Crossing Bridges - 09/15/11 04:38 PM
Today, I stepped back and took a second look at life, my real estate career and what I really want to contribute.  Then I stopped by a house that I have come to know so well when I have done some rehabbing in Lincoln Square on Claremont, only to find this 92 year old man sitting in his back yard, looking at a saw and partially finished stairs that needed completing.
We sat and talked and during the discussion his reflection of his life came across to me as though I could actually see it.  He told me that his Dad … (1 comments)

How the 10th Anniversary of September 11, 2001 impacted my life - 09/11/11 03:32 PM
I was reading a book last night and out popped one of the characters in this book talking about that “living in fear is a sin”.   That caught my attention as I remember the morning of September 11, 2001 and I was at the office and they had the television on and there we saw the first tower being hit in New York.  I remember asking someone if this was a joke and then as we continued watching, another plane was flying low and again, I said, “isn’t that just a little too low and shouldn’t they tell that plane to … (3 comments)

Money Matters: When Creditors Start Calling - 09/10/11 11:07 AM
 
 
When someone looses a job or becomes seriously ill and can’t work, it is hard to pay the mortgage/rent let alone the medical bills, groceries and then the credit cards.  Something has to give.
 
Whether the situation is short term or like myself, long term as I am legally deaf now, your whole entire life gets turned upside down and inside out. 
  
I had little job counseling available for me because my personality conflicted with my deafness when this initially happened to me years ago.  Others might have faired better with their disability/illness and others may … (7 comments)

Finding that Right Chicago Condo - 09/08/11 05:18 PM
 
 

 
 
 
Finding that Right Chicago Condo …
 
 
 
should it be that hard or not?  These past two weeks I have been out with a relocation buyer from another part of the world and she had this dream list.  It is a reality list but with it comes a price tag.  For some homebuyers, it might boil down to being more realistic about the price or maybe trimming down the dream list just a tad to make buying that Chicago Condo a win-win with the budget.
 
 
 
For example, one of the … (1 comments)

Chicago, IL 60625 - Lincoln Square Market Update for August 2011 - 09/07/11 03:28 PM
 
Chicago, IL 60625 – Lincoln Square
 
Market Update for August 2011
 

Labor Day has come and gone and once again I am reviewing the real estate activity in Chicago’s Lincoln Square Neighborhood.
 
 
 
In the month ending in July, you will remember that we had a lot of activity in the Single Family Arena.  Typically, May has always been the biggest closing month for Lincoln Square but it appears that we had a late bloomer this year in the month of July.
 
 
 
So, where does that leave us for the month ending … (4 comments)

Chicago CTA is offering First Day of School Bus Rides for Free - 09/05/11 02:47 PM
The Chicago CTA is offering children free bus rides to School on Tuesday, September 6th from 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. transportation to their school.  Their parents can also ride for free as well with their school children.
How much is this costing Chicago?  Well, it is being sponsored by several local businesses to cover the cost so I think most can relax. 
When I first read about the ability to take the bus to school for free it reminded me of my first day in school and yes, little things do make a difference as it is a big change … (2 comments)

Labor Day - reflections this year - 09/05/11 02:18 PM

 
Labor Day in our Family is usually centered around the water at my Mom and Dad's Place on the Lake in Rockford, Michigan.  What I love about this location is the fact right off the end of that dock the water drops off severely to the point, well, actually better then a swimming pool. 

 
Dad always makes sure that the American Flag is out and waving first thing in the morning.  Well, actually, he mows the lawn first without a grass catcher, which always made my Mom a little tense as the cuttings would be brought into … (0 comments)

What Drives the PLA in your Chicago Lincoln Square Home? - 09/04/11 03:29 PM
What Drives the PLA in Chicago’s Lincoln Square Neighborhood?
First, I bet most of you are wondering what in the blue blazes “PLA” stands for. PLA means Price Living Area and how that is arrived is from an appraisal method of dividing the total square footage of the home into the Selling Price of the Chicago Lincoln Square Home.
 
One of my favorite builders, Patrick Landrosh just closed on 2131 W. Aggatite for $1,775.487 in August. There are several things I love about Patrick’s work and they are:
• The workers cannot enter the building before 8:00 or at least … (0 comments)

Chicago Active Rain Meet & Greet - August 8th, 2011 - 09/03/11 12:38 PM
 
Chicago Active Rain Meet & Greet
  September 8th, 2011
 
As most of you know, Active Rain Members are getting together at various locations all across the country this coming Thursday, September 8, 2011.
The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and we will be meeting at 42 Degrees North “Latitude”.
This is a time to talk “off-line” and just relax and get acquainted or catchup with one another.
 
42 Degrees North “Latitude” is located at 4500 N. Lincoln Avenue and parking is pretty easy. 
 
FREE PARKING:  Now, if you want a great location to park … (1 comments)

Chicago Picture of the Week - 09/03/11 11:33 AM

 
 
This week in Chicago Picture of the Week the clue is something that has to do with my failure in able to make a batch of brownies with chocolate chips and nuts.
 
The second clue is not all things are equal.
 
One of the games Opa used to play with me as a child in real estate and then my Dad continued the game, was “Tell me three things wrong with this house before we went into the house!”
 
So, basically there are two obviously but hard to find flaws given by the above clues.
… (0 comments)

Labor Day - a family tradition - 09/02/11 06:17 PM

 
 
 
A family tradition for Labor Day Weekend when we were young was to invite the entire family out to the “cottage” at the Lake in Michigan.  We did this for Memorial Day and the 4th of July summer holidays because there would be water skiing, sailing, swimming and a lot of good stories.
 
And my Aunt Jane would bring her homemade potato salad, we all would have hamburgers as that was the general item on the meal.  The buns were always a variety and I always went for Aunt Jane’s as they were “healthy”.  We had … (4 comments)

Rules of Engagement in Chicago Short Sales - 09/01/11 05:08 PM
Today, I requested a showing for a short sale property here in Chicago that is beautiful with a lot of square footage.  When I placed the call to the agent and then text her, she finally got back to me about this Chicago Short Sale telling me that it is under contract and that it didn't make sense to show it anymore.
WRONG!
I immediately reminded her that the bank wants the property to be shown and marketed even if a contract is on the table.  Now, this contract was just accepted and what says that this buyer may back out … (11 comments)

 

Find IL real estate agents and Chicago real estate on ActiveRain.