Wow! I could not believe it but I finally received notice that two of my short sales are due to close in less than a week. It has been a long time coming but finally I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I am so happy for my clients that I feel like celebrating but I know I can't until we actually close these deals. Just for your information both of the short sales took four months to close. I think this is the average length of time for short sales. 06/18/2008

06/03/2008

Short Sales was the lead article in the Chicago Tribune this Saturday May 31, 2008. The article" Break for Sellers: Banks settle for less" defined short sales as the process where homeowners owe more than the house is worth.It went on to say that the housing crisis is so severe that both lenders and home owners see short sales as an acceptable alternative.  It is good to see an article open to discuss a difficult topic and it is even harder to give accurate information on the subject. For instance, the article interviewed a realtor who feels short sales is "screwing up" a lot of stuff. This realtor went on to say short sales in his market was the healthiest part of the real estate market now along with bank owned property. The article also accused short sales of scewing the market data,... 06/02/2008

        Where is the best place to retire? When I first thought about writing about the Best Places to Retire I did not realize that so many people have different opinions on this subject and for different reasons. Some people want a place which is affordable because they are on a fixed income while others at the other end of the spectrum are looking for the best tax shelters. Some people like warm climates with ocean views, some like the mountains, some like big cities, while others like small cities. Listen to the expert I want to thank Active Rain member for their particpation in my search for the best place to retire. Here are some of their recommendations: Palm Desert, CA Myrtle Beach, SC Palm Coast, FL Virginia Beach, VA Hawaii anywhere RV Park anywhere    When planning your retir... 05/27/2008

On May 15, 2008 the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian was host to the 2008 Golden Apples Foundation Winners. Attending the event were all 10 award winners for 2008, Golden Apple Selection Committee and Northern Trust members who  sponsored the event. Congradulations to all 2008 Golden Apple winners: Holly Bontkowski, 8th grade Kennedy Middle School in Plainfield Carol Broos, Music teacher 4th-8th grade Sunset Ridge School in Northfield Monica Gil, 7th grade Gray Elementary School Chicago Samina Khan, science teacher 6th-8th Clark Academic Preparatory Magnet High School Chicago Nancy Kontney, 5th grade Sunny Hill School Carpentersville Daniel Moravaji, 6th grade Lake Zurich North Middle School Natalie Neris-Guereca, 5th grade Pershing West Magnet School Chicago John Nieciak, Langua... 05/19/2008

   I know we here a lot of horror stories in the industry about bank foreclosures and REO properties but this is not one of them. I finally closed on 1202 Sherman Avenue Evanston, IL in record time of 4 months which by the way is the average Market time for Single Family Homes in Evanston. I found the Bank Asset Manager was great to work with and took my advise on price reductions until we got it at price comfortable enough to bring me a really good buyer. Many thanks goes to Steve Miskowicz the Buyers Agent on bringing me a good buyer and to Ocwen Fiancial on putting this deal together. If you would like more information on this property or other REO or Short Sale  Properties then please call the number below.FREE INFORMATION 24 HOURS: 1-888-307-7311 EXT 10 05/08/2008

 Recently I was asked this question" Are Above Ground Swimming Pools a Home Improvement Deduction?"  First of all you have to know the difference between real estate and personal property.  All things that are permanently attached to the property are considered fixtures. This would include such things as ceiting lights, awning, window shades, doorknobs bathroom fixtures, kitchen cabinets.                                                           Is this a Fixture ?                                                                 Is this a Fixture? Neither of these pictures are fixtures. Hopefully the lady can be removed from the wall and so can the above ground swimming pool. So if they are not fixtures then what are they considered? Personal Property. Typical things sold with a home as ... 05/07/2008

Posted by admin @ 8:46 pm, April 26th, 2008 CARE is an all volunteer organization whose responsible for the Adoption of abused or abandoned Pets brought to the Evanston Animal Shelter. CARE is currently looking for new volunteers over the age of 18. If you are interested please fill out the CARE Volunteer Application. CARE is also in need of donations and has its annual walk-a-thon called Struts for Stray on May 10, 2008 to help raise money for the animals at the shelter. EDWARD IS LOOKING FOR “HIS KING” 2 year old “Neutered” Tabby. This Alpa Male Cat needs another loving Male to Adopt him 04/26/2008

 I have just created the Walking and if asked Talking Ugly Yellow Sign. For the next 30 days i plan to wear this shirt wherever I go and see if anybody approaches me or calls my 800 number. Thank you By Referral Only. FYI I have the same information on my back just in case someone wants to write down the number without me looking. 04/24/2008

       250 Square Feet in London The Smallest House  has all of the conveniences of a large home right at your finger tips.  175,000 Square Feet Biltmore Home  The Largest House has 250 rooms almost 1 room for each day of the year . Buying your first Home? Do you want a small home or a big home? The average size home in the United States is 2,500 Square Feet. 04/21/2008

Good times, bad times, Agents will be advertising. In good times agents want to advertise; in bad times they have to. Two women were walking through the woods when a frog called out to them and said: "Help me, ladies! I am a real estate agent who, through an evil witch's curse, has been transformed into a frog. If one of you will kiss me, I'll be returned to my former state!" One woman took out her purse, grabbed the frog, and stuffed it inside her handbag. The other woman, aghast, screamed, "Didn't you hear him? If you kiss him, he'll turn into a real estate agent!" The second woman replied, "Sure, but these days a talking frog is worth more than a real estate agent!" 04/21/2008

Recently I was introduced to a web site that I would like to share with people. It is called Ted. Ted is a think tank where creative minds share their work. I am sharing this information to ActiveRain members because I find every time I visit this site I am amazed at the work people are doing in Art, Music, Technology around the world. When you have some free time I encourage you to visit this site and see the works of Jonathan Harris Then there is Tod Mochover of MIT and Dan Ellsey creating music together. I had to wipe away tears from my face after watching this performance.    04/15/2008

Poem: Spring Real Estate I think this speaks volume for the current Spring Market. 61rate this pageBy Hazel CrawnerSpring Real EstateHere is a house, dear robin.the floor and walls are strong.It's safe from windand snug from rainand yours for just a song. 04/14/2008

According to Christopher Dodd, Chairman of the the Senate Banking Committee, he proposes to move legislation which will assist distressed borrowers, particularly those who owe more money to the bank than what the house is worth and encourage lenders to forgive a portion of the loan and issue new more affordable loans in exchange for the Federal Governments financial backing. In addition there would be tax breaks for homeowners, home buyers, more money for foreclosure counseling, and grant money given to cities to buy foreclosed properties. There are several critics including myself that think this solution to the banking and foreclosure problem will Fall Short of helping people avoid foreclosure. It is my opinion that the Government should not rescue banks, consumers or cities in order ... 04/14/2008

I recently read an article in AARP magazine devoted to Foreclosures and Seniors. When we think of foreclosure we think about young people, but the young are not the only people being affected by foreclosures. Currently, I am working with an older couple who has lived in their house for 29 years and were about to lose their home to foreclosure before they met me to help them with a short sale. You might ask how can someone who has lived in the same house for 29 years be in foreclosure? Well, according to AARP more and more seniors are borrowing against the equity in their homes to pay for expenses on health care, college tuition, home upkeep,or just a way to supplement their income due to retirement.  So when seniors borrow all of their equity  in their homes they become victim to the sa... 04/13/2008

 Do you have a Green Thumb? Evanston has several community gardens where you can put to use your gardening skills. If you want to be involved in a larger  community project then join the Talking Farm  Enjoy the outdoors, meet people, become organic and help feed people.   04/08/2008

It is not uncommon for the Midwest to have a Snow Storm in the Spring. I find the day after a storm is often a good time to take pictures because the white snow against a blue sky is quite beautiful. Following are some pictures I took today in Evanston.                                                                                                    Snow on Tree against Blue Sky                                                                   Snow on a Victorian Home                                                       Lake Michigan with View of Downtown Chicago. Guess the names of the Tall Buildings?                                                    Northwestern Continuing Education Building  03/22/2008

The other day I was driving around with a relocation client and she wanted to see the Lake. She had heard a lot about the lake and asked a lot of questions to which I really had no answers. So, I though it best to do some research and here are some interesting facts about Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is the third largest Great Lake by surface Area and the largest freshwater lake in the world. Other Great Lakes are (Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Superior)                               Length:                     307 Miles or 494 km                             Average Depth:          279 feet or 86 m                             Maximum Depth:        925 feet or 282 m                             Water Surface Area:    22,300 Square miles / 57800 Square K                        ... 03/18/2008

A client bought a new home and the broker wanted to send flowers for the occasion. They arrived at the home and the owner read the card; it said "Rest in Peace". The owner was angry and called the florist to complain. After he had told the florist of the obvious mistake and how angry he was, the florist said. "Sir, I'm really sorry for the mistake, but rather than getting angry you should imagine this: somewhere there is a funeral taking place today, and they have flowers with a note saying, "Congratulations on your new home".   03/17/2008

   The term" Baby Boomer Generation" defines those born between 1946 and 1964 and are those people who are now 40-58 years old. This population "boom" came after the return of soldiers from World War II. There are 76 million boomers in America who will be faced with issues of retirement, empty nesting, becoming the new " Sandwich Generation" as a result of their own aging parents, in-laws, and grown children who return to live with them at some stage of their retirement.  If you are a " Baby Boomer" and planning your retirement here are some things to consider.36% will move into a new home which is more than 3 hours from their current home.44% will move because they want a smaller house with less maintenance.30% prefer a urban community setting22% want adults-only neighborhoods.24% will... 03/16/2008