Homeowners are usually overwhelmed with the many projects needed to make their properties stand out from the neighborhood competition and to appeal to prospective buyers. Whether you’re putting work into minor projects or more extensive renovations, how can you really be sure that your improvements are worth the invested money, time, and effort? To start, you can stick with updating […]
Tag Archives: advice
5 Big Impact Tips For Your Small Kitchen
Written by: Charlie Post - August 3, 2015
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While the kitchen is arguably the most important room in the home, most owners living in small spaces can’t usually justify a large-scale project for the kitchen of their dreams. Instead of dealing with the stress of a major renovation, there are many alternative ways to create meaningful design to enhance the space. These five […]
The Chicago Rental Market…The Good, The Bad, and Advice for Landlords
Written by: John McGeown - July 30, 2009
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Let?s face it, it’s a scary time to be a landlord. The apartment rental market is facing difficulties like never before. For the first time in six years apartment rents are down nationwide. Fueling the fire are investor-owned properties (usually condos or town homes), which has expanded the rental supply by roughly 50 percent. Whether […]
Insurance Needs Change When Building Is Vacant or Being Worked On
Written by: Michael Rice - June 26, 2009

Over the past few months, I have noticed more and more home insurance activity: People picking up houses in foreclosure to fix it up to rent out; Buying foreclosures to move in to eventually; Renovating homes to flip them; People who can?t sell their homes either (1) renting out their homes or (2 ) even […]
Successfully Closing a Short Sale Is Not Always Easy
Written by: Elka Nelson - June 2, 2009

The first thing I learned as a transactional real estate attorney was the only sign of success to the parties involved is a successful closing. For many years the fact that the buyer and seller both signed the contract was an assumption of success. I was always confident that I could resolve most issues with […]
How to Fight Foreclosure
Written by: Brad Walbrun - May 29, 2009

So, you are facing foreclosure, and are worried and scared and don?t know what to do? Well, you are not alone. Millions of people nationwide have been foreclosed on or will be soon. There?s been all kinds of blame and finger-pointing (see my Who?s to Blame post for further info on that), but that’s not […]
The Ugly Truth About Loan Modifications
Written by: Brad Walbrun - May 18, 2009

Ok, so just about everybody has heard about loan modifications, or loan mods for short. They are also called loan workouts, loan restructuring, among others. I’m going to explain what types of loan mods exist, and who can or can’t likely get them. What kind of loan modifications are there? There are a few different […]
Telltale Signs Your Listing Broker is a Dinosaur
Written by: Andrea Geller - May 1, 2009

Is your real estate agent evolving or are they a dinosaur? And you know what happened to the dinosaurs?
Social Networking For Real Estate Agents
Written by: Katie Anderson - April 15, 2009
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Amazingly, many agents out there are natural born networkers. Some…not so much. It doesn’t always come naturally. Networking is getting out there and meeting new people in a business or social context. The purpose is to meet people in the same line of work for referrals and maybe even a little fun. There are many […]
Renting Best Option for Some Stuck Sellers?A Lakeview Case Study
Written by: John McGeown - March 24, 2009

It?s no secret to anyone that the current sales market is less than ideal. Under most normal circumstances, average homeowners are holding on to their property and hoping for the housing storm to pass. But what if you have to sell? You could be someone who is being transferred to another city or state by […]
Condo Association Basics: What Every Buyer Should Know
Written by: Katie Anderson - February 10, 2009

Condos in All Shapes and Sizes…But They All Have Associations We all know that the major type of property changing hands and being built in the city of Chicago is Property Type-2. The formal term is Single Family Attached and what most people call a condominium or townhouse. With condominiums you will more than likely […]
How to Price a Home in Chicago’s Depreciating Market
Written by: Katie Anderson - January 23, 2009

So, how do you Ms/Mr Agent know how much to recommend lowering the price? How do you, Ms/Mr Seller know if the reduction is warranted? How do you know it’s the right amount of reduction? Do you guess? Do you feel your way along? Instinct is important to an agent, but the appraiser side of me also forces me to present […]
New Year, New Mentality: The Low Ball
Written by: Catherine Brennan - January 16, 2009

This year is a whole new ball of wax. Buyers are thinking short sales, foreclosures, and taking advantage of buyers who have to sell. They are thinking depreciation and buying at prices prior to the “boom.”
Written by: Charles Parker - August 4, 2015
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