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        <title>Chicago Suburb Real Estate &amp; Area Guide</title>
        <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/home-selling/</link>
        <description>New real estate listings, entertainment, recreation, news and things to do in Chicago and surrounding suburbs.</description>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/happy-homer-glen-home-buyers.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/happy-homer-glen-home-buyers.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>Happy Homer Glen Home Buyers</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
We found the buyers for 14459 Abbott Rd., Homer Glen.  They were first-time buyers and we worked hard to get them a great price on their Homer Glen home.  We saved them $22,400 off of list price, and this was not a short sale or foreclosure.  We go to bat for our buyers and we've saved buyers thousands of dollars over the years.


Buyers - if you're looking for a property in the southwest suburbs we're your team.  Judy Orr has 29 years experience and her husband, James Herter, is her team mate.  We are full-time agents and we fully represent you and your best interests in what could be the biggest financial decision you've ever made.  We educate first-time buyers and try to make purchasing a home as fun and stress-free as possible.


Sellers - we have many means of attracting buyers.  We can't guarantee we'll sell your home or if we'll attract a buyer working with another agent, but we do a lot to attract buyers to our listings, whether they call us or come with the agent they're working with.  We make your home look fantastic with our photos, we create a website just for your home and we do much more.  We have top Google placement for the most searched words in the areas we service.  Buyers come to our website and do their searches and we convert many of them.


Give us a call at 708-536-8200 or contact us.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sun, 25 Mar 2012 23:35:06 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/homer-glen-homes-under-200000.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/homer-glen-homes-under-200000.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>Homer Glen Homes Under $200,000</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
The average sales price for Homer Glen homes in 2011 was $317,170, so anything priced under $200,000 should be  considered a bargain for the area.  If you're a first-time buyer some of these homes might be nice little starter homes.  They might also work out for those empty nesters that are downsizing.


But there will be some larger homes at discount prices that are short sales or foreclosures.  Homes in this price range can go quickly and we're starting to see multiple offers.  A good priced foreclosure has always brought in multiple offers for the most part but we're showing good buyer activity right now.


I'm seeing more buyers sitting on the fence wondering if they should make an offer and the property already sold.  Again, it happens more in the lower price range of any town.


Right now there are 9 homes in Homer Glen priced $200,000 or under.  Some of these might already have an offer, but technically our MLS considers them in Active status (even though it is Contingent) until it goes Deal Pending or is Closed.  You can tell the home's status by looking under "Essential Information" to the left and all the way down to "Status."  If it says Contingent then you will probably have to wait for the deal to fall apart and the listing to be reactivated.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:34:22 -0600</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/homer-glen-real-estate-2011-sales-statistics.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/homer-glen-real-estate-2011-sales-statistics.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>Homer Glen Real Estate 2011 Sales Statistics</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
The table below shows the difference between the sale of Homer Glen homes in 2011 vs. 2010.






# of Homes Sold


% Change


Average  Sale Price


% Change










2011


2010


 


2011


2010


 




139


128


8.6%


$317,170


$336,531


-5.8%






Like many surrounding suburbs, the amount of sales went up in 2011 compared to 2010.  There was an 8.6% increase in single family Homer Glen homes sold.


Like many other towns Homer Glen showed a 5.8% decrease in average sales price.  Some areas are showing double digit decreases so it could be worse, but prices are still dropping.


This means that if you're a buying in Homer Glen this is a great time to make that purchase with current low interest rates and low prices.  No one knows when we'll reach bottom, but I am super busy with buyers right now and if buyers continue purchasing at this pace prices will stabilize at some point.  A nearby town, Palos Park, showed a price increase so it is happening already in some villages.


Click the link to see updated Homer Glen real estate sales statistics from 2005 to the present for both detached and attached properties.


Call Judy Orr or James Herter at 708-536-8200 if you're ready to start looking at properties in Homer Glen or any other southwest suburb.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:41:45 -0600</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/lots-of-news-for-2012.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/lots-of-news-for-2012.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>Lots of News for 2012</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
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


Every year I start out writing my custom newsletters and do good sending them out until things get busy and I can't keep up.  I've actually gotten phone calls asking me where the newsletter is?  I was happy that they were missed, but I felt guilty not being able to keep up.


We have decided to set a goal of a quarterly snail mail newsletter and we will keep in touch with our friends, family, past and future clients in other ways during the year.  Because my newsletters are created by me, it takes up a lot of time.  I haven't found a pre-made canned newsletter that I would want to send.  So we'll commit to 4 a year and if it runs smoothly with our new team we might increase that to 6 issues a year.  We'd love to be able to put one out every month but I have other ideas for mailers so we'll see how it goes.


We have a new territory


About a year ago we moved from Oak Lawn to the Homer Glen/Orland Park area.  We have an Orland Park address but we're truly in Homer Glen.  We've always worked in this area but it was on the perimeter of how far we'd go.  Now it is our back yard and we want to focus on this area for new listings.  


If you live outside the general area (our main towns will be Homer Glen homes, Lemont, Lockport, Mokena, Orland Hills, Orland Park and Palos Park), don't think we can't work with you.  Call us first and let us know where you're looking to buy and/or sell and if we can't help you we will find you a great local agent who will.


We have a new marketing plan


Customer service and thinking out-of-the-box has always been our modus operandi, and we have put together an unsurpassed marketing program for our listings.  We'll be writing about some of them in the future and introduce our techniques individually.


The new year is almost here!


This year flew by (don't we always say that).  We are excited to put our new plans and systems into action as a cohesive team in 2012.  If you are thinking of buying and/or selling please give us a call at 708-536-8200 or use our Contact Form.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:24:57 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/why-agents-need-advance-notice-to-set-showing-appointments.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/why-agents-need-advance-notice-to-set-showing-appointments.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>Why Agents Need Advance Notice to Set Showing Appointments</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
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.  If you reach us when we're out of our office, we most likely will need to get back in order to set up appointments, especially if there are more than one. 


Sometimes we have to contact individual agents who set their own appointments, and we usually get their voice mail.  I don't understand why a busy agent would set their own appointments, but some do, and we are at their mercy of when they're going to listen to our voicemail and then they have to call the owners if the home is occupied.  I've had agents not call me back at all and I had to chase them down.  That's another story I've written blog posts about before.  I doubt their sellers know that they're missing out on showings because of the way their agents set appointments on their own.  At Classic Realty Group we have office staff that set our appointments during our business hours.  If the home is vacant, I usually use the automatic showing system that is built into the MLS.  Our sellers will only miss out on showings if they're not available.


Busy agents might already be working with their buyer or seller clients when you're interested in seeing a home.  That's why we also need advance notice, so we can set aside enough time to show you properties without rushing you through.  We want you to take your time viewing properties and that's how we treat all of our buyer clients.


If you want to see a home please give Judy Orr or Jimmy Herter a call or text at 708-536-8200 and we'll do our best to get you in as quickly as possible.  We show homes in Homer Glen, Lemont, Mokena, Orland Hills, Orland Park, Palos Park and most southwest suburbs.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:09:55 -0600</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/6-month-activity-for-homer-glen-lemont-orland-park-and-surrounding-suburbs.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/6-month-activity-for-homer-glen-lemont-orland-park-and-surrounding-suburbs.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>6 Month Activity for Homer Glen, Lemont, Orland Park and Surrounding Suburbs</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
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


5.5%


$305,268


$334,138


-8.6%




New Lenox


87


96


-9.4%


$241,805


$264,404


-8.6%




Orland Hills


16


25


-36%


$178,078


$196,206


-9.2%




Orland Park


126


151


-16.6%


$317,157


$345,934


-8.3%




Palos Park


17


27


-37%


$320,558


$369,345


-13.2%






As you can see from the above chart, Lockport, Orland Hills and Palos Park took more than a 30% downtown in the amount of homes sold for the first half of 2011 compared to 2010.  Lemont homes were the only real estate that actually appreciated in value.  Home values should be more important to a home owner than amount of homes sold, although that also shows us supply and demand, and there is too much inventory vs. qualified buyers.


If you have a home to sell in any of the above towns please give the team of Judy Orr and Jimmy Herter a call at 708-536-8200.  We have an unsurpassed marketing plan and would love to share it with you.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:03:37 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/why-dont-sellers-want-to-accept-your-contingent-on-sale-offer.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/why-dont-sellers-want-to-accept-your-contingent-on-sale-offer.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>Why Don't Sellers Want to Accept Your Contingent on Sale Offer?</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
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 and your house must show beautifully in order to hope to get an offer.  Buyers have so much to look at, you have to be the cream of the crop.


So let's say you want to sell your current home, and it really doesn't matter what price range it falls in - they're all hurting.  You have to sell your current home before you can purchase the next one, but you want to get out and start looking so you have an idea of what is out there in your price range.  You find a wonderful home and want to make an offer.  But there's one problem, your house isn't sold yet.


A seller does not want to take up marketing time with a Contingent on Sale contract that might never come to fruition.  The seller and their agent cannot guess how long it could take to sell your home, so they don't want to put their home in Contingent status since that will keep most prospective buyers away.  They could wait months for you to sell your place and if you don't, the sellers have to start over.


It is much better to sell your home and then go out looking.  Now you would have a Contingent on Close offer, which is a step above Contingent on Sale.  You have your buyer and should have a normal closing time frame, which will hopefully coincide with the purchase of your next home.  The problem would be if your buyer could not qualify or your home doesn't appraise and the sale becomes null and void.  But some sellers will take this risk in this slow market.


Many buyers that have to sell first are afraid they won't be able to find anything quickly enough, or they'll end up settling on something that is not what they desired just to find somewhere to move to when they close on their home.  In my opinion, there is enough inventory that a motivated buyer should be able to find something.  When my husband and I searched for our Scottsdale AZ townhome, we had 3 days to look.  In those 3 days we actually found 4 places we would have been happy with.  I guess we're not the norm, but this is a risk you might need to take if you have to sell something first.


I've been meeting more and more buyers that need to sell first.  Some understand that they need to get a buyer for their home before a seller will negotiate with them.  Others are surprised that they will most likely not be successful with a Contingent on Sale offer.  But would those same sellers want to accept a Contingent on Sale offer on their property?  I would suggest that they don't because of the reasons I already stated.


If you would like to sell your Homer Glen home or any other home in the southwest suburbs, give Judy Orr a call at 708-536-8200.  Judy can help you sell your current property and purchase your next one.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:48:55 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/smoking-in-your-home-can-derail-your-sale.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/smoking-in-your-home-can-derail-your-sale.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>Smoking in Your Home Can Derail Your Sale</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
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 had 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 cleaned them a 2nd time and it helped a bit, but I feel the walls needed to be painted (and there are paints now that have deodorizing properties), and the seller (an executor taking care of an estate) did not want to paint.  He would try to drive over to the unit and air it out and use spray room fresheners before each showing.  Luckily, with our marketing we got it sold, but it took a while and the price was less than the seller anticipated.


Smoking can be costly in many ways, but a lot of smokers do not realize it can also cost them when selling a home.  What you should do if you're a smoker is immediately stop smoking inside the home.  You will probably need to repaint the home (smoking also leaves walls dingy and sometimes speckled with yellowish spots) including ceilings.  And you should have your carpets professionally cleaned using a deodorizer.  You might also need to wash all bedding, especially comforters in guest rooms that have absorbed smoke odors, and maybe even some clothing that hasn't been washed recently.  You should also get your upholstered furniture professionally cleaned and wipe down leather or vinyl furniture and possibly even wood.


I always caution buyers against buying on a busy street, near a train or a commercial area, etc., but I usually don't have to say anything about a house that smells like old cigarettes.  Don't sell yourself short, getting rid of smoke  is something every smoking seller needs to do to make their home more appealing.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:01:22 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/is-home-ownership-losing-popularity.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/is-home-ownership-losing-popularity.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>Is Home Ownership Losing Popularity?</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
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 your own home vs. living in someone else's property and having to follow their rules.  Many landlords don't allow painting or pets. 


With today's low prices and interest rates, you could purchase a single family home for the same or a little more than an apartment rental payment.  Instead of living the apartment lifestyle with other tenants close by, you could own your own piece of property, and possibly have a yard to relax in, garden and have a place for children and pets to play in.


When I was younger and rented my first apartment, my goal was to own my own home as soon as I could.  I purchased my own home at the age of 21 and I've never looked back.  


I made a profit on every home I ever sold except one, which was sold during the recession of the '80's.  I was getting divorced and we agreed to sell, even though we had only lived in the home for less than 3 years.  We didn't take a huge loss, but at that time it wasn't common to lose money on a real estate sale.


Look at Home Ownership as a Lifestyle, Not an Investment


Most home owners feel grounded and a part of their community.  They usually stay put longer than renters.  When I was growing up, we only moved once into a brand new home.  I was 10 at the time and not happy about the move, but I made new friends quickly and loved our new house.  My parents kept that house until my Dad retired and they were ready to move to Arizona.


For some reason, people have become transient and don't stay put as long as they used to.  Many younger people do not want to live in a "starter home" and some of those people purchased their dream home during the seller's market when it was easy to get a mortgage.


It is still difficult for sellers to understand that they cannot get the prices that homes were selling for during the seller's market.  Unless someone absolutely has to move I always suggest they stay put.  I can understand job transfers or financial difficulties, but if you want a larger or smaller home this might not be the time to sell.


But if you have enough equity or you're just starting out, it might be the greatest time to buy.  Call Judy Orr at 708-536-8200 or James Herter at 708-207-5324 if you are interested in buying and/or selling.  Or fill out our Automated Home Finder's Form to get listings sent directly to your e-mail.


We specialize in Orland Park or Homer Glen homes but sell in a large area of the southwest and near west Chicago suburbs.  If we don't work in your area we can find you a great agent that does.  Give us a call first!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:57:35 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/search-tools-for-chicago-suburbs-real-estate.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/search-tools-for-chicago-suburbs-real-estate.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>Search Tools for Chicago Suburbs Real Estate</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
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 and northeast Will County areas.  When you register for my MLS search, you are free to put in any area(s) you want.  If I do not service that area I can find you a local agent that does.


When you read through the features of a listing, you have the ability to save it and/or e-mail me directly to ask for more information.  Every once in a while I'll get a site visitor that sends me multiple properties every day that they want "more information" on.  Most of the time I can't provide much more than what is in the description from my website.


My listing descriptions are very good and give a lot of information, including the current status of a listing (towards the bottom left of the description page).  If you see a status of Contingent, that means there is an accepted offer but it has not closed yet.  In most cases, there are no further showings.


Not all agents list the words "foreclosure", "bank owned" or "short sale," not even in our MLS.  Sometimes I can only tell if I look in an area for agent comments only.  So no matter where you find the listing, you cannot read that private information.  However, there are words that are give aways that it is a foreclosure such as corporate owned, seller will not pay for survey (and a list of items the seller won't pay for).  


My website listing description is not 100% the same as a listing straight from the MLS.  If you want to be set up for an automated MLS search with new listings sent to your e-mail, then feel free to fill out my Homefinder Form.  This way you don't have to keep searching daily and possibly miss that perfect property.  You can also check mark the properties you're interested in and I am able to view those so you don't have to double your work by sending me further addresses or MLS numbers.


I have strived to make this website easy to use and navigate while providing you with the information you need and want as a buyer or seller.  Please use it as it best suits you and know that you have a couple different ways of accessing listings in your area, your price range and with your amenities.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:32:22 -0600</pubDate>
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