Holiday Market at Lincoln Square Mall- Urbana IL - 10/31/10 01:30 PM
Holiday Market at Lincoln Square Mall, Urbana IL
It's only two weeks away!! On Saturday November 13th the annual Holiday Market opens its doors inside Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana, IL.
Come browse a wide variety of goods & gifts for sale, all of which are made or grown by our very own local vendors. There will be fresh produce (from several vendors who participated in Urbana's outdoor farmers market) as well as arts & crafts such as homemade candles, woodwork, photography, t-shirts, pottery, and much, much more!
Each year I enjoy picking out a few unique gifts for friends and … (0 comments)

Pay It Forward: It's the Little Things... - 10/31/10 10:28 AM
Pay It Forward: It's the Little Things...
**This post is part of the "Pay It Forward" Active Rain group, the purpose of which is to share and encourage one another to do good and spread kindness. Feel free to post a comment below telling me about your own "Pay It Forward" moment!**
This week's pay it forward moment was nothing extraordinary or life-altering, but I like to think that maybe it made someone's day a little easier.
Here in Champaign-Urbana we had some pretty nasty winds earlier this week, strong enough to cause some damage and power outages. As I came … (10 comments)

Gruesome, Gory, & Ghastly Ghosts & Ghouls - 10/29/10 08:16 PM
Gruesome, Gory, & Ghastly Ghosts & Ghouls!!!
This Halloween weekend stop by the (Spooky) Spurlock Museum to hear ghost stories as told by our very own local tellers. On Saturday October 30th there will be one story told for the children, and one story told for the grown-ups…
 
Children’s Ghost Story for grades K-5:  2pm-3:30pm, $5 donation suggested
Kids will receive bags of candy to start their trick-or-treating off right!
 
Grown-Up Ghost Story for ages 16 & up:  7:30pm, $5 entrance fee
Refreshments will be served during intermission.
 
Donations and admission fees support the museum's educational programs.
… (0 comments)

Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Oct. 17 - 23, 2010 - 10/29/10 05:35 PM
Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Oct. 17 - 23, 2010
The following data is for Single Family Residential Homes:
New Listings: 74 
Average List Price: $147,372 Pending Sales: 28
Closed Sales: 31
Average List Price: $170,343 Average Sale Price: $163,688 Sale-to-List Price Ratio: 96.1% Average Days on Market: 97
Total active listings at the end of the week: 2,003 (5 less than last week)
Last week's real estate market report.
Last month's (September) real estate market report.
Summary: The number of new listings, the number of pendings, and the number of closings are … (0 comments)

Make Time for Picnics - 10/29/10 04:44 PM
Make Time for Picnics
A very good friend of mine once told me that in any organization, it’s important to “make time for picnics.” What he meant was that sometimes you need to get together without an agenda and just enjoy each other’s company…it’s especially important when the going gets tough.
Last night our local association of Realtors® had our annual picnic, so to speak. It was our annual awards dinner, which is different from our other monthly meetings and luncheons in that there really is no agenda. We do hand out a few awards to deserving members of the organization … (4 comments)

High Heels After 5 Charity Event, Thursday Oct. 28th in Champaign IL - 10/27/10 06:26 PM
High Heels After 5 Charity Event, Thursday Oct. 28th in Champaign IL
This Thursday October 28th, put on your favorite high heels and join in this month's "High Heels After 5" charity event!
Location: Shelby Motors (1906 Moreland Blvd., Champaign IL)
Time: 5-7pm
Cost: $5 donation
High Heels After 5 supports local charities, and the fundraising this month will benefit the Eastern Illinois Food Bank. It's just in time for them to prepare to help families over the upcoming holidays.
Come enjoy the free appetizers provided by Michael's catering and a chance to win one of many spectacular prizes including gift … (1 comments)

Moving to Champaign-Urbana IL: Relocation Guide - 10/27/10 05:16 PM
Moving to Champaign-Urbana IL: Relocation Guide
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois is the collective name of two dynamic college towns (Champaign and Urbana) which form one greater location. Each city maintains its own, separate government, but each houses a portion of the widely-known University of Illinois. Champaign-Urbana attracts a truly diverse population and is proud to be thriving both culturally AND agriculturally.
The narrative below will be presented as an overview and brief intro to Champaign-Urbana with links to other, more detailed blogs I've written. Simply click on the links within each section to read more about that topic.
 
About Champaign-Urbana IL
Moving … (0 comments)

Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Oct. 10 - 16, 2010 - 10/23/10 09:47 AM
Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Oct. 10 - 16, 2010
The following data is for Single Family Residential Homes:
New Listings: 81
Average List Price: $158,921  Pending Sales: 30
Closed Sales: 36
Average List Price: $164,189 Average Sale Price: $155,582 Sale-to-List Price Ratio: 94.8% Average Days on Market: 131
Total active listings at the end of the week: 2,008 (5 more than last week)
Last week's real estate market report.
Last month's (September) real estate market report.
Summary: The number of new listings this week are down compared to last week, … (0 comments)

Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch in Champaign IL - 10/22/10 07:39 PM
Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch in Champaign IL
Looking for the perfect Halloween pumpkin in Champaign IL? Visit Curtis Orchard's gigantic pumpkin patch where you'll find a variety of both traditional and not-so-traditional pumpkins and gourds!
Grab a wheelbarrow provided on-site and wander through the pumpkin patch where you're sure to find the perfect pumpkin for your Halloween festivities. There are orange pumpkins, white pumpkins, pink pumpkins, round and oval pumpkins, big and little pumpkins. There are even pumpkins covered in mole-like "deformities"...pretty scary stuff!
While you're there, you can also stock up on fresh apples, cider, apple butter, pies, and … (0 comments)

How Important is Home Maintenance? A Seemingly Unrelated Example... - 10/22/10 12:53 PM
How Important is Home Maintenance? A Seemingly Unrelated Example...
Yesterday I stopped in at the jeweler’s to have them take a look at my wedding ring. One of the diamonds has had a bluish undertone since I, being the klutz that I am, spilled blue ink on my hand about a month ago.
While they were checking the ring, they noticed that one of the diamonds was dangerously loose.
Had I been coming for my 6-month checkups, they asked me?
“Nope, not once” was my sorry reply.
The diamond was on the verge of falling out, and had I lost … (4 comments)

Happy Adoption Birthday to my Dog, Sienna! - 10/20/10 08:45 PM
Happy Adoption Birthday to my Dog, Sienna!
Three years ago today, I traveled several hours to pick up and bring home my beautiful dog, Sienna. It was love at first sight.
As soon as I was home with her, I sat on the couch, patted my lap, and she jumped right up there with me. Indeed, she is a 60-pound lap dog.
Sienna is a doberman and we adopted her from a doberman rescue organization.
The wonderful thing about so many animal rescue organizations today is that they cater to specific breeds, so that you can adopt a purebred if you … (3 comments)

Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Oct. 3 - 9, 2010 - 10/15/10 09:28 PM
Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Oct. 3 - 9, 2010
The following data is for Single Family Residential Homes:
New Listings: 105
Average List Price: $142,010 Pending Sales: 35
Closed Sales: 33
Average List Price: $116,624 Average Sale Price: $109,648 Sale-to-List Price Ratio: 94.0% Average Days on Market: 84
Total active listings at the end of the week: 2,003 (4 less than last week)
Last week's real estate market report.
Last month's (September) real estate market report.
Summary: The number of new listings this week are up compared to last week, while … (2 comments)

Pay It Forward: Use Your Talents - 10/15/10 03:49 PM
**This post is part of the "Pay It Forward" Active Rain group, the purpose of which is to share and encourage one another to do good and spread kindness. Feel free to post a comment below telling me about your own "Pay It Forward" moment!**
As a child I learned to play piano and was fortunate to have a bit of a knack for it. I've had the opportunity to use this talent over the years to play in church, at weddings and parties, and also in volunteer activities. Recently I've been playing piano with a volunteer group of singers at … (6 comments)

Champaign County IL Real Estate Market Report, September 2010 - 10/15/10 12:26 PM
Champaign County IL Real Estate Market Report, September 2010
September 2010 Residential Sales Information Compared to September 2009
The following real estate market information concerns only residential sales in greater Champaign County, IL, and includes houses, condos, co-ops, and zerolots.
September 2010 Closed Sales Statistics:
150 units sold $157,248 average sale price 95.8% sale-to-list price ratio 80 average days on the market September 2009 Closed Sales Statistics:
191 units sold $141,426 average sale price 96.5% sale-to-list price ratio 79 average days on the market
What's going on in Champaign's real estate market?
The number of sales monthly continues … (0 comments)

A Weekend Away... - 10/11/10 09:21 PM
A Weekend Away...
This past weekend I was out of town for a friend's wedding in beautiful Wilmington, North Carolina. It turned out to be a lovey get-away.
The wedding took place on the river dock where we had gorgeous views of the water and passing boats. We then had the opportunity to walk around downtown and get to know Wilmington.
While I was hesitant to spend a weekend away with all the work needing to be done at home (isn't that always the case?), I think it may have been just what I needed after all.  Here are a few … (0 comments)

Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2010 - 10/11/10 11:59 AM
Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2010
The following data is for Single Family Residential Homes:
New Listings: 86
Average List Price: $143,495 Pending Sales: 41
Closed Sales: 49
Average List Price: $178,246 Average Sale Price: $172,900 Sale-to-List Price Ratio: 97.0% Average Days on Market: 93
Total active listings at the end of the week: 2,007 (25 less than last week)
Last week's real estate market report.
Last month's (August) real estate market report.
Summary: The number of new listings this week are the same compared to last week, … (0 comments)

When Purchasing a Home in Champaign-Urbana IL, Be Sure to Consider the Property Taxes - 10/07/10 10:39 PM
When Purchasing a Home in Champaign-Urbana IL, Be Sure to Consider the Property Taxes
When you purchase a home, one expense to consider is the amount of property taxes you’ll be required to pay yearly.
The amount of taxes the seller paid for the prior tax year should be stated on the listing information sheet. Here's what it looks like:
 

 
There are a few things to consider when looking at this information.
1. While the information is deemed reliable, it is not guaranteed. You (or your real estate agent) should always go to the county treasurer's website to … (0 comments)

I'm Still Here! - 10/04/10 07:27 PM
Hello, dear Readers!
As I discovered last week, one of the dangers of participating in the "30 blogs in 30 days" challenge is that at the end of the challenge, you're a little blogged out, so to speak. I survived the challenge, and then had the immediate urge to get busy with another project I'd been putting off, which was my website makeover.
In the last week, you may have noticed that I've not been terribly active on ActiveRain. But that doesn't mean I haven't been busy.
I've come a long way in switching my old website over to WordPress … (8 comments)