August 2009

Puffing: Tactful or Tasteless?

Sure, my opinion of what’s lovely, cozy, elegant, glamorous, cutting-edge, an incredible view, may differ from yours, but I think it’s safe to assume that the divergence wouldn’t be too terribly great. I mean, we can agree that the Trump Tower is luxurious, that the John Hancock offers some great views and that Old Town is a charming neighborhood. Can’t we? Well, if we can’t agree on those fairly objective statements, surely we wouldn’t fall on opposite ends of the spectrum. You wouldn’t say, for instance, that the Trump Tower is shoddy, that the Hancock has awful views or that Old Town is a repulsive area in which to live.

Of course, if you’ve got a less than fantastic listing, say a run-down condo on the back of a

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How NOT to Sell a Home

  

Since it’s become apparent that common sense can no longer be taken for granted, I thought it might be helpful to share some tips on how to sell a home. I’ll do this by describing recent examples of how NOT to sell one.

                                                                        

Looks Matter. We’ve all heard it a thousand times. And, while some of us may not want to believe it, it’s true. They do. Well, the same rule of thumb applies to homes for sale; they need to make a good first impression. After all, first impressions are lasting ones and have a real ability to affect a buyer in either a positive or negative way. Since a buyer’s first impression is often developed through online photos, it’s important that

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Top 10 Reasons to Buy Real Estate in Chicago Now!

• Price—During the first-half of 2009 in the metro Chicago real estate market, the average price of a home was $259,354, according to data from the MRED multiple listing service.  As of mid-July, 31 percent of Chicago-area homes listed for sale had at least one price cut, compared with 29 percent of listings in June and 26 percent of listings in April, according to Trulia. Nationally, 24 percent of homes on the market have had at least one price cut.

• Availability—Currently there are 19,621 homes for sale in Chicago for an average price of $258,000—a 7.5% increase from last month, but a 20% decrease from the prior year, with an average listing price of $453,235. Choose now while you have a chance.


• Bank

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