Viewing Homes is an Adventure...Are You Ready? - 01/31/11 08:59 PM
Viewing Homes is an Adventure…Are You Ready?
When you’re just beginning your search for the perfect home to buy, you’ll likely be excited to get out there and start viewing homes that, at least on paper, fit your criteria. Indeed, the home search is fun, even an adventure at times.
So to help prepare you for this adventure, I’ve created a list of some situations, some more amusing than others, that we might run into in the course of looking at homes. The list, of course, is based on my own experiences. If you have something to add, feel free … (2 comments)

Book Review: Use What You've Got- by Barbara Corcoran - 01/28/11 02:00 PM
Book Review: Use What You've Got- by Barbara Corcoran
*This post is included in the ActiveRain Book Club Group. If you haven't joined yet, you should!
The full title of this book is "Use What You've Got: & Other Business Lessons I Learned from My Mom." Later the book was republished with a new title "If You Haven't Got Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on your Pigtails: & Other Lessons I Learned from My Mom."
Both titles work, but the second, in my opinion, is much more reflective of the tone of the book. It's fun and silly (you'll find yourself laughing … (4 comments)

Networking Groups: The Attitude is the Difference - 01/27/11 03:55 PM
There's been a lot of talk about attitude lately here on Active Rain. This morning I read a post on how the attitude of a single person can affect a group and impact the individual's future business. (Here's the post if you'd like to read it...it's a good one: “What Did You Forget? Your Attitude?")
And so I thought I'd share my experience in starting a networking group just a few months ago and how it ties in with the attitude theme.
The thing is, I don't really like "networking." The idea of a bunch of people in suits throwing their … (4 comments)

Champaign IL Real Estate Market Report - 2010 Year in Review - 01/22/11 04:07 PM
Champaign IL Real Estate Market Report - 2010 Year in Review
It's a brand-new year, and it seems that everyone I talk to is pretty happy about that fact. Before putting 2010 completely behind me, however, I thought I'd take a quick look at the Champaign County IL market data for the year and see how it measured up to prior years.
Overview
While we had approximately a 10% decrease in total number of homes sold in 2010 compared to 2009, there was less than a 1% change in the average sale price. As a result of the decrease in sales, … (2 comments)

Open House Sunday in Champaign, IL - Come see this classic beauty! - 01/14/11 07:07 PM
Open House Sunday in Champaign, IL - Come see this classic beauty!

Welcome to this Windsor Park home! It's a classic beauty combined with the modern updates that make living easy. With 5 bedrooms and 3 baths, you'll have plenty of room for visitors. One of the bedrooms is even on the first floor!
The home boasts over 2,700 sq. ft. of living space with sizable rooms to accommodate a variety of needs. An attached 2-car garage makes our Illinois winters a little nicer...and when the weather warms up, a huge deck out back looking out over the mature landscaping … (3 comments)

Champaign County IL Real Estate Market Report, December 2010 - 01/14/11 05:57 PM
Champaign County IL Real Estate Market Report, December 2010
December 2010 Residential Sales Information Compared to December 2009
The following real estate market information concerns only residential sales in greater Champaign County, IL and includes houses, condos, co-ops, and zerolots.
December 2010 Closed Sales Statistics:
150 units sold $128,454 average sale price 94.6% sale-to-list price ratio 93 average days on the market December 2009 Closed Sales Statistics:
144 units sold $164,375 average sale price 95.4% sale-to-list price ratio 97 average days on the market
What's going on in our Champaign IL real estate market?
Good news for the Champaign housing … (2 comments)

Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Dec. 26, 2010 - Jan. 1, 2011 - 01/09/11 07:24 PM
Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Dec. 26, 2010 - Jan. 1, 2011
The following data is for Single Family Residential Homes:
New Listings: 39
Average List Price: $136,962 Pending Sales: 28
Closed Sales: 36
Average List Price: $160,222 Average Sale Price: $152,851 Sale-to-List Price Ratio: 95.4% Average Days on Market: 93
Last week's real estate market report.
Last month's (November) real estate market report.
Summary: The number of new listings is down this week compared to last week, while the number of pendings and closed sales is up. I'm very glad to see that … (0 comments)

Champaign-Urbana IL in Pictures: 2010 Favorites - 01/03/11 10:18 PM
Champaign-Urbana IL in Pictures: 2010 Favorites
Once again, it's a brand-new year! As a tribute to 2010, I thought I'd post some pictures I took throughout the year that made it onto my favorites list. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Happy New Year!


Champaign-Urbana IL: The Best of 2010 - free slideshow maker
 
… (0 comments)

Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Dec. 19 - 25, 2010 - 01/03/11 10:00 PM
Greater Champaign County, IL Real Estate Market Activity Snapshot: Dec. 19 - 25, 2010
The following data is for Single Family Residential Homes:
New Listings: 44
Average List Price: $98,100 Pending Sales: 22
Closed Sales: 24
Average List Price: $148,286 Average Sale Price: $141,865 Sale-to-List Price Ratio: 95.7% Average Days on Market: 100
Last week's real estate market report.
Last month's (November) real estate market report.
Summary: The number of new listings is up this week compared to last week, while the number of pendings and closed sales decreased. The average list price for new listings … (0 comments)

New Year’s Resolutions: Do You Follow Through? - 01/01/11 06:41 PM
New Year’s Resolutions: Do You Follow Through?
If there’s one thing I learned in 2010, it’s that if you really want to see something happen, you have to commit with all your heart to MAKING it happen. In other words, you have to act on it, every day. You have to make it a priority in your life and be willing to sacrifice in order to reach the ultimate goal. You have to follow through.
Knowing from the beginning that it isn’t going to be easy helps. It isn’t supposed to be easy. But whatever your resolution is, it IS possible … (2 comments)