All the Moo's that's fit to print

4428 White Ash Lane, Naperville IL 60564

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:40:30 -0500

Welcome to 4428 White Ash Lane in Ashwood Park , Naperville IL - $1,135,000 SOLD!

Simply Spectacular!

Naperville's newest pool and tennis community

Gorgeous custom home with an eye toward detailed craftsmanship.

5 car garage is roomy three cars wide, third stall is three cars deep.

Amazing - two island kitchen with Wolf 8 burner cook top, double oven & sub zero fridge.

Two laundry/craft rooms.

Gorgeous master suite & bath with walk in shower.

Iron spindles, extensive moldings, judges ceilings & more!

For more information about luxury homes in Naperville or for any of your Naperville IL real estate needs contact Angus Woodbury at 630-717-7386

Specializing in residential real estate in Chicago's Western Suburbs

Don't get out of the car just yet!

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 08:26:22 -0500

Last November I wrote a post about Steve Stewarts famous (infamous?) button that say's "buy from me.. or get out of my car!", I was lamenting the loss of my button years before...

then... my good friend Linda Davis found an extra one lying around the office.. and sent it to me!

So with five sets of transferee's under my belt and several local buyer's.... I would have to say that the vote is in... the overall reaction is one of...

BEMUSEMENT

That's right... the buyer's "get it"

the reactions have been:

"Hey Honey, look at this!"

"Hey Honey did you see this?"

a chuckle... and a long drawn out "NIIIICE!" and then a "sweetie.. look!" as he taps on the visor

and my favorite..

"Can we wait until we we get the job offer?"

1875 Tall Oaks Drive #2409, Aurora IL 60505

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 07:02:50 -0500

Welcome to 1875 Tall Oaks Drive, a condominium in Aurora IL - $89,812

Completely redone!

Gorgeous one bedroom unit offers western exposure. Spacious living room with corner fireplace! Central air conditioning. Additional cabinets in dining room allow for flexible use of space! Bath with whirlpool tub. All neutral decor.

Large, private deck with attached weber gas grill- (gas for your grill, fireplace and heat is included in the monthly assessment - $155.00)

A commuters delight! Just off I88 at Farnsworth/Kirk -with easy access to all that the Fox valley has to offer!

This home is offered for $89,812

For more information about this Aurora IL condo or any of your Aurora IL real estate needs contact Angus Woodbury at 630-717-7386

Specializing in residential real estate in Chicago's Western Suburbs

Naperville Condo & Townhomes - 2006 the year in review

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:51:42 -0600

Quite a year for the Condo/Townhome market in Naperville. The average sale price took quite a leap (about 14%) while the total number of transactions declined about 16% to 869 units sold (compared to the previous years 1034 units)

A large contributing factor to the average price is the advent of the million dollar condo in Naperville which prior to 2006... did not exist.

Another factor that affects these numbers is the recent spate of condominium conversions... these units siphon sales from the general market and are not generally reflected in the Multiple Listing Service.

This chart illustrate the average price by month for attached homes in Naperville, by month for a two year span.. illustrating the upward pricing trend

The following chart tells a story for the immediate future of Naperville real estate in 2007. This chart illustrates the Months Supply of Inventory (MSI) meaning, how many months would it take to sell the current inventory of Naperville condos & townhomes based on recent sales data... The National Association of Realtors (NAR) concludes that the market is trending towards a buyer's market when inventory supply reaches the 6 month threshold... clearly in the winter market we have surpassed those numbers. It's important to remember that these numbers provide an overall feel for the market... there are many factors that play into the market conditions.

Last years total combined Naperville Real Estate compilation 2004/2005

Previous Years total combined Naperville Real Estate Compilation 2003/2004

Naperville Homes by the numbers - 2006 - It's a wrap!

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:08:01 -0600

2006 was an interesting year for residential real estate in Naperville as overall sales declined from 2005 by about 21.5% Single family detached Naperville home sales fell from 2232 total units in 2005 to 1705 total units in 2006 a decline of 23.6%

Of course the total transaction decline created an uncomfortable feeling for the many new real estate agents (over 350 agents were added over the course of one year... an increase of about 20%!)

The good news for area seller's is that while average market times increased... so did prices. The average sale price for single family detached homes in Naperville increased to $504,674 and increase of about 8.5%

An interesting phenomena in 2006 was that while transaction volume was down... in the million dollar + market... transactions were up significantly... according the Multiple Listing Service of Illinois (MLSNI) sales of custom and luxury homes in Naperville increased by a whopping 50% (which might help to explain away some of that 8.5% gain in average sale price)

This chart illustrate the average price by month for single family homes in Naperville, by month for a two year span.. illustrating the upward trend

The following chart tells a story for the immediate future of Naperville real estate in 2007. This chart illustrates the Months Supply of Inventory (MSI) meaning, how many months would it take to sell the current inventory of homes based on recent sales data... The National Association of Realtors (NAR) concludes that the market is trending towards a buyer's market when inventory supply reaches the 6 month threshold... clearly in the fall and winter market we have surpassed those numbers. It's important to remember that these numbers provide an overall feel for the market... there are many factors that play into the market conditions.

Last years total combined Naperville Real Estate compilation 2004/2005

Previous Years total combined Naperville Real Estate Compilation 2003/2004

I'VE GOT TWO MONTHS TO LIVE!

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 09:49:42 -0600

No, I'm Not Dying...

How do you measure your financial sucess?

Reading through the struggles that some new people are having reminds me of the way that I always used to think about my finances.

"If everything that is scheduled to close, closes... I'll have money to live for the next three months..."

"....if I don't get a closing soon, I'll run out of credit card room in two months"

My buddy Steve and I used to call it.."I've got _ months to live" and it's how we told each other how we were doing. In our brutally honest way we pushed each other to develop a better "cushion" at the same time sharing our difficulties. There was a time or two when it got down to 0 months... and then the miracle quick closing came through... That's the thing about wearing blinders and being committed... you kind of count on stuff like that to happen... because you've really got no choice.

I'm not even talking about being new... because even in my "mid-career" years when I was selling 35-40 houses a year (average of $100,000 -$120,000 at the time) there were struggles.. some months without income... some long winters... My wife Lisa bought into the concept, I would be whining (I know, hard to believe!) and she would say "no big deal, we've got 4 months!"

I don't have to do that anymore, we measure difficulties in different ways now. But we don't forget... and that makes us appreciate what we've got.

moo

Not just another suburb - A place in history

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 23:08:18 -0600

History at it's heart - The Naper Settlement

Right in central Naperville is a piece of land preserved as it might have been in the 1800's. A cultural museum called the Naper Settlement

Located on Aurora Avenue, just steps from Naperville's thriving downtown and renowned riverwalk... the Naper Settlement preserves a long and rich history to the benefit of the community. A 13 acre 19th century village complete with costumed villagers.

Enter the Settlement at the Pre-Emption house, a hotel and tavern where Grover Cleveland and Abraham Lincoln would stop for a pint or two. Abraham Lincoln once gave a speech from the Pre-emption house roof. This building is a recreation of the original which was located just a couple of blocks away.

The expansive grounds are home to many historical buildings... one of the most notable being the Martin Mitchell Mansion a beautifully restored mansion and carriage home from 1883. A three year renovation at a cost of 2.8 million dollars has returned this magnificient building to it's former grandeur. The Martin Mitchell Mansion is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In addition to it's many magnificient structures, the settlement is home to many of the more modest dwellings of Naperville's early settlers, including a log house, blacksmith shop, chapel (available for weddings) and firehouse.

Not only does the Naper Settlement offer a delightful return to yesteryear but it reaches out as a vital member of the community, hosting numerous events for the town (Civil War Days etc) and hosting many outings for the local schools. Truly one of Naperville's hidden gems and a beacon of community spirit!

Visit my site for more information about Naperville or Naperville Real Estate call me at 630-717-7386

There is no straight line home...

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 07:52:17 -0600

We're curious. We've always been that way.

We like to check out neighborhoods and see what folks are up to. There is always some street we haven't been down recently and we are going to take it. It's a natural curiosity that pays dividends when you are in this business.

I frequently get stopped by folks with questions like... "What's with the new place on Spring Street... is that a restaurant or apartment building?" (it's a house) or "What's the deal with that new house with the pillars by the library?" or "They put up a construction fence in Hobson West... are they tearing that house down?" And while I may not always know the answers, I almost always know what they are talking about. One real estate conversation leads to another....

My wife Lisa frequently participates in the 60 mile Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer walks ... I "get" to do practice walks with her of 12-15 miles. We can cover a lot of ground and like to make it an exploration walk... visiting places we usually only go by car.

But, it's not just our town that we like to explore... we look at houses and neighborhoods everywhere we go... whether it's Maine, Minnesota, Alaska or Italy.

So coming home from dinner at Hugo's Frog Bar in Downtown Naperville (2 miles) could take just a little extra time (7 miles) Our friends discover so much about their town when they are in the car with us. I love to talk about Naperville and show it off (even to other residents) My boy's are usually pretty good about it... but occasionally there is a revolt, a foot stomps and someone says "Not more houses! Can't we just go home?" of course my response: "Don't worry, it's on the way!"

Moo

He's not as thought as you drunk he was....

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 22:43:51 -0600

Our first home purchase - "The Life of the Unrepresented Buyer"

1985 We looked at a couple of condos alongside the El tracks in Chicago... nice places, great complexes close to everything... we were assured that we would "get used to the train" the screeching, the rumbling, the shaking... At $48,000 it seemed like a bargain and fit in our price range, but at the last minute we decided NO. The agent was disappointed, but she didn't have to show us much. She was really disappointed when we didn't buy the next house from her either, but we didn't understand how things worked, after all she had only shown us her own company listings up until then.

Happily living in a two bedroom apartment in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood until a new psycho landlord that called himself "The Colonel" moved in upstairs.... a guy that really enjoyed acting the part. There was really something wrong with him and we needed to move....

So, being the typical couple we took the newborn for drives (at least he would stop crying that way) and visited open houses for fun. We stopped in some FSBO's and it always seemed a bit awkward... they always wanted to sit down and talk to you... mostly, we just wanted to get out of the house.

We stumbled across an open house on a brick bungalow on Chicago's northwest side in the Cragin neighborhood. It was a very dated all brick bungalow from 1928. Another family was there talking about how awful it was... Lisa and I walked around and were nudging each other.. thinking "this might work for us" at $62,500 it seemed a bit pricey, but...

So we met the agent sitting at the kitchen table he didn't get up and looked old and tired (I was 24, he might have been 38 for all I know) He volunteered that the seller would take $57,000. Lisa and I took his card and told him we would call later.

The next day we called the agent and told him we would like to put in an offer... he seemed a bit confused and asked what this was about... so we explained how we had met him the day before. He offered that he is an alcoholic and has been on a drinking binge and doesn't remember any of the previous few days.

OK, we still want to make an offer and mention that we would like to start at $55,000... he flies off the handle. I tell him that he's the one who told me that the owner would take $57,000... he hesitates and says that he shouldn't have said that and we better come into the office ('the lucky penny company") Lisa and I get there, he introduces us to his Broker... and then leaves. The Broker then proceeds to tell us that we can't offer that much, he won't present it, she's a little old lady and the house is all she has. We explain that his agent told us she would take $57,000, the broker says he shouldn't have done that and that the agent has problems" (duh!) I explain that I'm not going to pay any more than that. The broker gets rude and yells at us, we stand up to leave and all of a sudden he wants to talk finances... somehow we get hooked up with Sears Mortgage, he presents the offer... which she accepts.

We luck out and get a 12.5% mortgage with 3 points, so we are feeling pretty good about things. Our finance contingency is due in mid July, we have plenty of time...YET...things drag on... Sears Mortgage keeps asking us for more things, our date has come and passed and now it's time to close... amazingly the day after our rate lock expires, we are suddenly approved for a 14% mortgage with 4 points. Isn't that something?

Despite everything, we loved that house... I (who had always lived in apartments) gutted the only bathroom (that almost led to divorce court!) and installed a dishwasher in the kitchen (no leaks!) we re-carpeted and we had a detached garage built!

In 1988 we sold it for $87,000 with multiple offers... we ended up with problems on the closing and terrorized our agent - (I'm really sorry Rich!) but that is another story.

Then... being unrepresented buyers Lisa and I purchased a home to be built... we put in a lot of upgrades and then paid a premium for a large cul de sac lot (It backed to a highway)

Once I became a Real Estate Agent in early 1989, I found it embarrassing that I had paid a premium to purchase that location. The worst part was that despite extensive, expensive landscaping... it cost me a larger premium to sell it (in the form of a reduced price)

Fortunately, I am now able to avoid these pitfalls... young Angus could have used my (the older versions)help...

Moo

Active Rain Week in Review - 12/25 - 12/31 - from Ho Ho Ho to Happy! Happy!

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 12:07:46 -0600

Holy Cow! What a week! Bookended with holidays, family (and just a little business...) it was tough keeping up, there were so many wonderful posts and so many great ideas it was fun to look over the notes, bookmarks and saved files for my first week in review. Being that it's the first time that I've done this... I "appropriated" many categories and ideas from Jeff Belongers W-I-R posts last month. Thanks Jeff!

CHRISTMAS SPECIALS:

With a wry grin (or grimace)some of us start the holiday just like any other day...on Christmas day Reneee Burrows takes an Interactive Meeting

and Scott Daniels takes a call in
New Generation of Realtors Part 19:It`s Christmas we don't give Showing Instructions today!

BEST STORIES:

Neal Pender learns from experience in:
Lessons Learned the Hard Way: 3. Love ‘em or they'll leave you

Something stinks in Randy Prothero's Is There a Skunk in Your Office?

Kristal Kraft mixes it up in Lessons we learn from the roadside of life

POSITIVE & FREE THINKING IDEAS:

Carole Cohen wants to help young people get started in:
Being Part of the Solution: Helping Young People Learn Good Finance Practices

Jeff Turner keeps his word in "I Promise" :: Those Are Some Strong Words

ABOUT A REGION & LOCAL CONTENT:

Loads of compelling information in:REAL ESTATE IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA - A GUIDE FOR CONSUMERS by Lenn Harley

and Mitchell Hall brags on: Manhattan Neighborhood Market Report: CHELSEA: A Consumer Buyers Guide

Renee Burrows is positive in Vegas Las Vegas Valley, Nevada: Real Estate Has Never Been a Better Value!

MARKETING & MARKET STRATEGIES:

in See MapQuest for Directions Leanne Paynter is looking for some guidance

Christoper Walker suggests when taking over an expired that we check the: Protection after listing expiration. The Realtor safety clause.

Roberta Murphy is looking for sales from new sources: US Real Estate a Bargain for International Buyers?

Home stager Val Alloco asks for opinions about direct mail: MAILERS: MARKETING MARVELS or MARKETING MISTAKES?

Chris Griffith wonders what they were thinking in Do Your Listings Speak For Themselves & What Are They Saying?

Broker Bryant welcomes the consumer to Active Rain Hello, John Q. Consumer. Welcome to our world.

PROBLEM SOLVING:

Don't Let High Radon Level Kill Your Deal by Jennifer Fivelsdal

Jonathon Dalton expounds on handling inspection issues: Seeing the Forest for the Trees

in Overcoming Challenging Listing Scenarios Lola Audu gives some back..

Ken Cook makes me wish he were in my market: How To Get Referrals From A Busy Mortgage Broker

Suzanne Marriott also weighs in on Home Inspections Buyer Inspection DOES NOT EQUAL Negotiations Round 2

Steve Dalton is Creating Urgency in a Buyer's Market

NEW GROUPS & FUN BLOGS:

Maureen Francis tips the scales with Help! My New Listing Has a Fish n' Flush!

while Robert Ashby rounds up More Tales From the Criminally Stupid...

Chris Griffith gets stuffed (or not!) in Oh no, this is NOT happening!

John Occhi looks back at some Inman Predictions for 2006 Wonder What they Said Would Happen in 2006?

ADVICE FOR NEWBIES:

Janice Lipka offers up: CHALLENGES OF A NEW AGENT

Mark Flanders gets webby... I Have A New Website - What Do I Do Now?

Advice for new licensees-part four in a series just for the newbie is a guide from Shari George

TECHNOLOGY & BLOGGING TIPS:

The Real Estate Tomato recognizes the value of comments in blogging and proffers:
Adding Your Two Cents - Stay On Top Of Your Comments

Ken Smith focuses the lens on Squidoo talk yet again...

CONSUMER CONTENT:

Jeff Belonger offers the advice Buying your first home can be intense.......

and in 10 Things You Need to Know About Commercial Real Estate ... Sheryl A. Smith outlines how the business side of things work.

Monika McGillicuddy lays it out: Sellers...do you know where buyers come from?

FORECLOSURE - SHORT SALE TALK

Broker Bryant brings it on with Three blind mice, three blind mice.........blah, blah, blah.

and Lenn Harley lays it all out in BANKRUPTCY AND FORECLOSURES ARE NOT NEW

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

Marc Blasi wonders if size really does matter in: Does Company Size = Company Quality?

Rick & Ines keep it real... on an even keel in : Emotions FOR SALE - price negotiable

Will Collins informed us about a disturbing development in New Jersey:
Court Ethics Panel Renders Seller Concessions Unethical

Jeff Corbett stirs up some controversy with this post: Disclosing Your Competitions Weakness?

Karen Hurst - asks who shoulders it in The Blame Game................................

Renee Burrows ponders a valid question: Do Median and Average Sales Prices Mean Much in Your Market These Days?

Prodigious blogger Ardell joins the fray wondering Why won't the MLS let me?

Marcus Burke wades in with: NAR = Not Absolutely Rational?

Jeff Belonger wants to know... Marketing YOURSELF or your COMPANY...... Part 1 of 2

ACTIVE RAIN UPDATES:

Active Rains new consumer portal Localism needs good content Upload regional photos to Localism.com and earn points!

Active Rain: The kinks are getting worked out quickly and there is already an update: Localism.com photo uploads - update

Rich Jacobson wants to know What's Your Strategy for ActiveRain/Localism: "Umbrella or Bucket?"

CONTESTS:

Maureen Francis let's us know about an exciting new turn of events in the:

Carnival of ActiveRain: Memorable Posts of 2006

Caleb Mardini posts later not to forget Remember That? It's Carnival Time Again?

2007 is Predictable:

Teresa Boardman wonders: What will 2007 look like?

And of course being the time of year that it is... honors for the final official post of 2006 go to :

Happy New Year by Caryll Miller - Good job and congratulations!

Moo

Giving, in a big way!

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 23:56:59 -0600

Remembering those that give...

I've been to New Orleans many times...

This time was different... the city was still reeling from Katrina and fighting to come back... they were glad we (NAR) were there, but it was different than before.

I've had cause to reflect on this as a Naperville custom home builder has just recently sold the "Katrina" house. Last Year Doug Overstreet, pledged all of the projected profits from this house, and asked his suppliers if they wanted to participate (no pressure). Then he pledged $10,000 from each additional sale that year.

But he didn't wait for the money to come in... he projected the profits and wrote the check. A check for $173,000 to the American Red Cross... no small sum for a small family run company.

So, here it is a year later, the home sold for a bit less than hoped and took a bit longer to sell than expected, so while there were some additional costs involved... there was never anything said about it. I personally want to thank Doug and Overstreet Builders for taking the initiative and getting involved. Doug is never cowed in the face of his convictions, never afraid to step out.... he's a pleasure to work with. The Overstreets are always active in their community... two years ago my wife Lisa and I were fortunate enough to attend a concert at his home to raise money for mission work in Honduras.

So if you are looking for a great luxury or custom home in the western suburbs of Chicago ... he's the man to call..

Oswego Real Estate By The Numbers

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 22:46:05 -0600

The Village of Oswego was a sleepy little farming community along the Fox River not so long ago. These days housing developments are the crop growing from those farms. The downtown area is small and quaint, but is starting to wake to it's own natural charm of being a river city. As the developments have come, so have the amenities that come with the growth. Restaurants, shops and more... The potential extension of the Metra commuter line to Orchard Road on the west end of town has fueled growth there.

The overall real estate market in Oswego is sluggish just as it is elsewhere. Inventory has picked up as new developments have come to town creating some excellent opportunities for buyers. However, the months supply of inventory (MSI) in November of 2006 is actually down from the same time last year.

Inventories have risen as seen on the following chart which shows the supply and demand levels from the past two years.

The next chart illustrates the current Months Supply of Inventory (MSI) that is the number of months that it would take to sell all of the current properties on the market

For more information about Oswego IL real estate, or homes for sale in Oswego IL. Please contact Angus Woodbury at 630-717-7386

Plainfield Real Estate By The Numbers

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 22:26:22 -0600

The Village of Plainfield has enjoyed rapid growth over the past decade and is hotbed of residential real estate activity. In the current market sales have slowed, but still remain strong. Heavy new construction is the flavor of the day, with developments growing where the corn used to. Plainfield schools and parks are known throughout the area for their quality and residents have voted to make sure they stay that way. Despite the increase in market time and inventory, November 2006 prices were up 2.27% over November 2005

Inventories have risen as seen on the following chart which shows the supply and demand levels from the past two years.

The next chart illustrates the current Months Supply of Inventory (MSI) that is the number of months that it would take to sell all of the current properties on the market

For more information about Plainfield IL real estate, or homes for sale in Plainfield IL. Please contact Angus Woodbury at 630-717-7386

Condo or Townhome? Whats the difference?

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 22:56:47 -0600

OK they both look like townhomes... they've got their own entrance, nobody above or below them, attached garage etc... yet one is a townhouse and the other is a condo.

What does it really mean? We use the term "townhouse" loosely to describe a style of attached home, yet in a more specific sense... in a true townhome you would own the land that the property sits on. Therefor you need true homeowners insurance, even though the exterior may be maintained by the association, you still need to insure your share of the structure.

This is a Townhome in Cinnamon Glen at Butterfield in Aurora Il

Condominium is a form of ownership. With a condominium association you own your unit but the association owns all of the exterior walls and the land it sits on too, you are part of the association so you are one of many owners. Typically you need insurance that is akin to renters insurance, since your monthly dues actually pay to insure the buildings.

A Condominium in the Woodlands at Oakhurst North in Aurora

As you can see, you can't always tell by looking. Obviously if it's a large building... you are probably dealing with a condo (or a co-op in some markets), but that's because the term Condo describes the ownership.

In our area we lump them all together and call them "single family attached homes" that seems to cover it

Manor homes & coach homes are also condominiums, just a pleasant sounding way to describe smaller buildings. These can easily be mistaken for townhouses.

To search for single family homes (whether they are attached or not... visit) Real Estate in Chicago's Western Suburbs where you'll have access to the full gamut of available properties in the area.

Sign in? I don't even know you!

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:15:40 -0600

Realtor.com is an advertising site. The properties are used to draw you in so that they can build ads around the listings... this makes the site painfully slow. Realtor.com is an opt-in site missing a lot of data... it is notoriously out of date and doesn't let you know if a property is under contract... creating an unfriendly and tiresome home search. Eventually as you get more serious in your home search, you will want to "go local".

Most people don't understand why agents ask them to register on their sites to get more information about properties for sale. The truth is that we don't need it for our own listings or even those of our company (unless they have a rule) the problem lies with showing you another companies listings.

In order to address this... two options were developed; IDX and VOW.

IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange. This is an opt in (or opt out... depending where you are) system. No registration is necessary.. the listings that you are looking at should say something about "compliments of" the listing company (probably in really tiny letters) This is kind of like walking into my office, plopping down in a chair and going through the various homes magazines... it's fun, there is great information but it's lacking in depth and missing a bunch.... and you are so close to all of the real information.

VOW stands for Virtual Office Website. This means that I can treat you like the person who walked into my office asking about homes... meaning we plug in your criteria and go through the whole Multiple Listing Service so that you don't miss anything, except that you get to do it in your own sweet time. The great thing about a VOW site is that you get access to all of the properties... there is no "opt out" for the Real Estate companies and you don't have to wait for days to get the updated info. Some of us can also allow access to recent sold properties... The VOW solution is the ultimate in home information, but it comes with a price... just like if you came into my office, I would have some information about you (you could lie... but that's beside the point) The National Association Of Realtors has set a national policy that all VOW sites require registration. So, there you go.

I currently feature two different VOW systems... one of them West Suburban Real Estate was the first of its type in Illinois and has been helping people find their homes since the spring of 2000. The other site that I use: Naperville Luxury Homes offers a different format for home searches. They both offer multiple pictures, virtual tours and e-mailed updates... it's really more a matter of preference.

It's not a matter of you giving up your anonymity... it's about empowering you with information for you to enjoy some autonomy.

Naperville's Thriving Condominium & Townhome Market

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 23:00:08 -0600

The charts below show the strength of Naperville's attached housing market. Not just on the lower end but Naperville's Luxury Condo & Townhome market too. As is typical in a softer marketplace... the total # of units are down, while the average price has risen considerably. During 2006 There were three luxury condos that were sold for over $1,000,000, all in the 520 S Washington Building on Naperville's famous Riverwalk. 2007 promises another strong showing with the opening of the Benton Place Condominiums

Despite the decrease in units sold... there has been another vibrant sector of the market and that is the condo conversions that have taken Naperville by storm. Throughout the city we are seeing successful, large scale conversions taking place.

The First 11 Months of 2005

TOTAL LISTINGS	AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET	MEDIAN PRICE	AVERAGE PRICE	HIGHEST PRICE	LOWEST PRICE	TOTAL DOLLAR VOLUME
962	58	$194,000	$215,947	$785,000	$90,000	$207,741,081

The First 11 Months of 2006

TOTAL LISTINGS	AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET	MEDIAN PRICE	AVERAGE PRICE	HIGHEST PRICE	LOWEST PRICE	TOTAL DOLLAR VOLUME
821	59	$214,700	$254,691	$1,850,000	$100,000	$209,101,406

Naperville's Luxury and Custom Home Market

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:06:28 -0600

I mentioned in a previous post that Naperville's Luxury Home Market has actually increased in volume over the last year... bucking all current trends. With sales up over 28% for the year, there are still a lot of fantastic homes to be had at advantageous terms. Great opportunities are there for buyers... but the stats say the the Sellers with the properly staged and marketed homes are going to get them sold.

I am attaching a couple of graphs to illustrate these points. It is important to note that many of the "Active Listings" are not yet built, but are being marketed on the "wish and a dream" plan (The builders wish you had a dream for that lot) this skews the statistics to a large degree... so the MSI (Months Supply of Inventory) looks abysmal, but is, in fact part of a thriving and exciting market. Also keep in mind that this maps out MSI over a two year period, sales in Naperville for luxury homes have been on the upswing, so MSI based on today's 12 month market numbers would put the Months Supply of Inventory at 28.5 months

To learn how to take advantage of todays market, call Angus at 630-717-7386 or visit me here Naperville Real Estate for:
your best moooove!

Bad market? Depends who you ask...

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 23:29:44 -0600

Overall prices appear to have increased by about 8% over the same period last year (see charts below) while overall unit sales have declined a fairly dramatic 20%. An interesting twist though is that the Naperville Luxury Home market (Homes priced at $1,000,000 and over) has taken a significant jump in sales of about 28%, bucking recent trends. This is due largely to the continued interest in Naperville's thriving downtown sector and terrific commuter service

For the first 11 months of 2006 overall sales in Naperville are down almost 21% over the previous 11 month period in 2005

TOTAL LISTINGS	AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET	MEDIAN PRICE	AVERAGE PRICE	HIGHEST PRICE	LOWEST PRICE	TOTAL DOLLAR VOLUME
2482	75	$370,000	$420,548	$2,295,000	$100,000	$1,043,801,949

For the first 11 months of 2005 sales in Naperville were a touch more robust:

TOTAL LISTINGS	AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET	MEDIAN PRICE	AVERAGE PRICE	HIGHEST PRICE	LOWEST PRICE	TOTAL DOLLAR VOLUME
3098	68	$356,425	$388,677	$2,850,000	$21,000	$1,204,122,909

Here is a supply and demand chart for the past two years:

And here is a rather dramatic chart showing rising Inventory levels (MSI = Months Supply of Inventory)

What does this mean to you, the consumer?
That in a slowing market there are unique opportunities for the shrewd homebuyer or investor. For more information please don't hesitate to contact Angus at 630-717-7386 or through my site at Naperville Real Estate

Buy from me or get out of my car!

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 16:22:37 -0600

During the last buyers market (late 80's early 90's) I spent a lot of time driving people around. When I was really new.. I would take them around until they would "buy or die" (die - figuratively...)

As I was learning to take better control of my business I had the good fortune to see Steve Stewart speak and at that time he really struck a chord with me. The one thing that I really remember from his seminar though, was the round red button that said "Buy From Me or Get Out Of My Car!"

I put it on the passenger side visor and it changed my life.

A mixture of reactions followed, most were pretty accepting and it opened up the communication between the buyer and myself. The button helped communicate that while I enjoy what I do, it is my profession.

My favorite was when I was taking a couple out for the first time, a couple of blocks from the office... the husband looks up and notices the button. He started to fidget and got stone cold quiet, so after a bit I said "Oh, I see you noticed my button" He replied with a gruff "What if I don't want to buy from you?" I answered with "Could you give me a little warning so that I can get really far away from the office before you have to get out?" At which point his wife burst into laughter... broke the ice and they bought the second time out.

He mentioned at the closing that he didn't take the buttons message so well at first, but it made him look at me differently.

Personally, I just thought it was fun. I wish that I knew what happened to that button... it just disappeared one day.

LIVE! from NAR

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 10:35:22 -0600

The city is struggling in their return from Katrina and they are glad to see us. The Cyberprofessionals had a great meal at K-Pauls (yum!) last night. With a meeting time of 8:30 am (breakfast starting at 7:00) certain CyberPros were setting up their spots by 6:30 am. We meet every year at NAR and once again someplace in the spring to exchange ideas (not just tech stuff) that can benefit our business. Look for the "cool spot" stickers at the trade show on Saturday (Cool spots are awarded to vendors that the CyberPros happen to think stick out)

ActiveRainers attending the CyberPros meeting at NAR include Moo from Naperville (me), Linda Davis , Les Sulgrove , Judy Burkett , Allyson Hoffman , Teri Isner , Sharon Simms , Tammy Simms , Wayne "Shorty" Short , "Special" Ed Haraway, Cindy DiCianni , Jerry Fowler and Wynne Achatz Of course ActiveRain is one of the topics of conversation.

I'm convinced that they want us here in New Orleans so bad that Harrah's even let me win last night....

Moo

Online cowmunities - it's just the beginning...

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:37:33 -0600

You never know where these things can lead...

For many of us (those of us that are old in Internet years) our first experiences with online communities came from Prodigy, AOL or Compuserve and the forums that they offered. But, except for getting specific information, they never really grabbed my attention.

What hooked me on developing online relationships with people was Usenet, obviously this was long before Google Groups (which is an extension of the old DejaNews Usenet archive) My ISP had their own group and I could get on there to ask questions of other users and the folks that worked there. We developed some off topic repartee... and the next thing you know...I'm hanging out in the Chi. groups (Chicago) as the real estate guy that speaks geek. I picked up a little business and had a lot of fun.... of course this was prior to Usenet becoming the virtual wasteland that it is today.

In the late 90's I got onto RE/MAX Mainstreet after their move from Compuserve to the WWW... it really irritated me that I had to get an inferior service like Compuserve in order to participate in the old forums (so I didn't) It was there that I first became acquainted with Kristal Kraft and I was fortunate enough to be around to watch her take her bicycle around the world which she shared with us via the Internet (a blogger before that word even existed) And also where I got to meet Jim Crawford and exchange some search engine tips... Jim invited me to join a group of like minded (geeky) agents at a meeting in Washington DC and the next thing you know I'm hanging with the CyberProfessionals... which then included some crossover from the CyberStars, and the e-ProTalk list and the RealTalk list. That RealTalk meeting in Chicago at NAR in 2001 was quite a treat! The first time tOMe and Ardell meet... Juan and his camera... *sigh*

It seems that many of my real estate relationships started with me shooting my mouth off about something, and somebody responding. The best part of these relationships is when you get to meet and solidify them. Creating friendships and business opportunities aplenty.

Can't wait for NAR next week.... I'm all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it... We need to take pictures, blog and share.

Moo

Follow up and Holiday cards?

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 18:28:31 -0500

Since I'm already working on 2007 business planning it seems appropriate to finish off 2006...

In the "old" days I would scour the stores looking for Christmas/Holiday cards that (of course) featured cows. I've had years with great cards and years with fairly lame ones. Some years I'm really good at getting them out...others they have probably arrived sometime just before New Years.

Several years ago (2001-2002?) I discovered a photographer that took pictures of cows and did greeting cards...

Tina Garfield, Cow & Dog Photographer, Card Designer and beleaguered Cub fan (just a bonus that we share that attribute as well)

As soon as I recovered from this orgy of delicious consumer awakening... I ordered a bunch of blank cow cards, 1 year anniversary cards and a few interim period cards. All featuring different bovine characters and customized insides.

Then came the Christmas cards... and there have been some good ones! I asked Tina to send me a copy of last years card (with her © stuff on it so that I could post it here) I really liked this one:

"Hark the Herded Angus Sings!"

May the warmth and cheer of the holidays fill your home
and stay with you throughout the Moo Year!

Angus Woodbury

RE/MAX Affiliates

This year I'm going to do "here come Santa Cows"!

Do you send out Holiday cards? Or other cards throughout the year for follow up?

Moo (the Naperville Real Estate Guy)

You want to learn on Active Rain?

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:57:23 -0500

Does it bother you that there are a lot of off topic posts, people goofing around, just having fun?

Aside from not reading those posts... you could learn a lot from them and the posters... try participating...

The "The Lovely Wife" just had a massive blog on nicknames and she started it all with some well placed notes letting people know that they were mentioned in her post. I've also received those same type of notes from Maureen McCabe, Elaine Reese, Gena Riede and some others. I also have received an awesome cow thank you card from Karen Villa Schweinfurth and William J. Archambault (Investment Guru and philosopher) sent me some of his stuff too. On occassion I get an e-mail from an Active Rainer about a topic that was posted as well... thank you!

These folks understand the whole networking thing. I'm still working on it, but they really, really get it.

Not everybody can be Mary Mcknight and present loads of valuable info in what seems to be a never ending supply of awesome knowledge... and manage to stay "buff" too. Mary "gets" it... she gives you part of herself with her posts.

Jim Lee has been the face of the anti-realtor.com movement. He put's it all out there... even manages to share his love for Tennessee when he's not busy with the other stuff.

Broker Bryant has a knack for picking those perfect topics that people can latch on to, and he does it so well.

There are a whole bunch of smart people sharing things here, sometimes though... if you watch what they are doing you'll learn some other vaulable lessons.

In our business you can benefit greatly from good relationships. I'm working on it.

Moo

Active Rain: Business Builders?

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 08:29:37 -0500

OK. So now that the rating system has been changed...

Each year at the NAR trade show the Cyberprofessionals go around putting stickers up on the booths we think merit special attention that say "Cool Spot"... (look for them on Saturday at the trade show!) it's a great form of non verbal networking and we tend to be conservative in the application of this most esteemed honor :)

There are some excellent ideas that slip through the cracks on ActiveRain... maybe because it's hard to figure out how to respond... perhaps the post wasn't a masterwork of articulation and eloquence... but like an unstaged home it's got "good bones" Maybe we could have a "great idea" voting button too... letting others know that a certain post might warrant special attention... Not just a popular post... but one that spurs an "AHA!"

Moo (the Naperville Real Estate guy)

CNET "tiny apps"

Angus in Naperville IL (RE/MAX of Naperville) — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 22:18:26 -0500

I recently blathered on about a couple of small applications that I love, today I received the new cnet.com newsletter and they are talking about little tiny applications that are great. I've been using tweakui forever, but always forget to tell people about it... Many people love infranview, I like using it to mass update (rename-resize etc...) photos. cnet is one of my favorite newsletters, the site is always handy... although I preffered it before they were purchased by ZDNET (magazine publishers) because now the content is similar in all of those places.

Moo (the Naperville real estate guy)