August 2006 
There are 4 blog entries for August 2006.
Does Burying a St. Joesph Statue Help Sell A Home?
Wednesday, August 30th, 2006 at 1:21pm. 417 Views, 0 Comments.
There was a cute front page article in today's Southtown Star (Aug. 30, 2006) titled "For sale by St. Joe." In fact, an agent from my office, Mary Pettenon, got her photo and her own little article on page A8.
I've never suggested to my seller clients to do this, but over the years I think a few have. Personally, I don't know if I believe it was St. Joseph that caused the sale, but if sellers want to give the statue the credit, so be it.
I also pictured people burying a large statue (like a large doll size) but I guess there is an internet source for a 3 1/2 inch version that you can purchase at www.stjosephstatue.com based in California. The photo at the left is the kit they sell for $9.95 with free shipping.
Hey, the market is
…Real Estate Market Facts
Monday, August 21st, 2006 at 11:34am. 333 Views, 0 Comments.
As a seller in today's market you might be questioning whether the news about the real estate downturn is a bunch of 
hype which gives your agent an excuse for your home not selling. I subscribe to a weekly newsletter by the Illinois Association of REALTORS (IAR), of which I am a member.
In one of the articles it states "Second quarter home sales are down 6.1 percent." Upon further investigating it shows a graph where Cook County sales are down 7.8% and Will County real estate sales are down a whopping 18.3%.
There is some good news. The median sale price was up an average of 3% in the second quarter of this year. It was a bit higher for both Cook and Will counties.
This just reiterates the fact that as a seller you need to make sure
…Evergreen Park Walking Trail
Thursday, August 10th, 2006 at 9:21am. 653 Views, 0 Comments.
I have been wanting to try out the new Evergreen Park walking trail located in Yukich Park at approximately 90th & Kedzie. It is on the east side of the street.
It states that it is about 1.4 miles long around and there are a couple of different paths to make the walk longer or shorter. There are several ponds with shooting water features when you drive up but there is no tree coverage so on a hot, sunny day this would be a sweltering walk.
We actually went around 3 times since it was one of the cooler days we've had recently. You basically walk around the sports fields in the middle. There is a cemetary to the east over the fence. On the west side there is a skating rink and it was interesting to watch the skateboarders
…Is the Real Estate Market Really Slowing Down?
Tuesday, August 1st, 2006 at 4:10pm. 400 Views, 0 Comments.
I have been reading headlines referring to the slowdown of the real estate market in Chicago and surrounding suburbs. It is actually affecting most of the nation. The party is certainly over.
First off, most buyers have made their purchasing decision within the past 5 years when interest rates were at record lows. I personally believe these low interest rates will cause buyers to remain in their homes longer than usual because it will be difficult to give up those low rates unless they absolutely have to move because of a job change, growing family, downsizing, divorce, etc. This will affect the real estate industry years down the road.
There is always a slackening in sales around this time of year because most families have made their
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