The Chicago 77

As an active agent I am in the field every day meeting clients, submitting contracts, showing my listings or viewing other agent’s listings. To me real estate is not just a job or a career, it’s a lifestyle. I’m “at work” from the moment I wake up until the time I go to sleep. One […]

There have been a lot of people speculating on what will happen to the market once the Fed stops buying mortgage backed securities and interest rates start to rise… It is logical for me to think that once the tax credit is over and the interest rates start to climb that buyer’s will be scared […]

Community association management companies play a vital role in both the financial and physical health of client buildings. Their role has become increasingly more difficult, and increasingly more critical, in the recent weak real estate market. Achieving success as a community association manager ultimately comes through proactive management and effective communications. However, many community association […]

The struggling real estate market has forced sellers to look for creative solutions to squeeze dollars out of their sale to break even or minimize their loss. More and more frequently, listing agents are asked to ?share the pain? and cut their commission to cushion the blow to sellers caused by lower property values. The […]

The question I come across regarding short sales involves an uncertainty of the length of time it will take to navigate this process successfully to the end. Unfortunately the answer can be equated to the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie-Pop.

Every once in a while I like to go back and revisit old posts and see if there are still relevant or thoughts of the moment. This post still rings true and truer for both buyers and sellers: Telltale Signs Your Listing Broker is a Dinosaur. Meeting with new clients recently, I have been getting […]

While we all sit here in Chicago and wait for the economy to rebound, I often wonder, “What is the hold up?” There are many answers to that very simple question. Because I am an appraiser as well as a broker, I do get some different insight that others miss out on. I have been […]

Condo? Hotel? Timeshare? The uncertain economy and downturn in the real estate market have driven developers to create unique projects. Chicago has seen several “condotel,” developments, where units are sold fully furnished and come with daily maid service. Building amenities resemble those of hotels, and owners can use the units themselves or rent them through […]

Zillow is trying to compete with the Big Boys – the Multiple Listing Service and Realtor.com. But does Zillow have the tools and the reputation to make inroads in this competitive online market?

I have seen both a good side and a bad side to the Home Valuation Code of Conduct program and have been lobbying for change. Well, today I saw first hand the debacle HVCC has created in the Real Estate world.

We can help spur the economy here in Chicago if conventional loan limits were increased. By raising them, buyers in the market just above $417,000 would need less money down and benefit from the record low interest rates.

As seen in previous months, home buyers have pushed the market by taking advantage of historically low interest rates, 2004 pricing and the first time home buyer tax credit. Yet home prices continue to be soft because of distressed properties and competition with other properties in this higher inventory market.

Many homeowners have very valid concerns about the impact of a neighbor who has a comparable unit but is selling their property at a rock bottom price. When a neighbor sells at a very low price because of a new baby, job transfer, or other situation, the impact on the immediate market value of comparable units can be significant, but not necessarily devastating.