Over the last few months, I have read many articles questioning if home ownership is still part of the American dream.  Writers have been debating the advantages of renting versus home ownership. This is probably to be expected considering today's real estate market.

While renting is certainly great for many...

Home ownership is definitely part of this Americans dream! 

Let me explain...

Three years ago, my wife and I decided to sell our townhome to finance my new real estate career.           

Although our timing turned out fortunate, we were very sad leaving our home.  It was our first home together.  We loved the neighborhood, loved the home, and liked being a part of a community.

The last few years, we have rented.  We have moved three times, renting an apartment, a townhome, and a small single family home.

Life is good.  We are very happy, have a beautiful daughter, and another child on the way.

Our financial situation has been improving (finally!), and we are both dreaming of putting down roots...

My wife loves decorating, painting, gardening, entertaining, and cooking in her very own kitchen.

I enjoy snow shoveling, lawn mowing, fiddling in the garage...

We miss having trees.  We miss long term neighbors...

Bottom line, we miss owning a home

We dream of buying, and that dream is getting closer every month.

We are both excited.

As a Realtor, I see many homes that I would love to buy.  Just yesterday, I saw a perfect home for us.  Four bedrooms.  Great yard.  Big trees.  Beautiful neighborhood... 

Prices on homes have come down dramatically.  What once seemed out of the question, now seems possible.

My goal?  To have a great year in real estate and save up enough money for a down payment on a home when our lease is up in November.

A lofty goal?  Perhaps...

But a dream that gets me excited to work even harder.

Is home ownership still part of the American dream?

It is for me.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust. 

I have been showing a nice young couple homes the last few weeks.

As many of my buyers do, they did a bulk of their searching online, selected their favorites, and then called me with a list of homes they wanted to see.

All of their favorites ended up being short sales.

Why?

Because short sales HAVE to be priced more aggressively to get an offer.

They do.

Why would any serious buyer deal with the additional hassle of buying a short sale except to save money?

That being said, their is money to be saved buying short sales.

But be prepared...

Normally, a home purchase takes about 30 days.

With a short sale, the closing process will take at least 60 to 90 days.  Sometimes much longer.

So if you are thinking about buying a home, get started early.

Their are values out there.  They just take a little time.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

I haven't written anything about Growthleader in a while.

Honestly, I didn't have a whole lot to say...

The number of leads I was receiving from my new website, www.servingnaperville.com, had cooled off dramatically right after Thanksgiving...

But in the last week or so, they have started up again.

Strange.

One week, I get maybe two leads...

The next week, I get two leads every day.

I don't think Growthleader is changing the marketing for my website? 

Are you, Growthleader?

But the number of leads I am getting varies tremendously, week to week.

I think the changes reflect overall market interest...

Some weeks around the holidays are big real estate weeks...some are not...

I think business overall is picking up.

My site has been generating about two leads per day. 

I expect that to grow into the Spring.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust. 

It's not like I have been on vacation... 

On the contrary.  I have had several buyer appointments, a listing appointment (which I did get), and two closings in the last two weeks.  

Oddly busy, especially for late December.

All that activity is only a byproduct of what I really do for a living...

MARKETING.  

And I was back marketing this morning delivering 165 newsletters to Carrolwood in Naperville and 140 newsletters to River Bend in Lisle.

It was 23 degrees today and overcast.  Nice weather for my deliveries, although I was a bit under dressed. 

My hands were pretty cold!

Although I was dragging a bit from one too many holiday parties, it felt good to be pounding the pavement.

These two neighborhoods have been getting my newsletter for over a year, so the neighbors are familiar with me. 

The effects of marketing are cumulative.  Not much response from this sort of "farming" right away, but over time, you become the "neighborhood expert".

I am "the expert" in both River Bend and Carrolwood.

There are many neighbors wanting to sell.  The real estate market scared them off last year.  That fear delays the moving decision, but only for so long, and then...

A rush of real estate activity.

I am marketing in front of that activity.

So I deliver my newsletters.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

As I write the title of this post I chuckle...

"THE SHORT SALE EXPERT"

I am not actually a short sale expert. 

Not even close.  But I will be soon...

It's a rapidly growing portion of my business.

It seems like every home I show these days is a short sale.

I had a listing appointment tonight.  Another short sale.

I expected my business to be nice homes for nice people....

Now, every home is "lender approval required." 

I guess I better roll with the punches...

And become a short sale expert.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

I had a closing on Monday, December 22...

And a closing on Tuesday, December 23.

Two closings in two days?  Two homes sold? 

Two paychecks for Ken???

Holy poop.

Feels good.  Very good.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust. 

I have been exchanging emails with a broker here in Naperville.

He recently emailed me a marketing piece in an effort to recruit agents for his office. 

It was nice...

I have been impressed with many things his office does to market themselves and their properties. 

Bright yellow signs.  Balloons.  Tons of open houses...

Anyway, I let him know I thought he and his company were doing a great job.

At one point, he emailed me and apologized for "always being in sales mode..."

It made me chuckle, because I am never in sales mode.

I'm not. 

I am always myself.

Friendly and helpful.

I tell my buyers, "I will never ask you to buy a house."

I never do.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust. 

I AM EXCITED ABOUT 2009.  I HOPE YOU ARE TOO...

People do need to move after all...

They do.  They always will.

They can put off moves.  Delay decisions...

But eventually, life catches up.

And people move.

I am starting to get busy. 

I have been showing homes. 

People are calling me.  People are emailing...

New people.

I have been marketing hard.  Ridiculously hard.

It seems to be working...

So I am extremely confident.

I guess that's why I have been hesitant to post...

I am excited about 2009.

I hope you are too...

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

Do I intentionally choose the cold days to deliver my newsletters?

The thermometer never peeked above 16 degrees this week as I was making my deliveries.

And it wasn't the cold, but the ice that presented a hazard.

Last weekend the temps were in the 50s.  Lots of rain.  Sunday night, as the temps plunged into the teens, a layer of ice was created over Chicagoland.

Tuesday was the real scary day. 

Several times I was forced to walk like baby horse taking his first steps...

Twice I fell flat on my back.

Panic really kicks in as one is about to fall on a sidewalk.

Please don't get hurt!

Fortunately, no major injuries.

280 more newsletters delivered. 

I am almost there...

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

The other day I wrote a post suggesting agents take a part time job before giving up on the real estate business.  I have worked part time as a limo driver during this year to keep my dream alive.  I am proud of that...

Another cost cutting move I made this summer was switching real estate offices.

Had I stayed at my old office, I don't think I would still be in the business.

The stress was great.  Both financial and emotional.

Despite my efforts, I was never appreciated by my last broker...

And because of the monthly office fees, I was always behind the 8 ball.

A month or two without a closing?  Those office fees became very painful.

So anyway, in June I switched offices and joined Keller Williams here in Naperville.

The atmosphere is friendlier and the monthly office bills are non existent.

Much less stress.

So, before you quit, please consider a real estate office with lower fees.

Your dreams are worth fighting for.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.