One of my favorite areas of Palatine is Reseda. The streets are lined with oaks and maples, and the homeowners prune and polish their homes and yards. Many of the houses are all brick; others are brick and cedar mixes. Besides providing a nice place to live, this kind of subdivision tends to perform better than average when it comes to resale.
Take, for example, the decrease in values we’ve seen this year. If you look at Palatine, year-to-date, the average sale price came down about 16% from 2008. The average sale price in Reseda, however, dropped just 6%.
That is a 10% difference, which could mean tens of thousands of dollars to a seller. Well-constructed neighborhoods with lush landscaping, close proximity to jobs and transportation, and low turn-over tend to fare better during boom and bust cycles.
Would you like to know how you’re subdivision is doing? Email me, and I’ll send you the data. 
*data from Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC, 10/22/09
