Create An Exterior Sanctuary To Gain An Advantage When Selling - 04/28/10 05:51 PM
Curb Appeal - do you have it?  Do you want it?  This is a great post on how to create the 'WOW' factor when you put your home up for sale.  Most buyers will not even go into a house if they don't like how your home looks on the outside!  It's really that important!  Buyers will just sit in their car - stare for a few moments and stay 'Next'. 
Enjoy this post from John Mulkey and don't forget that your exterior should show as well as your interior! 

Via John Mulkey, Housing Guru (TheHousingGuru.com):
In today’s competitive housing market, sellers can create an exterior sanctuary … (2 comments)

Accompanied Showings in Real Estate Do Not Sell Homes - 04/27/10 12:25 PM
In the Chicago Northwest Suburban area it is not customary for listing agents to accompany showings, namely letting the buyer and their agent into the property.  I have always found this an 'odd custom' and every once in awhile I find a seller that expects it or thinks that is the best way to highlight their home.
Well, you couldn't be further from the truth!  Buyers want no interference when they enter your home from you (seller) or your agent.  They want to see the home without the presentation of 'look here' and 'look there'.  They want to see your home alone … (8 comments)

Westgate ~ 3BR 2BA 2story WONDERFULLY UPDATED ~ $299,900 - 04/27/10 11:12 AM
… (2 comments)

Do you want a Chauffeur or a Buyers Agent? - 04/23/10 01:17 PM
Why would you show a non-approved condo to an FHA buyer? Recently this has happened so much to me that I thought I would write a post about it.  The poor unsuspecting buyer thinks they are in capable hands when in fact they are with an agent that doesn't have a clue. 
I thought that in Real Estate 101 someone once told me (they were selling caves at that time) that you can't sell all condos to every buyer.  Either they can go FHA or they can't.  Can't mix and match, it's got to be a 'yes' or a 'no' for … (12 comments)

Schaumburg IL Real Estate Market - 1st Quarter 2010 - 04/23/10 12:29 PM
Schaumburg Housing Market - 1st Quarter 2010 What's up with the Chicago Northwest Suburban real estate market you ask? The impact on foreclosures in our market is substantial and their impact on prices since a buyer would obviously prefer to buy a foreclosure that had the same features as one being offered through a regular seller. It is also having an impact in opposite directions - again, foreclosure sales up and prices go down! As a consequence we have 'Two Levels of Pricing':  distressed sales and traditional sales. Foreclosures and short-sales tend to carry prices as much as of 20 percent below … (2 comments)

What to do when the Seller is their own worst enemy? - 04/21/10 02:42 PM
Ever begin to have problems with a client from the moment the ink dries on the listing agreement?  Ever have strange questions that make you wonder if your client is paranoid?  Ever wonder what you did to deserve this!Problem clients can be a handful and even though we try and educate them to the home sale process and guide them along, some are just not going to want to be helped and I always wonder why! I have a client like this right now.  She has to sell her home and yet fights every showing that something is not going to … (6 comments)

225 Winnsboro Ct, Schaumburg IL ~ $142,900 2BR 2BA ~ HEATHERWOOD - 04/18/10 03:18 PM
… (6 comments)

I Know It Hurts, But What You Need or Want from the Sale of Your Home Doesn't Matter - 04/16/10 05:32 PM
 
Sellers advice here. You home will sell for what it is worth today, in today's market.  This is a great post from Peggy Wester in Grfton Wisconsin.  She brings up a delicate and excellent point about market value and your home.  It's not what you want for the house or how much you need to have.
It's what the market will substantiate at TODAY's number. 
 
 
Via Peggy Wester Real Estate Agent Ozaukee & Washington County Real Estate (Shorewest Realtors):
It seems like things are getting tougher and tougher in the world of real estate. More and more "for … (9 comments)

Upgrades Don't Always Add Value - 04/16/10 02:58 PM
 
Not every dime you put into your house are you going to get out - there I've said it honestly. Some people think that for every nail, piece of putty and shingle they add to their purchase price and voila - your future sales price.  This couldn't be further from the truth.  This thinking is perpetuated by Lowes, Home Depot and a handful of others that are nothing more than in the business of selling you things.
In this market, conservative is the word.  Granite counters are nice but can I get you an extra $10,000 at selling time?  I … (4 comments)

Sellers May Not Realize That...... - 04/16/10 08:05 AM
 
Sellers here's some good advice - there's a good amount of information that I've given for sellers preparing their house but there are some things that agents wish they could say to sellers in these instances!  Dead animals adorning the walls (taxidermists), guns out to possibly show the sellers prowess.  These things HAVE TO BE put away for your home to show in it's best light.
Throw in some humor like an agent from Texas, Greg Nino did and I'm sure I'll be making my point.  Enjoy, and oh by the way, an above ground pool is nothing more than … (7 comments)

A foreclosure story ..... - 04/13/10 02:51 PM
 
A Foreclosure story - are you up for one?  This is a great post from Julie Ferenzi from Plainfield IL about how she found out her previous home is now a foreclosure.  A sad story about how a home is really more than just bricks & mortar.  How would you feel if this happened to your 'old' home?  What does 'home' represent to you?
 
Via Julie Ferenzi (CENTURY 21 Hometown):
I'm a Realtor in Plainfield, Illinois. I specialize in short sales and foreclosures, so I'm no stranger to the aftermath that can be found within the confines of a former … (6 comments)

Buyers Ask: What Should I Be Looking For in a House? - 04/07/10 04:13 PM
 
First time buyers - what should you look for?  Open closets yes? or no?  Open cabinets yes? or no?
Enjoy this post from Brian Block in Virginia on looking for (or at) your new home!
 
 
Via Brian Block -- Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate (RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President):
One of the most common questions homebuyers ask me as we're walking around the inside of homes they're considering is "What Should I Be Looking for in the House?"  This question arises most commonly among first-time buyers who haven't spent much time previously exploring houses.
Since everyone has … (1 comments)

Buyers - Common Misconceptions Among Buyers about Pricing - 04/07/10 12:01 PM
 
Buyers misconceptions about price and how to determine the correct price when making an offer. Yes this is a sellers market with larger than normal amounts of inventory but is a 'stupid sellers market'?  Is it a 'sellers fire sale'?  Did anyone tell you that this market was a 'sellers give-away and lost his mind sale'?  If a seller has their home on the market they indeed want to sell it so not every home is overpriced. 
In our area now there are currently 2 levels of pricing, did you know that?  Distressed prices and what we call 'arms length … (4 comments)

The Sale Of Your House Could Depend On The Answer To This Question - 04/06/10 07:00 PM
 
How does your home look standing on the sidewalk? Is the front of your home welcoming or does it say 'No one's lived here for quite some time?'
First impressions count - make it lasting as you won't get a second chance.  Great staging advice from Sharon Tara in New Hampshire.
 
Via Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations):
Do you know which door is the most important door when it comes to marketing your house for sale?  It's the door that potential buyers will be using to enter your house.  It's the door where the infamous  "first impression" is made.
Which door will … (4 comments)

The vultures have landed ....... - 04/01/10 12:58 PM
The vultures have landed near my house ...... and I don't like it one bit. Who are the 'vultures?' Well the companies that you see currently circling neighborhoods all around the country - 'Asset Management or Asset Securing Companies'. AKA the ruffians that break into a house and 'secure' it for the bank.  I witnessed one yesterday while out walking my dog.  (I told my dog - go tinkle on their tires they are not nice people BTW).  But then, there is a need for these vultures isn't there?I've been trying to track down the seller of this house who now lives … (15 comments)

 
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Lyn Sims - Schaumburg Homes

Schaumburg, IL

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Schaumburg Real Estate - Northwest Suburbs - RE/MAX Suburban

Address: Schaumburg | Hoffman Estates | Elk Grove Village | and Roselle, IL in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago

Office Phone: (847) 230-7324

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