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        <title>Chicago Suburb Real Estate &amp; Area Guide</title>
        <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/homer-glen/</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>
                    </item>
        <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>
                    </item>
        <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>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/3rd-quarter-2011-sales-stats-for-homer-glen-homes.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/3rd-quarter-2011-sales-stats-for-homer-glen-homes.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>3rd Quarter 2011 Sales Stats for Homer Glen Homes</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Following are sales statistics for Homer Glen homes for the third quarter of 2011







# of Properties Sold



% Change



Average  Sale Price



% Change











2011



2010







2011



2010









39



23



69.6 %



$292,333



$314,063



-6.9%







It is nice to see that there is a huge 69.6% increase in the amount of Homer Glen homes sold.  Many more buyers came out this year vs. last year.  Sales suffered last year after the Home Buyer's Tax Credit ended in April, when home sales tanked.  There was a rush to get in on the credit, and when it expired things went downhill, bringing prices with them.


Prices are still on a downward spiral but the percentage is at least in the single digits, unlike some other southwest suburbs.  For the first time in a while I have a positive outlook on 2012 - I just hope I'm right! 
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:41:46 -0600</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <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>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/6-month-activity-for-homer-glen-lemont-orland-park-and-palos-park.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/6-month-activity-for-homer-glen-lemont-orland-park-and-palos-park.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>6 Month Activity for Homer Glen, Lemont, Orland Park and Palos Park</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
The chart below will show market activity for single family homes for Homer Glen, Lemont, Orland Park and Palos Park for the first half of 2011.






Village


# of Sales 2011


# of Sales 2010


% Change


 Avg. Price 2011


Avg. Price 2010 


% Change




Homer Glen


68


81


-16.1% 


 $321,950


$334,765 


 -3.8%




Lemont


55


58


 -5.2%


 $383,940


 $368,416


 4.2%




Orland Park


126


151


 -8.3%


 $317,157


 $345,934


-8.3%




Palos Park


17


27


 -37%


 $320,558


 $369,345


 -13.2%






Every town has shown a decrease in homes sold.  Palos Park has been hit the hardest with a large 37% decrease in the sale of Palos Park homes.


Palos Park showed the only double digit price decrease of these four villages at 13.2%.  The only suburb in the list that showed a price increase was Lemont homes.  Lemont has held its title as being the most expensive southwest Chicago suburb, once again beating Palos Park.  In fact, Homer Glen homes were priced higher than Palos Park, which I find fascinating.  Palos Park has been the priciest southwest suburb since I can remember, and now it stands at #3.  Orland Park is a close 4th place pricewise.


You will also notice that in 2010 Homer Glen was the lowest priced suburb of the four, and has now risen to 2nd place.  I'm not treating this as a popularity contest and these changes are of much interest to me, especially since the move I made last year to the Homer Glen/Orland Park area, which makes these areas my new home base.


If you're interested in buying and/or selling in any of these suburbs, or any other suburbs that are close to these villages, give Judy Orr and Jimmy Herter a call at 708-536-8200.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 01 Oct 2011 18:22:11 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/happy-birthday-homer-glen.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.cook-county-real-estate.net/blog/happy-birthday-homer-glen.html</link>
            <author>judyorr@gmail.com (Judy Orr)</author>
            <title>Happy Birthday Homer Glen</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
If you missed the 10th anniversary festival of Homer Glen's incorporation, you missed a great time!  I went last Friday night to see my husband's band play, The New Invaders.  I thought it was great that the village tried to get entertainment from the "locals."  We live in Homer Glen and that is one reason The New Invaders were hired.  The carnival was big, there was food, music and activities, making this Homer Glen's biggest festival to date.  Our friend owns Chesdan's Restaurant and was one of the sponsors.


If you're interested in living in Chicago's youngest suburb, check out the Homer Glen homes page where you can see a list of available properties without having to do a search.  Then get in touch with Judy Orr, a Homer Glen homeowner, and we'll start searching for your Homer Glen property.  You can reach me at 708-536-8200.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:13:26 -0500</pubDate>
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            <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>
                    </item>
        <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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