Home Buying 
There are currently 68 blog entries related to this category.
Lots of News for 2012
Saturday, December 17th, 2011 at 12:24pm. 154 Views, 0 Comments.
Lots of "News" for 2012
For the first time in a while I feel optimistic for the upcoming year. We are busier than normal at this time of year, so I feel 2012 will be even better, and might show a quicker start to the selling season. We have some new things coming up and I'd like to briefly go over them here.
There's a new team in town
I have already introduced my husband Jimmy Herter and my son Matt Orr. Jimmy got licensed last year and is now a Broker. My son Matt has helped us out on and off over the years and he has committed to giving us more time. Matt is our "new" photographer with his new camera. Our photos have always received compliments from happy sellers, but we've now kicked them up a notch.
We have a new newsletter
…Why Agents Need Advance Notice to Set Showing Appointments
Friday, December 2nd, 2011 at 12:09pm. 186 Views, 0 Comments.
Real estate agents know that it can be fun and exciting viewing potential homes that you might be interested in 
purchasing. When you find a home online, in an automated e-mail or driving down the street, you might want to see it right now. However, even if it is a vacant home, we still need to make an appointment with the listing office.
If you want to view several homes, we need time to set up a logical route, put a viewing time on each one and then call each individual listing office. We need to be in our offices to print up the listing sheets before we can even work on setting up the appointments. Although we can use our smart phone, tablet or laptop on the road if necessary, it isn't that easy if there are multiple properties to set up.
…Buyers Losing Homes By Taking Too Long to Decide
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011 at 12:58pm. 155 Views, 0 Comments.
A buyer recently sent me a list of Palos Park homes she wanted to view. When I started setting up appointments I was told that one of the homes just accepted an offer and there would be no further showings. I relayed this to my buyer, who was very upset because it was the top choice on her list.
This is a buyer who has been viewing properties online for a long time. They just started actually going out and viewing homes, although they are not in a hurry. I have seen this happening with buyers more this and last year than ever before. These buyers are looking for homes part-time. Some go out once a month, some a little more and some even less.
When you're only sporadically looking for homes you can miss the best deals. Even in a
…6 Month Activity for Homer Glen, Lemont, Orland Park and Surrounding Suburbs
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 at 4:03pm. 209 Views, 0 Comments.
I recently shared 1st half of 2011 sales activity for only 4 neighboring towns and decided to add more towns in my service area. The table below will show sales activity for the 1st half of 2011 for single family Homer Glen homes, Lemont, Lockport, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Hills, Orland Park and Palos Park.
| # of Houses Sold | Average Sale Price |
| Town | Sold YRD | Sold YRD | YOY | Avg Price | Avg Price | YOY |
| 2011 | 2010 | % Chg | 2011 | 2010 | % Chg | |
| Homer Glen | 68 | 81 | -16.1% | $321,950 | $334,765 | -3.8% |
| Lemont | 55 | 58 | -5.2% | $383,940 | $368,418 | 4.2% |
| Lockport | 86 | 134 | -35.8% | $176,621 | $202,241 | -12.7% |
| Mokena | 58 | 55 |
Save Money on A Home Purchase With a VA Home Loan
Sunday, October 9th, 2011 at 8:34pm. 133 Views, 0 Comments.
Save Money on A Home Purchase With a VA Home Loan
Home loans are presently at an all-time low. Currently, lenders are able to issue new purchase, refinance and FHA loans at rates that were previously unheard of. These rates are a result of the economic crash and housing market crash of 2008, and allow first-time homeowners, veterans and everybody else to purchase or refinance a home at prices and rates that have never before been seen.
While this is great news for those who are currently looking for a new home, home buying gets even better for those who have worked in the Armed Forces and have served to protect our country and its freedom. Those who have been in the Armed Forces are eligible to receive a VA Home Loan. This
…Why Don't Sellers Want to Accept Your Contingent on Sale Offer?
Tuesday, September 20th, 2011 at 10:48pm. 167 Views, 0 Comments.
We are in the worst market I have experienced since I started in the business in 1983. My welcome to real estate was interest rates that shot up to 18% and even higher. There was a lot of creative finacing out there, and homes were still being purchased. The good news is that those high rates didn't last very long, and the market got back to normal much quicker than what we are experiencing today.
There are way too many homes up for sale than buyers that can qualify for a mortgage. The lower priced homes are in 
competition with a slew of foreclosures and short sales so it's very hard to compete. If those sellers cannot sell their homes then they can't move up to the next home. It is a vicious circle, where you have to be priced really well
Tips For Buyers Searching For Properties
Friday, June 10th, 2011 at 3:33pm. 349 Views, 1 Comments.
This post will teach you how to save yourself time and money as a real estate buyer in today's huge
inventory of properties up for sale. There might be 50 or more
properties for sale in your price range, but you don't need to view
all 50 to find your home. You can start your search online using my
MLS search (set for Orland Park single family homes, but you can change it to whatever town(s) or property types you want) or the searches of other property portals.
The very best way to search is to have me create an Automated E-mail Search that sends listings directly to your e-mail from the MLS. OK, now you've got the listings in your price range and with your amenities. Depending on how many listings are available, you now need to sift
…Is Home Ownership Losing Popularity?
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011 at 6:57pm. 544 Views, 1 Comments.
Everyone knows that prices continue dropping in many areas, including Illinois suburbs. But those low prices could
be good enough for buyers to consider making a purchase this year. An easy way of figuring out if it's worthwhile purchasing a home vs. renting is to figure out what your mortgage payment would be compared to current rental prices. You also need to take into consideration tax deductions for mortgage interest and real estate taxes for home owners, although they might not last forever. Feel free to use my mortgage calculator, although this does not compute any tax deductions.
There is More to it Then Just Monthly Payments
Even if your mortgage payment is more than a local rental, there is a completely different lifestyle in owning
…Search Tools for Chicago Suburbs Real Estate
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 at 10:32am. 735 Views, 1 Comments.
I receive many registrations daily from people who have found my website by using search terms such as Orland Park real estate or Homer Glen homes, for example. Sometimes, I wonder how some people find my site since their searches are not in areas I work in, but they found my website using some kind of search terms.
The visitors that register to use my MLS search (or IDX) are free to search in our very large multiple listing service that covers Northern IL and some portions of Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. Our multiple listing service used to be the largest in the nation, but I know there are newer ones that have surpassed our MLS.
This means I don't service all of the areas that are in my MLS. I only work in the southwest Cook County
…Reviewing 2010
Tuesday, January 4th, 2011 at 1:51pm. 629 Views, 0 Comments.
It's been an interesting year and I'm looking forward to year-end sales statistics this year more than any other. We keep losing agents that can no longer earn a living selling real estate. However, 2010 has been one of my best years. It hasn't been easy and I've had to make some changes, but I've done well in a challenging market.
I Moved to a New Home
I moved to the Orland Park/Homer Glen area and sold my Oak Lawn home. I'm glad 
I had my own home for sale as it helps me explain the market to my other sellers. I sold my Oak Lawn home for less than what we paid for it in 2003. Add the new windows, two new bathrooms, remodeled family room, new carpet, hardwood floors, interior & exterior paint, etc., and we lost a lot of money.