Michaela's Lake County Real Estate Blog

Latest real estate market conditions in Vernon Hills & Indian Creek, Mundelein and Libertyville area, Lake County, IL - homes, condos and townhomes for sale

2007-09-23T23:17:24Z

Are Vernon Hills, Libertyville or Mundelein area your target market? Are you think about buying or selling real estate in Vernon Hills, Libertyville or Mundelein? Here is our latest market updated for homes currently on the market through the MLS of Northern Illinois ... data as of 9/9/07

"This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. as of the dates mentioned. The Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. may not reflect all real estate activity in the market."
Don't forget to check back with us to see what is going on in your area of interest. To request a free Market Evaluation of your home, visit www.IllinoisHouseValue.com
For more information about selling and buying real estate in Mundelein, Vernon Hills, Libertyville and other areas, visit us at www.Mipeco.com

Latest real estate market conditions in Lincolnshire, Lake Bluff and Lake Forest area, Lake County, IL - homes, condos and townhomes for sale

2007-09-23T23:13:56Z

Are Lincolnshire, Lake Bluff or Lake Forest area your target market? Are you think about buying or selling real estate in Lincolnshire, Lake Bluff, or Lake Forest? Here is our latest market updated for homes currently on the market through the MLS of Northern Illinois ... data as of 9/9/07

"This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. as of the dates mentioned. The Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. may not reflect all real estate activity in the market."
Don't forget to check back with us to see what is going on in your area of interest. To request a free Market Evaluation of your home, visit www.IllinoisHouseValue.com
For more information about selling and buying real estate in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Lincolnshire and other areas, visit us at www.Mipeco.com

Latest real estate market conditions in Long Grove, Kildeer and Hawthorn Woods area

2007-09-23T23:09:31Z

Are Long Grove, Kildeer and Hawthorn Woods area your target market? Are you think about buying or selling real estate in Long Grove, Kildeer and Hawthorn Woods? Here is our latest market updated for homes currently on the market through the MLS of Northern Illinois ... data as of 9/9/07

"This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. as of the dates mentioned. The Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. may not reflect all real estate activity in the market."
Don't forget to check back with us to see what is going on in your area of interest. To request a free Market Evaluation of your home, visit www.IllinoisHouseValue.com
For more information about selling and buying real estate in Long Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer and other areas, visit us at www.Mipeco.com

Latest real estate market conditions in Grayslake, Gurnee and Round Lake area

2007-09-23T22:58:36Z

Are Gurnee, Grayslake or Round Lake area your target market? Are you think about buying or selling real estate in Gurnee, Grayslake or Round Lake? Here is our latest market updated for homes currently on the market through the MLS of Northern Illinois ... data as of 9/9/07

"This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. as of the dates mentioned. The Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. may not reflect all real estate activity in the market."
Don't forget to check back with us to see what is going on in your area of interest. To request a free Market Evaluation of your home, visit www.IllinoisHouseValue.com
For more information about selling and buying real estate in Gurnee, Grayslake, Round Lake and other areas, visit us at www.Mipeco.com

Current real estate market conditions in Vernon Hills & Indian Creek, Lake County, IL - homes, condos and townhomes for sale

2007-07-13T21:48:28Z

Is Vernon Hills area your target market? Are you think about buying or selling real estate in Vernon Hills or Indian Creek? Here is our latest market updated for homes currently on the market through the MLS of Northern Illinois ... data as of 7/13/2007

Vernon Hills & Indian Creek homes and condos:
Single Family Homes ... 182 currently listed (active & under contract)
31 under contract ... YES ... 17% of homes listed are under contract ... definitely an improvement compared to last year!
Attached Homes ... 192 currently listed (interestingly enough, it is the same number as for Single family homes!!!)
29 under contract ... that's 15% ... not bad for this time of year!
"This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. as of the dates mentioned. The Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. may not reflect all real estate activity in the market."
Don't forget to check back with us to see what is going on in your area of interest. To request a free Market Evaluation of your home, visit www.IllinoisHouseValue.com
For more information about selling and buying real estate in Vernon Hills and other areas, visit us at www.Mipeco.com

Latest update on What's hot in Vernon Hills Lake County Illinois real estate market? Find out what is selling!

2007-07-13T21:34:30Z

Updated as of July 13, 2007
While real estate market in Northern Illinois is still somewhat slow, we have some great news for residents of certain subdivisions in Vernon Hills, Lake County, IL! Not only have the whole market conditions in Vernon Hills improved since the Fall of last year, but there are areas that show above average sales activity!!! See bellow if you are in one of those areas ...
Hawthorn Club ... out of 3 homes currently listed in the MLS, 2 are under contract (that is 66%) ... everything else that was under contract has already closed.
Centenial Crossing ... out of 5 homes currently listed for sale in the MLS, 3 are under contract (60%)
Stone Fence Farms Subdivision ... out of 4 homes currently listed for sale in the MLS, 2 are under contract (50%)
Vernon Hills over all statistics ... out of 170 single family homes currently listed, 28 are under contract (16.5%) ... definitely a great warm up since the summer of last year when we were looking at around 5% - 7% of homes in our area under contract.
Don't forget to check back with us to see what is going on in your area of interest. To request a free Market Evaluation of your home, visit www.IllinoisHouseValue.com
For more information about selling and buying real estate in Vernon Hills and other areas, visit us at www.Mipeco.com
"This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. as of the dates mentioned. The Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, Inc. may not reflect all real estate activity in the market."

38464 N 4th, Spring Grove - 4 Bedrms, 3 Bath home on 3 Lots!!! Reduced Price!

2007-06-25T00:00:00Z

4 Bedroom 3 Bath Home Sale in Spring Grove - Lake County Real Estate For Sale

4 Bed, 3 Bath on 3 Lots!!!

• 3 bath, 4 bdrm 2 story "Hillside home" - MLS® #06459363 $275000

38464 N 4th Ave, Spring Grove, McHenry County, Northern Illinois - 4 Bed, 3 Bath w/ full semi-finished basement sitting on THREE LOTS!!! (taxes show total). Master w/ full bath on the 2nd flr; LR, DR, Kitchen, Full bath & 3 Bedrms on 1st flr; Family rm, rec room; bath & huge utility/storage in the walk-out basement. Too much to describe. Two fireplaces, wraparound deck, sliders to deck & back yard, mature trees, subdivision access to Chain-of-Lakes! Built in mid 70s. Garage "As-Is"

Property information

Don't forget to visit our main website at www.Mipeco.com ... your source of real estate information for Northern Illinois

3 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath home for sale in Des Plaines, Illinois

2007-06-18T22:55:21Z

• 1.5 bath, 3 bdrm ranch - MLS® #06527781 $305,000 - $335,000 Price Reduced!

3 Bedrooms, 1.5 Baths with full basement and fireplace!
Very private backyard with garden area and patio
Brand new custom kitchen cabinet doors!
Beautiful Ash wood floors, painted neutral throughout!
Home is in a great move-in condition!
Seller will entertain offers between $305,000 and $335,000 with $335,000 being considered a full price offer.

Waycinden Park, Des Plaines

Property information

See our other listings at www.viewpics.info or visit our main website at www.Mipeco.com

2 Bedroom Condo For Sale in Evanston - Also available as FSBO

2007-05-08T19:46:06Z

Wonderful Vintage Evanston Condo
• 1 bath, 2 bdrm condo - MLS® #06413411 $209,000
East Evanston, Evanston - Charming Vintage 2-bed in desired area. Granite kitchen counter tops. Generous closet space. 2 Window A/Cs. High ceilings with crown moldings. 1 Block to Metra, "L" & Bus. Unit comes with parking space through 12/31/08. Laundry and storage steps below unit. Near cafes, grocery, schools & Northwestern University. Association fee includes parking and special assess. for masonry/roof work.
For more real estate listings of homes currently on the market in Northern Illinois visit our main website at www.Mipeco.com

4 Bedroom 3 Bath Home Sale in Spring Grove - Lake County Real Estate For Sale

2007-04-23T21:44:01Z

4 Bed, 3 Bath on 3 Lots!!!

• 3 bath, 4 bdrm 2 story "Hillside home" - MLS® #06459363 $289,900

Property information

Don't forget to visit our main website at www.Mipeco.com ... your source of real estate information for Northern Illinois

3 Bedroom House in Stevenson High district For Sale in Vernon Hills, Lake County

2007-04-23T21:40:43Z

3 Bedroom in Stevenson High Distr.

• 1.5 bath, 3 bdrm 2 story - MLS® #06469461 $319,900 - Price reduced!

313 Richard Ct, Vernon Hills, Lake county, IL - This home is A MUST SEE! Belongs to Stevenson High School District! Located on a quiet cul-de-sac! Fenced-in yard backs to open area (see pictures). Walk to Hartmann Park.

Home is newly decorated throughout w/ neutral colors; ceramic tile foyer, bath and kitchen; w/ new carpeting throughout. 20 x 12 storage space accessible from 3rd bedroom. Vaulted ceilings in Master Bdrm (w/ walk-in) & Family Rm. Brick wood-burning fireplace for Winter, whole house fan and new a/c for summer! Move in ready!

Property information

Don't forget to visit our main website at www.Mipeco.com ... your source of real estate information for Northern Illinois

Point2 Broker - Great Website Solution Not Only For BROKERS

2007-02-23T21:20:24Z

A lot has been said in the last few weeks about Point2 Agent solutions and its related services. In fact, many of ActiveRain members already have a website provided by Point2, whether it is the standard free version or one of the two upgraded services. But very little has been so far mentioned about another group that Point2 is targeting ... that is real estate broker managers, broker-owners, as well as small, medium and large real estate brokerages!

I created my Point2 site couple years ago as an agent and since then have changed the focus of my site onto a small brokerage that I own and manage. For those of you out there wearing my shoes, I am sure you know how difficult it is to find a system that would be easy and quick to use and would give you a chance to keep as many "functions" of the business in one place as possible. And those, who at this point may be thinking about starting their own real estate business or as looking for a great solution for their "office management", you should definitely give Point2 Broker a chance!

Just some of the features I get as a broker with the Premium website services ...

1. of course, all of the great features offered by Point2 Agent sites

2. template website for my agents ... or even better, just add agents to your online company "roster" ... what a great and quick way of adding company agents to the main website! ... Do you ever worry about "branding"? Point2 offers a great way to keep things under control!

3. I can enter all company listings in my "manage listings" section and ASSIGN them to the listing agents (which then gives us all the option to display our company listings throughout our main website as well as the company agents' websites)

4. company listings are posted on the NLS and are syndicated on many websites such as Yahoo Classifieds, Google Base, and others)

4. Any clients and prospects we get through the website can be once again ASSIGNED to individual agents (you can also enter prospects generated through other sources and still assign them to the right people) ... your agents can be notified by a Text Message about new prospects!

5. Wonderful Drip email campaigns ... imagine this ... put new company prospects on a drip campaign and once they are ready to buy or sell, assign them to your agents and see their activity ... all within the system! Have your agents write follow up notes in the prospect section to help you keep track of how they are doing!

6. Manage domain names and e-mail accounts from within the background online "office"

7. Have a company Blog!

8. Create virtual tours for your listings!

9. ... and many other great features!

We all know there are many website providers concentrating on real estate agents. But I haven't found very many targeting the company brokers. The truth is that Point2 Broker provides brokerages with A LOT of services and features that we need and for a very reasonable amount of money! Plus, add an exceptional customer service and you just can't go wrong here!

To see in "real life" what Point2 Broker website can look like, visit our site at Mipeco Realty, Inc

Or go directly to http://broker.point2.com to sign up for your very own Broker website or sign up for an agent site at http://agent.point2.com

If you are a broker or a manager of a real estate brokerage, what services or systems do you use to manage your agents and clients? Are you using Point2 or similar provider?

Homes Of The Future!

2006-12-18T19:13:28Z

Do you ever notice what your kids are reading about? I do notice ... well, I am "made" to notice. I have a middleschooler in the house who likes to share with me all the "fun stuff" he finds on the internet, in magazines and surprisingly, even at school. And today hasn't been any different ... SO, following is what I've learnt.

... as per the internet version of magazine Popular Science, soon we will be able to "Grow our second home"!!! ... and that's not all ... there is a "High-Tech Dream House" near San Francisco ... and there is a lot more you can learn from our "little ones".

Now, did you know any of this? I certainly didn't ... but apparently, our kids are quite aware and when the time comes and the Popular Science topics become a widely spread reality, they will be ready! But I wonder, what is real estate going to be like? Are we ever going to ready for what's to come?

To leave or not to leave homes on the market over Christmas Holidays?

2006-12-12T17:16:03Z

What do you think? Should the sellers leave homes on the market over Christmas Holidays or should they take their homes off the market?

Personally, I like to keep homes on the market. Why? ... majority of homes look very presentable during the holidays and because a lot of sellers take their homes off the market for this time period (whether it's for days, weeks or even months), there is less competition!!! ... Sure, there are also fewer buyers but haven't we all gotten used to having fewer buyers in the last couple of months? ... not to mention that THE FEW buyers that are out there at this time of year are probably the ones most likely TO BUY!

What is your opinion? What do you tell you sellers when they ask "Should we take it off the market for now?"

"Dear Santa, can I get a contract on my house for Christmas?"

2006-12-07T23:52:06Z

I have been asking myself ... will there be a "Spring Market" as we know it in 2007? ... the kind of Spring Market we enjoy ... with Sellers & Buyers? ... not just sellers, sellers, sellers ... anywhere you look?

We all know that there is a great number of homes on the market right now, whether in Northern Illinois or nationwide, and has been for a large part of this year. Say Vernon Hills ... based on data provided by the MLS of Northern Illinois, as of today, December 7th, 10:00 pm, only about 11% of single family homes currently listed are under contract ... now, is this really that bad?

... Let's see, just a few months back, in the Summer, only around 3-5% of homes were under contract ... on the other hand only a few weeks ago, around 17% of single family homes were under contract! .... boy, was I getting excited! ... but now we are where we are ... the truth is, that every single closing, every single home that goes under contract makes a difference in our statistics ... but what does this all mean? ... it's simple math ... just by looking at these number, anyone must see that on average IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO SELL A HOME! ... too many homes are available when compared to the number of buyers ... too few under contract ... and with the Spring being just around the corner (yes, it really is almost Christmas time!) and so many sellers waiting to put their homes on the market in the Spring, in just a few months, we will probably see A LOT MORE homes available for sale. Will there also be a lot more buyers looking for homes? ... I WISH! ... do I have the answer to this question? ... once again ... "I WISH!" ... but only time will tell.

By the way, have you written your letter to Santa yet? I HAVE! ... "Dear Santa, can I get a contract on my house for Christmas? ... I've been really, really, reeeaaally good this year! ... Pleeeeeeaaaaase!!!" ... yes, I too have my own house currently listed on the market!

PS: But I am optimistic! ... not only have their been a lot of homes for sale waiting for the buyers, but there have also been a lot of buyers holding off with their purchases, worried, not knowing what will happen with the market ... and times will come, when these buyers WILL BUY! ... why? Because they need or want A HOME!!! ... just like most of the current homeowners wanted at some point in the past. ... not to mention that eventualy, buyers will realize that NOW REALLY IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY REAL ESTATE! ... there are a lot of great deals waiting for them ... deals, which just last Spring or even last year would had been quite unimaginable! ... The only question is, when will this happen? ... will it happen soon enough to create a healthy Spring Market?

What about you? Are you and your clients writing a letter to Santa as well? ... or are you among those for whom Santa came early this year?

How do you stay safe?

2006-12-04T18:42:27Z

How Do You Stay Safe?

In our profession, we can never be careful enough. On the other hand, we don't always have a chance to do all we should for our safety ... we can't always meet with new clients in the office as they may walk away with someone who can meet them right at the property they want to see ... we never know who will walk into our open house ... we don't always know the seller at whose house we are on a listing appointment ... I could go on and on and on ...

What are your tricks, tips, ways to stay safe or as safe as possible? Do you have a routine that you always follow? Let us all know ... I am sure we can all benefit from each others' suggestions!

Recruiting agents

2006-12-03T17:34:25Z

I am a broker - owner of a small independent startup real estate office located in Lake County Illinois and as such I am in charge of recruiting for our company ... Mipeco Realty, Inc. I could write this blog with the plan to attract and recruit more agents. However, that is not the intended purpose of me writing here.

... Little bit about us ...We are NOT a traditional real estate company, but rather a small office offering great amount of flexibility to both agents and clients! We realize the importance of adjusting to new market conditions and trends!

... Now, I am not looking for a "cheat sheet" with answers on how I should design my recruiting strategy ... my goal is to recruit agents who will last ... who will not consider us being only a "transit station" between now and the future ... I would simply like to make this into a pleasant experience and build a great team who will work with each other and not consider everyone else in the office a competition. Any agent who stays for a long term saves me unnecessary recruiting efforts in the future!

My question is ... as a potential recruit, what would make it easier for you, the agent, to decide to join us? What is important to you? ... is it the vision of better commission split? ... more independence? ... smaller office environment? ...obviously, a "name recognition" isn't going to work in my case because the office is only a startup, but that is only for now! ... what way of recruiting do you consider acceptable? ... being actively targeted? ... or passively targeted receiving general recruiting information and contacting the brokerage company yourself once you decide it's time to research your options?

Any suggestions and comments (not limited to Illinois) will be greatly appreciated! ... and for those agents living and working in Northern Illinois, if you are thinking about exploring other options, call me at 847-791-1372 or e-mail me at mkrestenic@mipeco.com.