a normal market, it is expected that a percentage of loans the bank makes will be non-performing and when they do go bad the bank did not worry because the collateral behind the debt was adequate to support the risk of loss. However, now more and more people are defaulting on their mortgage and are walking away from their homes because the home is worth less today that what is owed. Banks therefore have no other recourse but to build up their reserves, seize the collateral, and then liquidate the collateral, and eventually partially charge off, or remove the debt from the balance sheet because they have been deemed uncollectable. This is why we ... 07/01/2008

The first six months of 2008 are now history and the statistics indicate a Stable Market. According to the MLS,  the Evanston Real Estate market is stable. During the first six (6) months of 2008 there were 173 sales (included are homes under contract and pending). Compare this figure to 178 homes sold in 2007 during the same period Evanston is quite stable. Infact, the average market time has inched up slightly from 131 days in 2007 to 147 days in 2008. The average sale price of a home in Evanston is also the same $632,956 in 2008 compared to $631,144 in 2007.   07/01/2008

If you have been watching the news today you realize this really is an election year and finally our politicians on the Hill are starting to move legislation to help those in foreclosure. As a real estate consultant specializing in Short Sales and REO properties, I am not convinced that a bailout is the solution. Imagine 300 billion dollars going into helping those homeowners who are at risk of loosing their homes. Will this money solve the problem or will it create new problems? I would love to here from others on this topic, because I do not see the real solution being addressed by our government, our politicans, and our President. 06/24/2008