Home Selling 
There are currently 71 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.
…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 |
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
Smoking in Your Home Can Derail Your Sale
Friday, September 9th, 2011 at 11:01am. 182 Views, 0 Comments.
It doesn't happen often lately, but once in a while I will show a home that is very heavy with old, rancid smelling cigarette smoke. It really hits you when you walk in the door, and personally, I can't wait to get out of those homes, and in most cases my buyers feel the same. I've h
ad buyers that have been so turned off by this that they won't even consider the home, even though it might be very nice and otherwise fit them.
I always give feedback (when requested) regarding this issue, and I can only hope those sellers will do something to mitigate the thick smoke odor in their homes. We had a listing of an Orland Park condo for sale and we noticed the smoke right away. The seller cleaned the carpets but it didn't get rid of it all. They
…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.
Short Sales and Sellers
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 at 12:41pm. 674 Views, 0 Comments.
Short Sales and Sellers - An Explanation
Why would a seller want to do a short sale? If they have attempted to get a loan modification (which rarely goes through), and want to hopefully be able to buy another home as soon as possible (could be as soon as two years after the short sale is closed) depending on down payment, attempting a short sale would probably be the way to go. However, here is my disclaimer: a seller needs to speak to their attorney and possibly a CPA to see what the best thing is for them to do.
OK, disclaimer aside, a seller does have other options. If a seller cannot afford their current mortgage and cannot sell their property to cover the current mortgage balance along with closing costs and would not be able to rent
…Sellers - There Are Different Kinds of Feedback
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 at 9:25am. 630 Views, 0 Comments.
Although I consider myself a listing agent, I also enjoy working with buyers. Whenever I show a property, if I am sent a feedback request via e-mail, I fill it out as helpfully as I can. I don't like discussing price unless it is really priced too high. And I have to be careful, especially if I think my buyers might be interested in the property.
And that's why many agents do not provide feedback. Below are excuses I've heard:
- Some agents feel they're doing the listing agent's job by providing feedback. They feel the listing agent should have informed the seller of the correct price and should have helped the seller stage the home properly. I do not buy this as a valid excuse. Sometimes a seller needs to hear it from more than one