Mayor's Breakfast This Morning.. - 07/17/07 04:27 PM
This morning - I attended the Lake Zurich Chamber of Commerce's annual breakfast with the Mayors. Local mayors from Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer, Long Grove, Lake Zurich, North Barrington etc. attended - and gave us their views on how to solve traffic congestion in the area.
Of interest - there was a … (2 comments)

Housing Appreciation Statistics from CNN Money - 07/17/07 02:46 PM
Here are some nice statistics from CNN Money The chart includes median home prices - price appreciation over the past five years, worst one year decline (and year), Forecast growth to April 2008, and the ratio of an average mortgage (not sure how they calculate that) to median income in the … (1 comments)

With an FHA Loan - you can include costs of home improvement into your loan - 07/17/07 02:36 PM
With the decline of sub-prime lenders - FHA is looking better and better.  They just never marketed their programs well - so FHA loans have been declining in numbers for the past few years - though that may change.. 
With a FHA loan you can include the costs associated with  home improvements … (4 comments)

Earnest Money - What's Your Strategy? - 07/16/07 06:17 PM
Earnest money accomplishes a number of things:
 It conveys the seriousness of your intent to purchase the property. Sellers want to know that you are genuinely interested in buying their home. Accepting your contract offer will require them to remove their home from active status, and lose valuable market time. In some instances, it … (2 comments)

Asking for Home Inspection Credits - 07/16/07 06:06 PM
When you are asking for home inspection credits - try to be as fair as possible regarding pricing for fixes.  You stand a better chance for getting the credits if you are fair - being in the ballpark of what something would cost.  
On some items - you may want to … (1 comments)

Things Your Agent Should Help You Research Before you Purchase a Condo - 07/16/07 05:48 PM
WHAT IS THE FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE CONDO ASSOCIATION? 
Many times - to attract buyers the developer sets the monthly condo fees low. Watch out for inadequate allocations for replacement reserves which are sure to increase in future years as the building ages and needs repairs.
Study the replacement reserves - or any … (1 comments)

Good Home Buying Tips Article from CNN Money - 07/08/07 10:08 PM
Here is a good article detailing some home buying tips - from CNN Money. Part of the article states - "Even though the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings, most new buyers (and many more experienced ones) are better off using a professional agent. Look for an exclusive buyer … (3 comments)

Newsweek Article on the Advantages of Using an Exclusive Buyer Agent - as Opposed to a Buyer Agent - 07/08/07 02:38 PM
There's a new article in Newsweek about the advantages of using an Exclusive Buyer Agent - as opposed to a "Buyer Agent." 
The article references - "If there isn't one in your neighborhood, you can use a selling agent as a buyer agent, but do some screening." I'd have to agree … (26 comments)

 
Find IL real estate agents and Hawthorn Woods real estate here on ActiveRain.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
© 2007 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved