Well, then give me a call or shoot me an email!
I work with both sellers and buyers, but I specialize in buyer’s agency. I’ve lived in the Northwest Suburbs for over forty years and have been involved with selling real estate most of my adult life.
I’ve helped happy clients find homes all over Chicagoland. You can find testimonials at my website, askforlaura.com.
Keep in mind, when you work with a real estate agent to help you find a home, the commission is paid by the listing office of the home you buy. The Realtor does not charge the buyer a fee for their services.
This weekend was busy in the first time home buyer price range of $100,000 to $400,000. I don’t have stats to report, but I can tell you that the office was super busy Sunday and Monday. I can always tell that the market is picking up when there are lines for the copier and scanner Monday morning as agents crowd in to process their paperwork.
The $8000 tax rebate is bringing out first time buyers in droves, and we’re starting to see dual offers on well-priced properties.
I don’t think this activity will last past the spring market. And, I’m not seeing much activity in the move-up range and luxury home range ($400-700,000 and $700,000 +), but they may follow as the first time home buyer properties begin to sell.
This is the new Palatine Train Station. I took this photo last summer (2009). I know the “new” station isn’t all that new anymore, but I can still remember the old one, so I always think of this one as new. I love how Downtown Palatine is evolving. I expect it will continue to get better and better.
Friend and fellow blogger, Robert Darrow, just wrote an interesting article on the spring market for this year. The tax credit and uncertainty about how long interest rates will stay low make timing critical for 2010. Check it out.
Timing When to Buy or Sell: Calendar of Important Events
Well, for all the hype about the real estate market starting early this year, we’re not seeing much activity yet. Sure, a bunch of ugly, scary, roughed-up foreclosed homes hit the market early in January, but not much else has arrived yet.
My bets are on the post-Superbowl sellers. I think a lot of homeowners are waiting until the football season ends and the hope for warmer winds and spring begins.
So, if you’re not seeing what you want yet, don’t be discouraged. The cold Midwest always has a slow start to the spring market, no matter how hard we (i.e. Realtors and realty journalists) try to rev it up earlier in the year.
One of the biggest mistakes sellers can make in staging their home is leaving up old-school, heavy drapery. Fancy, expensive, over-the-top fabric window treatments are slowly going extinct.
What’s hot now is sleek and subtle, light-breathing looks. Plantation blinds, Roman shades, or whispy fabrics provide a more updated look. Moreover, they allow more light in. You want your home to be light, bright, and open.
Today, we’re seeing the absence of window treatments altogether in higher end contemporary homes. Designers and homeowners are finding that large, unadorned windows make rooms feel bigger and more spacious.
In our own home, my husband and I use window treatments sparingly. We have blinds in our bedrooms and in our family room, but our living room, dining room, and kitchen windows are completely naked. I love the way sunlight streams into our kitchen. That room always feels cheery and bright. What buyer wants to invest in a dark kitchen?
So, rip the fabric off those windows! Go naked! You’ll be happy you did.
Finally, my advice for buyers is don’t run out and buy window treatments for your new home. Give it some time and watch the lighting patterns. If you really need blinds for privacy, don’t spend a lot of money; the simpler the better. And, simple treatments are usually pretty inexpensive.
photo credit: TLC, Top 10 Window Treatment Tips
*from U.S. News and World Report . . .
Here is an excerpt from Luke Mullin’s report.
1. Prices to Bottom
2. Mortgage Delinquencies Up
3. Foreclosures Move Upstream
4. Mortgage Rates to Rise
5. Buyer’s Market Remains
6. Modification Plan Could be Modified
7. FHA Lending Standards May Increase
8. Tax Credit Available Through June [home must be under contract by April 30 and close by June 30]
9. Markets Will Vary a Great Deal by Region
10. Mobile Maps Can Help
I took this picture near the Inverness golf course. I was on my way to an open house last year on Dewey, and the whole area was covered with snow (not a great day for an open house, btw!). I couldn’t help but imagine what Inverness was like back when the Macintosh’s settled the area. With all the hills and woods, it would have been a beautiful place for a sleigh ride.
I was going to write a post about my outrageously high property tax bill from this fall, but I decided to think about summer instead. It really is beautiful around here just about any time of year, but summer is especially nice.
Here is the beach in Lake Barrington Shores. I keep trying to get my parents to move to LBS, so I can enjoy all the local amenities with them.
In this summer-y pic, my nieces and their grandmother are walking to the Palatine bike trail in Cottonwood Park on the west side of Palatine.
It’s all about interest rates. If you do the math, you’ll see that Marc Roth makes a strong argument.
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