If you'd like to appeal your Madison County, Illinois home's assessment -- that includes homes in Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Troy, Collinsville, Granite City, etc. -- you only have until September 12, 2011 to get the paperwork and supporting materials to the Madison County Board of Review.

The Madison County Board of Review requires that homeowners who want to file a complaint must fill out a form listing a wide variety of information about the property in question and also submit supporting documents such as comparable sales, or construction cost, or an appraisal or an operating statement for the last two years for income property.

If you've just recently purchased your home, you can include copies of your closing statement showing a value lower than your home's current assessment.

Here's a link to the Madison County, Illinois website from which you can download the Residential Complaint for Assessment Year 2011 form. The form also includes an instruction sheet that will answer many of the questions you might have about the process.

What are grounds for a residential assessment appeal?

According to Madison County, they include: over valuation, unequal treatment in the assessment process, contention of law, property that has been assessed twice in the year or condemnation. There also is a blank for "other" in case your situation is not listed.

If you so desire, you also can tell the county that your assessment is not high enough versus similar properties on the same form. I bet most people aren't rushing to do that.

Good luck with your appeal!

Thanks for the pet-friendly listings, Nancy.  If you're looking for a new place for your pooch, let the team at Goshen Realty Group at RE/MAX Preferred Partners help!

Edwardsville Illinois Real Estate Market Report YTD Through August 2011

Year-to-date through August 2011, 202 homes have been sold in Edwardsville, Illinois. That's down 13.3 percent from the 233 homes sold by the end of August in 2010.

Right now, 186 listings are currently under contract, down five percent from pending sales on the books year-to-date in 2010.

The average selling price in Edwardsville through August 2011 is $217,140, just 2.8 percent lower than 2010.

Average days on the market have risen to 170, up 16.5 percent from 2010 when the average house in Edwardsville stayed on the market 146 days.

What does this mean? Fewer homes have sold during the first half of the year in Edwardsville, but pending sales have risen to within five percent of the prior year, a good sign. The average selling price is holding its own with less than a three percent dip from last year. And homes are taking longer to sell with the average number of days on the market experiencing a fairly significant increase.

So, if you're selling your home, make sure it stands out against the competition in price and condition so you can help it sell efficiently. If you're a buyer, now is the time to make a decision and place an offer before prices, which are stabilizing, rise and you've missed your best opportunities.

I normally compile lists like these every year, but this year my team mate beat me to it! :)

Thanks, Nancy!  Have a safe and happy 4th everyone!

Since I got my real estate license in 2005, I've heard all kinds of complaints from buyers about the house they ended up choosing.  Even with an agent helping you focus on making the right decision, sometimes a buyer just falls in love with a house and all logic goes out the window and the purchase becomes emotional. 

You can learn from the mistakes of other buyers.  Here are the 5 of most frequent things I've heard over the past 6 years...

1.  I hate the neighborhood.  Drive by your target house MULTIPLE times at different times of the day and night.  What seems like a quiet neighborhood during your Sunday morning showing could be completely different when the bar district 5 blocks away gets hopping on Friday night.  Realtors like to use the "N.A.T." approach to finding out information about the area - Neighbors Always Tell.  Go knock on a door or two and chat up the neighbors to find out the real scoop.

2.  I can't afford these power bills.  That charming Victorian may be full of character, but one thing it may not be full of is insulation.  This is especially true if the upper rooms are finished attic space.  Also, don't be fooled by windows that look new in an older house - many times they are single pane glass which is not energy efficient.

3.  The floor plan isn't functional.  Sure, that house looked adorable all dolled up with staging materials.  The paint was neutral, the cabinets and counters were new, heck it even had stainless appliances...  but did you notice all the bedrooms are upstairs and the only bathroom is downstairs?  That's right.  Better cut off all liquids 3 hours before bed or be prepared to sleep on the couch.

4.  The zoning is completely ruining my re-sale value.  Look carefully at the surroundings of your target house.  Is there an apartment building across the street? A gas station next door?  If your new home is in a mixed use area, be prepared to make a price adjustment downward when you have to sell it.

5.  The street is too busy.  The first lots in the subdivision are usually corner lots and look great, but every single person that lives in that neighborhood is going to drive past your house when they are coming or going.  Also, houses that are located on a busy street are a turn off for future buyers and will impact your resale value.

You can avoid making these mistakes by working with an agent that helps you focus, not only on the things listed above, but other really important things you may not think of.  For example, that 1960s ranch that is a time capsule in need of updating might need some work compared to the recently remodeled two-story -  but if that 60s ranch is in a great location, on a quiet street, has a functional floor plan and good "bones", you will be much happier in the long run.

if you're thinking about selling your home in Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Collinsville, Troy or many of the other cities, towns and villages across St. Louis' Illinois suburbs, just text me to start the conversation.

I'll show you how we can put your property in front of more buyers more quickly. And, if you're buying or just thinking about buying, text me with the type of place you're looking for and we'll send matches to a website that you can browse at your convenience.

618-917-0775 - Kristina

Are You Ready to Sell Your Edwardsville Home?

Are you ready to list your Edwardsville home for sale? We like to call this time of year, "Selling Season." It's that time when the serious buyers pop out -- much like the February groundhog -- to see what's on the market and make their moves, roughly between Valentine's Day and the end of July.

Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of activity after this six-month period, but the vast majority of home buying will be done in these next few months. So if you're thinking about selling your Edwardsville or Glen Carbon home in 2011, it's time to call for a consultation.

We'll walk through your property with you, discuss its top selling features, talk about your real estate goals and discuss our services for home owners. Once we've agreed to work together, my team will gather a large amount of research on recently sold homes comparable to yours that will offer a real-world view of home prices in our current market. We'll also look at your active competition and homes currently under contract to get a complete picture of the situation you'll face as a seller. We'll see how long homes like yours have been staying on the market prior to selling and we'll consider your motivation to help you determine a price that will make sense and will attract buyers.

We don't take every listing. But those we take, we take to sell. Search for Edwardsville Homes for Sale on our website at GoshenRealtyGroup.com.

Let's use this active time of year to sell your Edwardsville home and help you move on to the next chapter in your life whether you're downsizing, moving up, relocating or just ready to live somewhere new.

Homes for Sale in Edwardsville's Dunlap Lake Neighborhood

Lake living in Edwardsville, Illinois? Yes, you can be close to town and still enjoy all the benefits of living on or near a beautiful lake.

Established in 1939, the Dunlap Lake neighborhood is filled with attractive single-family homes in a variety of styles and ages that boast lakefront property or lake views.

Click here to see the homes currently for sale at Dunlap Lake.

Fishing and boating are allowed at Dunlap Lake. Note that all anglers 16 and older need to have an Illinois fishing license. Boats must be less than 20 feet in length (pontoon boats may be 25 feet) and need to be registered with the state. Only small motors are allowed on the thousand-acre lake.

Homes off the lake can use the association's access areas to launch their boats or fish on the lake. Here's an aerial view of Dunlap Lake in Edwardsville.

Call me at 618-917-0775 or email Kristina@GoshenRealtyGroup.com if you have questions about Dunlap Lake living or would like to see homes at the lake that meet your needs.

Visit MyEdwardsvilleHome.com for Listings by Neighborhood in Edwardsville, Illinois

If you've decided to relocated to or within Edwardsville, Illinois, you'll want to check out the helpful blog, MyEdwardsvilleHome.com. Created as a service from the Realtors of Goshen Realty Group at RE/MAX Preferred Partners, MyEdwardsvilleHome.com presents listings by individual neighborhood in Edwardsville.

So if you're looking for a home in

Historic Leclaire

Dunlap Lake

The Oaks

Gettysburg

Arbor Lake

...we have you covered. We're adding new neighborhoods all the time, so check back often for new ways to search for homes for sale in Edwardsville's charming neighborhoods and popular subdivisions.

The blog also separates listings into a wide variety of specific categories to meet buyers' needs such as...

Homes with Pools Under $250,000

New Construction Homes

Homes Under $150,000

Luxury Homes

Edwardsville Homes for Sale $200,000 to $250,000

HUD Homes

...and many others.

Edwardsville, Illinois offers a very diverse housing environment and it is often hard for someone new to the area to search through all the listings without feeling overwhelmed. That's why we've done the hard work for you with our blog, MyEdwardsvilleHome.com.

After you've searched online, just call, text or email us when you're ready to look at homes in person.

With our Five Easy Steps to Home Ownership program, we can get you into your next home in a smooth and easy transaction. Here's the number: 618-917-0775 aVisit MyEdwardsvilleHome.com for Real Estate Listings By Neighborhood in Edwardsville, Illinoisnd here's the email address: MyEdwardsvilleHome@GoshenRealtyGroup.com