Jim Ludes: Your Grundy & Will County Expert's Thoughts

What's selling and available in Coal City/ Diamond?

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:55:07 -0800

Curious as to what has been happening in the Coal City/ Diamond real estate market? Below is a list of what has sold in the last 6 months and what is currently available. You'll see that few 2 bedrooms have really sold wonderfully recently; quick and for an average over list price. I recently placed one under contract that won't hurt that trend when it closes later this month.

Detached Single Sold in Coal City/ Diamond last 6 months

Bedrooms	#Sold	Avg OLP	Avg LP (Sold)	Avg SP	SP:LP Ratio	SP:OLP Ratio	Avg MT (Sold)	Avg LP
All	37	$186,768	$181,962	$171,842	94%	92%	152

2 or Less	3	$110,467	$110,467	$112,667	102%	102%	35

3	23	$162,396	$156,187	$144,838	93%	89%	154

4	11	$258,536	$255,355	$244,445	96%	95%	179

Detached Single

Bedrooms	# Active	Avg. LP	Avg. MT
All	50	$248,801	225

2 or Less	5	$120,100	151

3	31	$246,007	228

4	12	$283,454	235

5 or More	2	$405,950	296

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim Ludes is a REALTOR with Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby in Grundy and Will County, IL. If you have a question about real estate that he might be able to help with, email him at Jim@JimLudes.com or call/text at 815-712-7786. If you'd rather observe from afar or become friends first, check him out at:

Harder to be an Illinois REALTOR

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:54:49 -0800

I've always said, "I wish it were more difficult to be a real estate agent." It's not that I'm looking for more of a challenge than selling property- that's challenging enough. It's that I think I hold people in my profession to a standard that they often times do not live up to. I just run into too many unknowledgable, unprofessional, lazy, agents that I wish did something else instead of making my job more difficult as I "carry" them through deals. Now, don't get me wrong, there's TONS of great agents out there. But like any profession, there are those that aren't putting their all into being the best they can be.

More than this, I HATE the term salesperson!!! I don't want to debate with folks whether or not I'm in sales.....I'm not. I am in the business of marketing the heck out of people's homes that are for sale. I'm also in the business of helping buyers make educated purchases and brokering the sale of homes....I'm not selling them something. To me, that has such a negative connotation as in, "I don't want to be sold something."

Here are some of the changes regarding License categories just signed into law.

License categories change from Salesperson & Broker to Broker & Managing Broker (YAY! Now I'm brokering deals instead of selling someone something)
Increases education requirement for Brokers & Managing Brokers (entry level license is now a BROKER...not a salesperson)

And this is just lip service and making up new titles for things until:

Increases education from 45 hrs. to 90 hrs (this should weed out some of the lazy)
12 hrs. of Continuing Education (CE) each renewal period except for the first renewal period when 30 hrs. of post licensing are required

I've already heard agents say, "This is horrible." "This is going to be so hard." I LOVE IT.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pointing at Production

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:20:05 -0800

Heard an interesting question in regards to an agent going after an expired listing that sparked light debate/ conversation between a couple of agents (I won't say whose opinions are whose to keep it light and the dialog flowing). The question:

"Would it be cuth to tell a prospective seller that their just-now expired listing agent hasn't sold a listing in 40 months?"

Now, for discussion purposes, we'll assume that the statement is the truth and we're dealing with fact, not lies of any sort....I think we all know that to be wrong and despicable. But if it's the absolute truth that the just-expired-with listing agent has not sold a listing in 40 months, a property of any type in 27 and has only closed 9 transactions in the past 5 years (and none in the city this is located) is it something to bring up unsolicited?

Here are a couple of the answers I heard the question/ follow-up discussion bring:

No!!!!!!!!
I wouldn't put that in a letter, I'd be more inclined to say that in person. In letter I would be afraid they would show someone and possible problems with that. In person I would say no worry.
Don't pick on 1 person.
Better to say what you will do to get it sold. Not prove their agent was the wrong agent. They already know that, right?
Is it wrong to point out other agent's or brokerage's production? Don't we do it all the time in numbers and graphs?

I think this falls more under an issue of etiquette than ethics and I will explain my thoughts after I hear yours, so in the meantime I ask you:

Customers, sellers and casual readers: What are your thoughts? Do you want the second agent through to point those things out to you?

Agent friends: What do you think? Would you do that? Would you be afraid to? Do you think it's right or wrong....or just part of a competitive business?

Discuss.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm #1......just like everyone else

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 13:48:18 -0800

Have you ever opened up a newspaper (I know, seems prehistoric) and looked in the classifieds or real estate section? I suspect most of you have. Outside of all the great locations (location....location), won't last longs and other cliche sales tactics agents use you'll usually find one other thing: Charts, graphs, banners and other things exclaiming agents and brokerages as #1! Why? Because people like to work with the top professional. It's easy enough to get caught up in.

But everyone seems to be number one. It's a phenomenon that seems unexplainable, right? Unless there's a huge tie at the top, how can everyone be #1? The answers are simple. To be number one you're one of three things:

REALLY the number one agent/brokerage around.
Skewing numbers to show that you're number on in specific areas, market conditions, etc.
Lying.

That's it. It's really simple. If you sell the most properties or most dollars in sales, you have a claim to being "top dog" (though such phrase is a little dated and very cheesy). Often times this is the same agent/brokerage (with the most transactions and dollars) and other times, a large sale or many really high or low dollar sales will skew the numbers so as two different agents/brokerages are #1. I don't worry too much about this, they can both claim it in my book.

However, the intentional skewing of statistics to show that you're number one drives me crazy. It's just a little lame. If agents/companies spent as much time working hard at their job and say, providing market data to consumers, as they do trying to connive ways to "truthfully" tell people they're #1; they'd actually be #1 without the fluff. Not much you can do about it as long as there's a full disclaimer that "statistics taken from MLS over a 9 day period where I closed a bunch of deals and didn't do anything for the 3 months before or 6 months after" or something similar. That's an obvious exaggeration, and lame as I think it is, I can actually live worry-free with those who PROPERLY identify what they're number one at with a clear, legible disclaimer. What I cannot stand is those that......LIE. I dislike liars in every aspect of everything. So don't say you're #1 if you suck. There's someone out there who is closing a house Monday (January 4th) and is readying a "I'm #1" ad/speech/listing presentation prop/etc. based on the fact that they'll have the highest volume in their area despite the fact that they're the only one.....and the likelihood that they'll lose the title mere days after and probably never regain it.

Want people to think that "REALTORS" aren't scheysters and as crooked as used-car salesmen?? STOP allowing people to open a paper and see that there's 14 #1 agents/offices right in front of them!! Hard to get respect in an industry when some of the more visible out there do not deserve it. Truth be told, I finished 2009 #8 in my immediate office market area of Coal City/ Diamond/ Braidwood (I could throw in a ton of other little towns that had no/limited sales to boost the geographic range of where I'm a top 10er....but that would make me lame as well. And I'm lame enough on my own). Would I like to sell more properties than I did? You bet. Just like if I was #1, I'd still want to sell more than I previously did. Would I advertise myself being #1 when I wasn't to help boost the possibility of selling more? Nope. It's lame. I'd much rather focus my time on serving clients and providing something other than skewed numbers or lil' white lies to the public.

So, have yourself a great new year! Sincerely, Jim Ludes "Grundy/ Will County's #1 REALTOR between February and September of 2009 under the age of 40..............wearer of shirts with sleeves slightly rolled up, husband to a little wife, Katie, and children named Gabe and Dylan, owner of a beagle, Priscilla, standing over 6 feet tall and driving around in a Cavalier or minivan (sometimes scooter)."

**Got the pooch pic from http://jaggedsmile.wordpress.com/2008/02/14/top-dog/ don't know him, but his sketches are cool and his sketches and artwork are hip.**

Also, my apologies to used car salesmen...I know you're not all scheysters- just exaggerating a sterotype.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Someone else will do the work

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:47:31 -0800

I'm in the back of my office working away on plans for 2010. Marketing tweaking, video watching, article reading (absorbing a la the sponge) and anything else I can think of to be more productive and, overall, better for myself and clients in the coming year.

In walks an agent from a nearby office in a nearby town to pick up an offer from one of our agents (not me *sad face*). Our office is not huge, so as I work, I can hear every word they're blabbing about. I'm trying my darndest to not pay attention when a particular rant about "cutting commission" came up.

Do I listen? I don't need to know her thoughts. I. Just. Can't. Help. Myself.......

This agent will not cut his/her commission because, and I quote (hence the quotation marks), "I don't ask them to give up half their paycheck." Fair enough. You win. I'm in your boat lady (or man).

But then I fall out of it. And I'm a poor swimmer apparently. Rational wisdom is followed by this: "And some of them want me to upgrade and have all 9 pictures from the MLS on Realtor.com. I'm not doing that. 4 is enough. I'm not spending $1,400 a year on upgrading Realtor.com. You know who's going to sell this house? The MLS. Some local REALTOR with an interested buyer will sell it."

I'm thinking to myself, That's a heck of a marketing presentation! I won't cut my commission, but I'll be damned if I give you any more marketing than the worst discount brokerages. This isn't about commission, I don't care.I charge what I charge to do this work and everyone's happy in the end that works with me. Some don't want to pay that and work with other agents to varying degrees of happiness and success. This is about service.

If every one of this agent's clients heard him/her talk like this....approval rating would surely plummet, just like I did falling out of his/her boat. Someone throw me a life preserver.

One great thing came out of this though......I have a great lead-in to begin blogging on 'the rain again and a mantra for 2010. Someone else will do the WORK if I don't.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coal City/ Diamond/ Carbon Hills Sales to date

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:15:00 -0700

Closed attached and detached homes 1/1/08 to 8/27/08:

Detached Single

Bedrooms	# Sold	% Sold	Avg LP (Sold)	Avg SP	SP:LP Ratio	Avg MT (Sold)	Avg LP (Unsold)	% Expd
All	56	100%	$211,768	$202,025	95%	145	$0	0%

2 or Less	7	100%	$99,629	$98,214	99%	62		0%

3	34	100%	$213,524	$205,553	96%	123		0%

4	15	100%	$260,118	$242,475	93%	233		0%

Attached Single

Bedrooms	# Sold	% Sold	Avg LP (Sold)	Avg SP	SP:LP Ratio	Avg MT (Sold)	Avg LP (Unsold)	% Expd
All	11	100%	$167,854	$162,773	97%	98	$0	0%

2 or Less	2	100%	$154,950	$150,000	97%	150		0%

3	9	100%	$170,722	$165,611	97%	86		0%

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I say Marlin, you say...

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:56:29 -0700

Big-game fish?

Florida baseball team?

The daddy from Finding Nemo?

You'd, of course, be right on all accounts. But you'd also be missing out on a true piece of sports history that I'm guessing you know very little about. Marlin Briscoe.

Briscoe played football at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and began his pro football career with my favorite team, the Denver Broncos in 1968. He played quarterback.

Not huge news, really.....unless you are the first African-American starting quarterback in pro football history.

And he was.

Briscoe played QB starting 5 games and appearing in 11 for Denver that season. Would you believe that his 14 touchdown passes that season are a Broncos rookie QB record? Current phenom, Jay Cutler, tossed 9 in limited action his rookie season and Hall-of-Famer, John Elway, tossed a mere 7 TDs in his rookie campaign.

Unfortunately, the starting job was handed to someone else (a white QB) in '69 and Briscoe, feeling betrayed, was released and signed with Buffalo where he was converted to Wide Receiver. After 3 seasons with the Bills (including a Pro-Bowl 1970 season) he went to the Miami Dolphins were he also played WR on a pair of Super Bowl Champion teams- including the NFLs only undefeated squad in 1972 in which he led the team in TD receptions. Briscoe became a journeyman finishing his career with stints in San Diego, Detroit and New England.

Sad that a young man that played QB his whole life attempted a mere 9 passes for the rest of his career after his ground-breaking first season.

More sad even than a quarterbacking talent wasted is the fact that, seemingly, just days after his playing career ended, Briscoe could be found in trashy motels in Los Angeles, smoking crack. Drug dealers once held him hostage for a weekend until an NFL check came in the mail. He lost his family, his money and his Super Bowl rings. Briscoe recovered from his decade or so battle with addiction and has since been a tireless advocate for at-risk youth. He currently is the director of the Boys and Girls Club in California and has his own football camp for children.

A feature film, "The Magician", is being made about Marlins struggles and his road to redemption. Check out more about it at marlinbriscoemovie.com.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fantasy Football II

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:56:55 -0700

Does fantasy football have sequels? I guess it does now......maybe.

Rick Beal was gracious enough to start up the Official 2008 Active Rain Fantasy Football League and it filled quite quickly. Some interested members didn't get invited or didn't act quickly enough to participate so I'm testing the waters with Active Rain 2. If you're interested and have not yet recieved an invite from ESPN to participate...shoot me your email address and I'll get you an invite pronto. We've got a league of three as of 8/20/08 and are in dire need of 9 more members to get going!

Here's the disclaimer though: I'm already in the first league! I won't give up my spot in that until we have 12 people interested, signed up and ready to rock and roll (11 to join me in AR2 and one to take my place in AR1). We're going to do 12 teams, live draft at a date determined by the masses and hopefully have a bunch of fun!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early Childhood Center Set To Open

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:10:10 -0700

In Coal City, we've been waiting with baited breath for over a year to see the results of the Early Childhood Center.

The school measures out at around 74,000 square feet and features 12 kindergarten rooms, 12 first grade rooms and 6 for pre-schoolers. Obviously, these will be the grades the school houses, after which students will attend Coal City Elementary for 2nd and 3rd grade, Coal City Intermediate for 4th and 5th grade and Coal City Middle School for 6th, 7th and 8th before heading off to high school.

At 6pm on Thursday August 14th, there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by an open house complete with refreshments (until 8pm). Parents, children and community members will have the opportunity to meet and greet educators and administrators of the district while checking out the new building.

Classes begin on August 20th

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Doing Right by Me

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:42:58 -0700

"Buyers are liars." My assumption is that this phrase isn't foreign to you. It certainly wasn't me as I learned it in my first office about a month after breaking into real estate. I have always found it cheesy, defeatist, and a pretty good indicator that agents that say it aren't spectacular at their job. Now I know that's the same rash generalization that they are making- but whatever.

A couple months back I received a referral from a family friend (technically our wives are really good friends and we're friendly acquaintances). After speaking with this gentleman for an hour or so and explaining the finer points and process of buying a home I met the young buyer and his fiancee at a house and showed them another couple. He still wasn't pre-approved, but I didn't fret, he was a nice, honest, young man working two jobs....

Some time goes by and he wants to go out again. STILLdoesn't have a pre-approval and hasn't signed an Exclusive Buyer Representation agreement with me. I hem, I haw and take them out again without either. "Heck, he's a referral from a mutual friend and he has a limited schedule- he'll get approved as soon as he can and I know he's not going to screw me over."

They don't see anything they fall in immediate love with and some more time goes by. I continue to email them properties and with my schedule in case they want to check into anything we have yet to see. Then, FINALLY, I get an e-mail that he's pre-approved although he wants to work on his credit and get a "better pre-approval".

Would you like to table your search for the time being while you do that?

"Nah. I'm still interested in looking." So I continue sending properties his way until a few days later:

"Hey, I am going to table my search for a little while." Not a problem- would you like me to disable the properties being e-mailed to you or would you like to see what's hitting and falling off the market while you work on the credit? "Oh, I'd love to be kept up to date on the market, thanks!"

Cool. What a well out together guy. Then I get this email about 3 days ago:

I just wanted to get your home address so i can send somthing to you. Dont worrie nothing crazy or dangerous. Just a Thank you gift. Im sorry if i wasted your time at all. Thanks for all your help.

Wow. How sweet! VERY few actually appreciate their REALTOR so much that they'll send him a thank you gift...So I reply, "Hey man- your thank you gift to me is allowing me to mail YOUR home address with a bunch of cards to pass out to your friends and loved ones. Tell them I'll work diligently and honestly for them, like you."

Two days later, I get this:

Hey Jim I just wanted to do right by you by letting you know i have found a house through a friend whom is also a Realtor. I'm sorry for wasting your time.

Well Hell's Bells! If there is a way to "do right by me" it's anything other than "wasting my time" and using some scumbag, cherry picking agent on the side. You didn't know your friend was an agent before needing a referral and working with me for 6 weeks or so? Under my general premise I would say that this is my fault and I didn't serve the client like I SHOULD. However, he wants to send me thank you gifts and never one had reason to take exception to the job I was doing for him. Ultimately it IS on me, however, for not having him sign the buyer's representation agreement, so I give him the reply he was looking for:

I sure appreciate the gesture of doing right by me but it's not necessary. You didn't waste my time, sir- it's my job. Now granted it's a job I'm not going to be compensated for. Normally I would have never shown you and your bride-to-be a single house without a pre-approval and wouldn't have taken you on another showing without your signing an exclusive buyer relationship agreement....giving me the same respect and confidence back that I was putting out. I went against better judgment and did neither because you were a referral from [mutual friend]. You don't owe me a thing but honesty and no matter how late it comes out- I sure do appreciate that, sir. I hope you understand that I'm going to disable that automatic search immediately. Not because I'm a jerk or anything like that- but out of respect to your agent- whom I assume is not a REALTOR because a REALTOR doesn't pirate people's clients like that. I won't step on the toes of another...

...and in response I get this from his fiancee (on his email address):

Well now I guess you know better than to go against your better judgement.

ZING! Burn City...and sad but true. While I sent her back a simple email of well wishes "[fiancee], Good luck with everything!" I realized she was absolutely right.

I DOknow better than to go against my better judgment now! A buyer's representation agreement is a long-winded form commitment we give to each other. Will you be loyal to me as I work my butt off for you? I work for free until the day you get the keys to your new home- at which time I'm reimbursed for my hours of service.

So mom, dad, bro, friends, past clients and future ones- when we discuss viewing homes and I reference the agreement that you'll have to sign in order to work with me- I'll also pass you this blog post or regale the story upon you so you know exactly why. No matter how honest I think you are....it's the best way you can do right by me!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interesting sale

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:04:07 -0700

There was a 12.27 acre parcel of land for sale to the southern-most tip of my town, Coal City, IL. Instead of listing with one of the local real estate professionals the sellers opted for a company that sells primarily land and commercial developments. I can dig that...makes enough sense from a fundamental standpoint to use a company with expertise in that area.

The lot went up for sale at $920,250 on 8/16/07. Now many of my readers are from around North America- so take my opinion that I thought that price at $75,000 per acre was a little high.

Need proof? It closed two days ago in a cash deal (342 days on the market) at, get this, $275,000!!!

WOW- even I didn't see that coming!

So this brings up a couple of things for me. The first and most obvious is- 'wow, this market's so bad that people will possibly unload at any price'. But the bigger issue to me as a REALTOR is how does the agent/ company go about their business from here on? They're "experts" in this type of property so much that the sellers didn't consider a local professional. Yet at the end of the day they took a year to sell a property at 29.9% of its original list price.

*Could you, as a REALTOR, imagine working that into a marketing presentation? "Well, it'll take a year and I'll get you a little less than a third of what I'm putting it on the market at. Sound fair? Sign here, here and here."

*Could you as a seller look at this and be happy or proud in your decision? I hope so because the same guys have a pair listed for $399,000 and $6,375,950 right now. The 6 million dollar parcell is at the same development as the referenced property. If it sells for the same dollar per acre- the sellers will be moving it at about 2 million dollars less than asking.

I certainly do not envy the lady or gentleman that has to price in this type of category in this market as a screw up too low can cause your clients tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars and a screw up too high can have you sitting around for a year and selling at a third of list. Not fun!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TV Note- Josh Hamilton

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:32:29 -0700

Hey folks, about a year and a half ago the misses and I were watching TLC's version of the Richard Davis Trademark properties show....this particular, baseball themed episode featured the crew trying to salvage Shoeless Joe Jackson's home. It was neat not only because of a legendary baseballer but also because the team employed a young man who, himself was down on his luck.

A young fella and one of the greatest pure hitters to come out in his generation.....a guy that turned to drug abuse and blew his shot at playing baseball....a guy in the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays organization........

I knew about him, of course, being a huge fan of the sport. But I'd lost track assuming he was in a crack house or maybe even dead. Fortunately he was not and later was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the rule 5 draft- traded to Cincinnati and then moved to the Texas Rangers this season where he is tearing up the league... He's a heart-warming story and I've followed him very closely since watching the episode which originally aired mere days before the Reds' opening day last season...

Josh Hamilton

By now you know about his home run derby escapade, general prowess at the plate (98 RBI on July 25), greatness on the bases and in the field. A true 5-tool player. If you're interested in seeing where Mr. Hamilton started turning his life around- this inspiring episode will re-air this Saturday, the 26th on TLC (Directv 280) at 7pm. Set your tivos because I think this is right around the same time that Disney is running the Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus 3D movie premiere and I know you'll be tuned in to that!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Dark Knight, A Recommendation

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:15:42 -0700

I've only read 2 comic books in my entire life. One rainy day circa 1990 I skimmed over a pair of someone's Spiderman books and never REALLY took to liking them. Now, as an adult, I love comic book movies and would probably read the books if time allowed.

My absolute favorite comic book mythos is Batman. I know the stories up and down in and out and 6 ways to Sunday (mostly via other geeks on the internet). Needless to say, after the excellence of Batman Begins I've been pretty jazzed about the sequel for the last year or so.

Here's the trouble: I've been SOOOOOO excited for this film and assumed it would be twice as good as Begins (already the best Batman movie since the 60's). In Heath Ledgers swan song -he's been pumped up as giving an Oscar-worthy performance, a rarity in a film like this. So how could I end up being anything other than let down?

Well, needless to say, I "nerded out" and procured tickets a few days in advance to see it on Friday night. I fully expected to see between one and three folks donning the white face paint and smeared smile in honor of the fallen Ledger but didn't.... don't know if that's good or bad.

What I DID see was a great flick. It'll certainly appeal to the summer-blockbuster crowd. I think most fans of the darker Batman movies, graphic novels, etc. will appreciate it. The film is 2.5 hours long and probably could have cut another 20 or 30 minutes out- but that's my one and only complaint. The performances are as good as hyped. I was more excited to see Harvey Dent than the Joker and Aaron Eckhart did anything but disappoint in his role. I don't want to give anything, plot-line, away other than to say that this certainly lives up to most of the hype it has recieved.

If you're a fan of the bat- go immediately. If you're a fan of BIG movies- go soon. If you're just out looking to see a movie- I HIGHLY recommend this one!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Final All-Star

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:37:37 -0700

The All-Star teams are in and while you, the voting fan, failed to get White Sox left fielder, Carlos Quentin, into the game- the players voted him in to make up for it. NOW you have a REAL chance to make a difference...

As they have for the last several years, Major League Baseball is allowing the fans to vote in the final all-star in each league. I generally do not care about National League baseball....but I do like both former White Sox players Aaron Rowand and Carlos Lee.

The real reason for the post is to a) urge you to get your favorite player voted in...and b)to super-urge you to get Jermaine Dye of the White Sox in....look at his numbers versus the 4 other gents vying for a roster spot and it's a no brainer....in fact, he's been more productive than a number of guys already on the team!

Come on, do the right thing...for the integrity of the sport we love!!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Nintendo Love Song

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:49:34 -0700

up up

down down

left right

B A

Start

up up

down down

left right

B A

Start

up up

down down

left right

B A

Start

Won't you be my select?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zhat Zood Zis Zit, Zreally?

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:18:30 -0700

Lyn Sims wrote an interesting blog the other day about an email she recieved from Zillow that I HIGHLY recommend you check out. I had a comment for her and a bunch more to say/ question but didn't want to highjack her blogged thoughts taking them in a direction of my own.

A little background for those readers that don't know- zillow.com is a real estate community in which home sellers (both real estate brokers and owners) can advertise their homes. I've been a member for a while and have my listings posted there.

Recently a client of mine mentioned that he'd be attempting to sell his home in a year or so and that Zillow's Zestimate (yes, everything's with a Z) had told him it was worth x amount of dollars. I warned him not to put too much stock in that as a house in my area of Diamond, IL was 'zestimated' at $230,000 and worth maybe $180,000 about a year ago (that's 28% and 50 grand high for the record).

The Zestimates are pretty horrible. Staying away from specific houses- here are the numbers touted for accuracy in the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL region (and a chart for all major metropolitan areas): 30% are within 5% of the Zestimate, 52% are within 10%, of the Zestimate and 77% are within 20% of the Zestimate. You'll find those stats are very similar in the other areas as well...

Those are good?

If I listed homes and sold fewer than 1 out of every 3 within 5% of list price, I'd be ashamed of myself....If I could only get half sold within 10% of list price- I'd be out of a job!!! And don't get me started on 1 out of every 5 houses being 20% off----come on.

So I ask, What good is it (OR Zhat Zood Zis Zit to be more appropriate)?

In zillow's defense, there are areas on the site which tell you where to get more accurate portrayals of a house's value and that zestimates are a starting point....but that begs my REAL question.....WHY EVEN OFFER A ZESTIMATE? Most of them are very inacurate and cause REALTORS agony in having to explain why they are so off...so what's the benefit of even having it? The non-REALTOR users of the site don't like them either. Check the zestimate section of their discussion boards and you'll find these topic starters (JUST from today):

**My home at 632 Macadamia, 92870 has a Zestimate of $547K while the EXACT SAME MODEL 3 doors away (1507 Victoria, 92870) has a Zestimate of $711K! There is no difference in the condition of the two properties (actually, mine probably has mre upgrades). Some differences are understandable, but that negates the credibility of Zillow. I'm not sure what the problem is, but your assistance in correcting my Zestimate will be greatly appreciated.**

**The price you list our home for on here is too low. Not as nice homes as ours are listed on your site higher.**

**My place is a top floor condo with wiews, totally remodel by an architect. A real gem. Zillow Zestimate is $673/sq. ft. while other comps are an average of $940 per sq. ft. Just wandering how Zillow determinated it for my place considering that none from Zillow visit it. This blind way to Zestimate has the risk of pricing a Ferrari car the same than a Fiat.**

**am the owner of 270 Lafayette Street, Unit 2 in Salem, MA 01970. Our Zillow Zestimate shows our purchase price from 2005, but does not include it in the Zestimate. The explination for why it's not included is rather vague and this was your normal run-of-the-mill real estate transaction. We are currently selling our place and I want to ensure prospective buyers get the most accurate information possible.

Please explain! THIS ONE CAME WITH ANOTHER USERS RESPONSE OF:

**Hey same for me. Zillow will do nothing to fix mistakes, in a week or so a staffer might just grace you with a stock response. (thank god for cut and paste )**

This all boils down to one point. If you must use it, use Zillow for what it's good with, finding properties...but leave the valuation of your home to the professionals!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elwood Commericial 2-flat

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:36:24 -0700

Jim Ludes | Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby | 815-712-7786

109 E. Mississippi, Elwood, IL

Elwood, IL 2-flat on 3 commercially zoned lots (www.Elwoodcommercial.com)

Multi-Family, 2 units

offered at $175,000

Year Built	Unspecified
Sq Footage	Unspecified
Floors	2
Parking	Car garage
Lot Size	Unspecified
Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

What a fantastic opportunity to make money monthly while owning commercial property in up and coming Elwood. Lot on the "main drag" could be perfect for bank, offices, store, you-name-it! Property currently has a 2 flat and a huge garage with workshop area, fenced yard w/ above ground pool, close to park! Front one-bedroom rents for $550/month. 2nd unit rents for $700. Great investment!!!

see additional photos below

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Seller contact info:

Jim Ludes

Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby

815-712-7786

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Jun 4, 2008, 6:32pm PDT

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Local kids win World Series...recent edit

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:50:54 -0700

The Joliet Junior College Wolves have won the NJCAA Division III World Series Championship! Two local young men were very pivotal in leading the Wolves to the top of the junior college ranks: Wilmington's Dillon Roark was the tournament's Most Valuable Player as well as taking honors on the all-tournament team, the NJCAA Division III All-American first team and the N4C All-Conference team.

Coal City's Brandon Howard joined Roark on all of above honorary teams!

Way to go fellas! Way to make your towns proud!

Roark compiled some gaudy statistics on the mound on his way to a 12-1 mark with a 0.98 ERA through 91.2 innings pitched! He struck out 108 with a mere 22 bases on balls. He went 2-0 without allowing a run in the World Series!

Howard hit a ridiculous .467 on the season. He set the single season hits record with 105 (in 59 games). He batted 62 runners in and stole 26 bases in 32 attempts (81.3%). For good measure he knocked out 5 dingers on the year! He hit .500 (9-18) with 11 RBI in 4 World Series games! There's a little bit of grumbling around these parts that "Howie" might have his name called sometime on Thursday when Major League Baseball holds its amateur draft....keep your finers crossed!

AS IF all that news wasn't COOL ENOUGH, check this tidbit:

The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), in conjunction with the NJCAA, has named Joliet Junior College (Ill.) outfielder Brandon Howard as the NJCAA Division III Baseball Player of the Year.

Woo Hoo- way to go Howie!

Howard finished the regular season with a .464 batting average, which ranked 10 th in the nation. He drove in 49 runs and tallied 25 doubles and five home runs for the Wolves. His efforts also earned him First-Team NJCAA Division III All-American honors.

His play helped lead Joliet to a No. 1 ranking in six of the seven RINGOR^TM NJCAA DIII Baseball Rankings in 2008 and propelled the Wolves to their fifth straight Region 4 title. Joliet also advanced to their third-straight NJCAA DIII World Series by again winning the District B title. Howard was named the Region 4 Championship MVP and received All-District B honors as well.

Howard's great play at the Division III World Series helped the Wolves clinch their first national title in baseball since 1994. Howard posted a .500 batting average and led all hitters in the World Series with 11 RBIs and nine runs scored. He tallied 12 total bases and posted a .667 slugging percentage and was named to the All-Tournament team.

Howard's final stats, including the post-season, were very impressive. He finished 2008 setting a new NJCAA Division III record with 105 total hits, breaking the previous record of 90 hits in a season set by Joliet's Kevin Boyd in 2001. He wrapped up the year with a .466 batting average with 26 doubles, five homers, 60 RBIs and a .706 slugging percentage. He also scored 82 runs and stole 26 bases.

Howard, who also posted a .983 fielding percentage playing predominately in left field, is being heavily recruited by many four-year institutions and has yet to decide where he will continue his baseball career.

...keep on eye on our local guy in tomorrow's draft!!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lakers-Celtics...back to the future

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Fri, 30 May 2008 23:28:47 -0700

The L.A. Lakers and Boston Celtics are set to square off in an NBA Finals.....and this time, I didn't just get out of elementary school for the summer! The matchup the league most wanted to see (get your conspiracy theories fired up) is now a reality.

And for what it's worth- here's my 2 cents....

I think there's a few obvious things to rundown when trying to adequately predict a series.

Home Court: Unlike baseball where a homefield gets a last bat and every park has different dimensions- there's no advantage other than psychological in football, hockey and baseketball. All the fields/courts/surfaces are the same size. Yea- a crowd will be in favor of one over the other, but you're a pro- suck it up and play your game.....The Celtics have been notoriously bad this postseason on the road though they did take two in Detroit, which would be more impressive if the 76ers hadn't won their too. The Lakers have won everywhere with seemingly little effort. Home court is HUGE for a team that doesn't play well on the road....ever so slightest advantage : CELTICS

Coaching: Coach of the year honors aside, is there even question as to who's the best here? One man's vying for his 10th championship- the other's got a whopping 19 playoff wins as a coach (11 this season). Little more needs to be said than everyone in town groaned like heck when Rivers wasn't fired during a=or after last season till they swiped KG from the T-Wolves.... HUGE cripling advantage: LAKERS

Stars: I'm not talking Jack Nicholson and the other courtside pals here, I'm talking stars on the floor. It's said that the biggest names shine on the biggest stages- and it's so very true. No star is brighter and no player is better than Kobe. He's here for the fifth time and will treat it like an assasin. After being embarassed by the Pistons the last time here and struggling with BAD teams after- he will do everything to make sure this doesn't get away. Gasol (an even bigger steal than KG) has been a great addition and Odom will create some tough matchups for Boston....On the green side of things KG is going to be KG. A lot of peeps talk about him fading in the playoffs- but his career playoff numbers actually take it up a notch, so I don't see it happening in "his chance". Paul Pierce has been the only thing on that team for years and now has some help...didn't think he had killer instinct until the other night's toe-to-toe with LeBron..BUT Ray Allen IS a fader. No big star tries to hide in big moments as much as he does. He's Chris Webber but half the size. I turned on the game the other day, watched for 6 minutes- saw him pass on three wide open shots, fans started booing a bit and I promptly flipped. Here's one stat I look at to know...during the season (versus the Pacers and the other "talented" Eastern Conference teams) Ray took 14 shots a night...in the playoffs....12. Stars step up and take over in these series...they don't wait till they go 7 games versus below .500 teams and pray all night that KG or Pierce will back them up...advantage: LAKERS

Intangibles: I've been beating this horse all season...the Lake Show was the best team in a conference that was FAR superior. That doesn't count for diddly except that they're battle tested. On a night when they were playing the Warriors in a mid-season game the Lakers were facing a tougher opponent than the Celtics faced in the conference semi's. Constantly playing superior competition makes you better- I don't care what anyone says...advantage: LAKERS

My Scenario: I think Kobe dominates one of the two games in Boston. He's too experienced to just lolly gag through them without taking one over enough to win. The series heads back west 1-1. Unlike many out there- I don't think the Celtics quit entirely on the road and the 4th quarter of game 6 in Detroit should prove it. I do, however, think that they drop 2 of 3 in Kobe's (and Jack's) house heading back to Boston in a 3-2 pickle. Here's where I get super-fuzzy Kreskin: IF KG shows up and dominates like it's going out of style the Celts win game 6. I think this is what happens. I've been a KG fan since he was a skinny transfer to (somewhat local) Farragut High School in Chicago...he's a South Carolina guy (I think)- but do it for the city...that win evens it up for, what else? A Lakers-Celtics knock-down, drag-out game 7 in an NBA Finals....

....and Kobe runs the show. I expect him to dominate in an MJ-like manner. 50 points wouldn't make me blink an eye.

**So there you have it better and non-gambling fans. It's the Lake Show in 7 IF KG steps up big in game 6....otherwise the Lakers party on the parquet!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The market bottoms and you don't know it...until you know it

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:35:39 -0700

There are a number of buyers out there waiting with baited breath for the housing market to bottom out so they can snag a house on the "best possible deal." Fair enough. I get that.

I, however, disagree with the logic and the execution.

How do you know when the market has hit its bottom? When you see it come back up. I equate it to a ball...How does a basketball player know his dribble has hit the hardwood without looking at it? Because the ball is back in his hand as it bounces up. Take the analogy or leave it- but you can't disregard the premise. Where the market sits today- it has to ways of moving; up or down.

If it goes further down, so be it. If it goes up- you know you were just at the bottom! It's not as if someone is going to pre-empt your favorite summer TV show and say, "We, the Gods of the market just wanted to let you know that the market has hit bottom. It won't be here long, so if you want to purchase something- get out there and do it, stat."

I've heard many a wiser man than I predict that the market will begin a turnaround in the final quarter of 2008. If you consider the focus of the nation will be on the Presidential Election, it makes a good deal of sense to me. The media won't have time to focus on the doom and gloom scenarios quite as much.

Another thing that is rarely considered is the financing aspect of the equation. If you can procure a 6% loan on a certain price today...does it do you any good to get that house 10 grand cheaper if you have to pay 7% on it two months from now? Find your nearest mortgage calculator and estimate away if you don't believe me. a $200,000 loan at 6% will run you $1,200 a month whereas a $190,000 loan at 7% is going to bump you up to $1,264...you'd have to get the house at $180,000 to make the final numbers match!

Yea Yea Yea- where are you going with this?

All I want to point out is that nothing's certain. If you're a buyer in a position to procure a nice loan and a house at a fair price...don't wait it out under the assumption that you're going to get an even better deal in a couple weeks or month. You might score a better deal in coming weeks on the house but if your interest rate is higher it's all for nothing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coalers Advance to State

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:11:04 -0700

For the first time in school history, the Coal City Coalers are heading to the state baseball finals! The Coalers avenged a football playoff loss to Addison Driscoll with a crushing 8-4 victory on Monday afternoon at Benedictine University in Lisle.

The Coalers will be playing Stanford Olympia at 4:00 this Friday at Silver Cross field in Joliet, home of the Jackhammers. Should they win they will battle the following evening for the state championship...if they fall- they will play the afternoon game for third place.

Coal City picture courtesy of Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune / May 26, 2008...check out the Coalers getting some ink in "the Trib" as well as in The Morris Daily Herald. Silver Cross Field photo courtesy of www.jackhammersbaseball.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All-Star Votes

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Sat, 24 May 2008 15:47:32 -0700

Though I feel that voting for the MLB All-Star game begins a little too early, we're getting to the point where it actually starts to matter. I urge you, if you fill out an all-star ballot to strongly consider Chicago White Sox starting left fielder, Carlos Quentin as a write-in candidate.

The 25-year-old, acquired from the Diamondbacks in the offseason, was tied for the league lead with 12 homers and second in RBI (40), OPS (.996) and slugging (.586) entering the White Sox's Memorial Day weekend homestand against the Angels.

Know of any others out there that aren't on a ballot but are very deserving of a roster spot?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bulls Shock the NBA

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:44:49 -0700

You may or may not have known it but the Chicago Bulls own the rights to the #1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

How'd that happen?

The Bulls finished an uber-dissapointing season with a record of 33-49 instead of making the playoffs as expected. They were, instead, the 9th worst team in the league.

This means they had a 1.7% chance of landing the top pick in the draft. Compare that with the league's doormat, the Miami Heat (15-67) that had the league's best chance at the top pick (25%) as a "reward" for being the worst team in the league.

The college ranks boasts two prospects that appear to be head and shoulders above the rest: Chicago native and much needed point guard Derrick Rose of Memphis and Michael Beasley a power forward from Kansas State.

What direction should the Bulls go?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coal City Absorption 5-18-08

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Sun, 18 May 2008 22:10:39 -0700

One of the most overlooked aspects in selling homes, I believe, is the absorption rate or the ability to sell off all the homes in a region that are currently for sale. It is tallied in a relatively simple manner- even for non-stat nerds (which I, unfortunately, am NOT a part of)...

Take the number of homes that have sold in an area over a period of time (6 months, one year, whatever). Divide it by the amount of time (six months by 6, one year by 12 and so on). That will give you the amount of homes that sell per month. Divide number of homes currently for sale by the amount of homes that sell per month and you will find out how many months of inventory are available.

Coal City/ Diamond/ Carbon Hill's detached homes for 5-18-08:

83 sold in the last 12 months....or 6.9 per month

88 active listings...or 12.8 months of inventory available

Coal City/ Diamond/ Carbon Hill's attached homes for 5-18-08:

17 sold in the last 12 months....or 1.4 per month

15 active listings...or 10.7 months of inventory availabe

** Now with this being ALL detached or attached homes in Coal City, Carbon Hill and Diamond, you'd want to be more specific as to the type of home, town and subdivision and even other factors to get more specific absorption rates for the type of property you are selling- this was a VERY broad example as to how to calculate. Many neighborhoods and styles of home are selling quicker than the current absorption rate and your house may be one.....

What is DOES SHOW is the importance of having a REALTOR that puts a heavy influence on pricing correctly. Remember, you hire me not only as a marketing and negotiating specialst- but also (and equally important) a PRICING SPECIALIST.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garland goes against Sox

Jim Ludes Grundy/Will County, IL REALTOR (Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby) — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:16:47 -0700

Former White Sox starting pitcher, Jon Garland, will battle the only team he ever saw major league action on tomorrow night (5/15) as the White Sox are in Anaheim to battle the Angels. The game will begin at 9:00 Chicago time and be carried on AM 670 as always and Comcast Sports Net on the television side.

A die-hard White Sox fan, this one will be odd for me to watch. I haven't had much opportunity to catch the guys this season and they're slumping quite badly (OR just a bad team that had a nice start to the season)...but I'm certain to be watching this one (even if on TiVo).

I thought the trade of your #2 starter for an old shortstop (Orlando Cabrera) in the last year of his contract wasn't a fantastic idea the day it happened. Caabrera and his .230 average have done little to convince me of it.

It's tough to stomach keeping a bright prospect all the way to where he helps you win a World Series (winning 18 games in each of the '05 and '06 seasons) then cutting him loose in his prime.

It should be a fun one....and though I hope the Sox win (as always)...it would be poetic for my ranting if Garland struck out Cabrera a few times!

The Angels come to Chicago next week and I was sincerely hoping that Garland would be pitching and I could go....it looks like his next start will be the day after they leave town (assuming every 5th game).....here's to hoping that something happens and he pitches the Sunday Night ESPN game on Memorial Day Sunday.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------