My Fellow Active Rain Bloggers... - 07/31/08 03:42 PM
Currently I am logged into Active Rain and noticed 380 members logged onto the sight and  thought I would share  with you the image I have of my fellow Real Estate bloggers.
 
Ok now everyone can go back to work...
… (4 comments)

Time is Running Out to order Bush-Its Sticky Notes.. - 07/31/08 11:26 AM

 
Time is running out to order Bush-Its Sticky Notes. I use this "When I want to say something Really Stupid" or
want to post "Mission Accomplished" on my files.
… (5 comments)

Its always good to have a flexible seller.. Joke - 07/31/08 09:10 AM

… (6 comments)

I Say to the Bank Happy New Year.. - 07/31/08 08:46 AM
I was just notified that the bank has denied my short sale. I do not understand what went wrong with this transaction and thought I could write about it here to get some advise from others doing short sales. I originally listed the house and received a full price cash offer of $249,000. The bank orders the BPO which comes in at $365,000 which was a totally unrealistic price. My negotiator and the loss mitigator for the bank allowed us to order a new appraisal which we did and that came in at $265,000. This price was a lot closer to … (1 comments)

Are you waiting for The Market to get Back to Normal... Joke for the Day... - 07/30/08 01:40 PM
 
… (7 comments)

Senator Dodd Please Read This.... - 07/25/08 08:09 AM
I was compelled to write Senator Dodd about the Home Loan Rescue Plan and am re-printing it here:
 
" I am writing you in reference to the Home Loan Rescue Plan. I am a Realtor in Illinos doing Short Sales and REO sales. Here is the problem with your plan. As you state it is a volunary program that requires an agreement between the borrower and the lender. The lender must agree to refinance at the current market value with the person who is in default. Many people in default should never have gotten a loan in the first place … (2 comments)

Banks Should get out of the Real Estate Market (Revisited) - 07/23/08 05:43 PM
I wrote a blog article about short sales and stated that it was time for banks to decide if they want to be in the lending business or the real estate business. I now want to add to this and ask Investors a similiar question and that is do you want to loose less money today or are you willing to risk loosing more in the future? It is these two basic questions that are preventing my short sales from getting to the closing table. Currently, I am negotiating 2 short sales and keep getting further away from the closing table. … (2 comments)

Chicago Crain Magazine Residential Market Report for 2008 - 07/16/08 09:07 AM
 "Chicago Residential Real Estate is flat" according to Chicago Crains Magazine. The median price for a home in Chicago is $249,600 down 6.6% in 2007. To find out more information about New Construction, Existing Home Sales, and Rental Information just click on the link to Chicago Crains.
… (0 comments)

Short Sales and Commissions - 07/15/08 02:11 PM
I just came back from a Broker Open House on one of my Short Sale listings and had a conversation with one broker who said " I don't like showing short sale properties because I don't know if I am going to get paid my commission!" I do not know if any other short sale specialist have heard this before but I know I have. It appears that there is a lot of confusion about Short Sales in general and I find I spend a lot of time educating brokers about the process. I tell agents everything is negotiable in a … (5 comments)

Just a note to my Friends at Active Rain... - 07/14/08 04:00 PM
Just received an email from a friend and thought I should share it with my friends at Active Rain.
… (5 comments)

NEW Website to Serve You Better - 07/14/08 03:22 PM
I am happy to announce my new website address to serve you better.
I am all about providing the public with FREE INFORMATION about the Real Estate Market in Evanston, Chicago, and the North Shore. As you visit the site I think you will find it very easy to use. Just scroll down to the picture tabs on the home page to search for listings, school information, featured listings, mortgage information, buyer and seller tips, and a way to contact me personally. If you want to find out how much your home is worth before contacting an agent just go to … (2 comments)

Evanston Artist who Deserves Attention - 07/08/08 05:38 PM
Michael J. Johnson is a local artist from Evanston, Il who deserves attention. I am allowing Michael the opportunity to describe who he is on my blog because I find his work absolutely beautiful:
” I am an artist. I paint animals, nature and portraits. Art is my job. When I was four years old the doctor told my family that I have Down syndrome. It’s no big deal! Sometimes I have to work harder but I get the job done. You can see more of my work on the Internet. Just search for Michael Jurogue Johnson.”
That is what I … (1 comments)

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER - 07/08/08 03:17 PM
 

 
 
The phrase "Dog Days of Summer" refers to the hottest days of the summer. The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the rising of the the Dog Star Sirius in the sky. The Dog Day's is often considered to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, and dogs grew mad."
 
 
                                    
May there always be wind at your face.         … (3 comments)

1572 Florence Evanston, IL - 07/07/08 09:47 PM
… (0 comments)

"Non-performing loans chip away at bank reserves" - 07/01/08 05:24 PM
A recent article in the business section of the Chicago Tribune was devoted to how bank reserves are being affected by non-performing loans. In a normal market, it is expected that a percentage of loans the bank makes will be non-performing and when they do go bad the bank did not worry because the collateral behind the debt was adequate to support the risk of loss. However, now more and more people are defaulting on their mortgage and are walking away from their homes because the home is worth less today that what is owed. Banks therefore have no other recourse … (2 comments)

Stable is the Word for Evanston Real Estate - 07/01/08 03:44 PM
The first six months of 2008 are now history and the statistics indicate a Stable Market.
According to the MLS,  the Evanston Real Estate market is stable. During the first six (6) months of 2008 there were 173 sales (included are homes under contract and pending). Compare this figure to 178 homes sold in 2007 during the same period Evanston is quite stable. Infact, the average market time has inched up slightly from 131 days in 2007 to 147 days in 2008. The average sale price of a home in Evanston is also the same $632,956 in 2008 compared to $631,144 … (0 comments)