The Crazy world we call Real Estate

There are several people from the Chicago area that have already invested in the Rockford area. If you haven’t yet, consider what you are missing.   There are plenty of opportunities for buying properties with tremendous potential at very low prices. With a little rehab work, you can produce a po...

Last night I was working at our local park district for “safe night”. Safe Night, which runs 3 or 4 times a year, is a Friday night event for our local children where parents do not have to worry about things like drugs and alcohol, weapons, or violence.  Our safe nights are open to any child in ...

Anyone that is in the real estate industry or has looked for homes on-line recently certainly has heard of Zillow.  For those of you that are not familiar, Zillow, a Seattle based Internet home search company, offers quick over the net "Zestimates" that will give consumers a quick glance as to wh...

Being in the real estate business doesn’t ever get old. Each and every client I’ve worked with, each and every deal I’ve had, each and every house, is all different. Every time a contract is written, the favorite part of my job kicks in……the negotiations.   Representing a buyer in today’s market ...

In my previous picture blog, there were some amazing pictures that agents in my area take.  I enjoyed posting about it so much I just had to bring on some more.  However, I'm not sure anything can top my dog poop pic.The following are actual photos taken right out of my MLS system and put here fo...

That ranch down the street sold for $185,000.  But c'mon, it's nowhere near as nice as your 2-story, right?  You could get at least $15,000 more since you remodeled that kitchen a few years ago.  Plus you need to get $200,000 in order to afford the down payment on that Victorian you always wanted...

Most every Multiple Listing System across the country gives all Realtors the option of adding extra photos of each home they list.  These extra photos are cruicial in capturing the internet buyer.  Less than 30% of all Northern Illinois Realtors take advantage of this extra marketing tool.  I wil...

The time is near for Ghosts, Ghouls, and Goblins.  When the Northern Illinois weather starts taking the dive into the 50's that means the best time of the year is approaching......HALLOWEEN!Halloween is my personal favorite holiday of the year.  We get to dress up and go to parties, decorate our ...

I frequent quite a few message boards / blogs throughout my day and on one of them, someone posted this question: "Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum but I have heard great things about how helpful people are here. So I want to clarify with you real-day experts who can give me genuine answers, in...

It's bad enough that agents have to battle the constant friction we receive from the media to "justify our fees" but there are bigger problems in the Northern Illinois market that agents here deal with on a constant basis......Out of area lenders!   Now before you fly off your handle and start wa...