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Barrington, IL Real Estate News

By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
If you are about to sell your home you'll likely be calling on Barrington Realtors to list your home and expose it to the largest part of the real estate market - the other Realtors. The reason for this is quite simple. We as Realtors are the ones with the majority of the buyers. To list your home for sale requires what we refer to as a listing agreement. A better term is an exclusive right to sell your home utilizing our MLS as a vehicle to expose to other Barrington Realtors. It is a written contract laying out what the Realtor is expected to do and in what timeframe. Today we are talking about that time-frame, what it can be, what it should be, what effect the time-frame may have on the marketing of your home. An agreement can be anything from 1 day to 1 year. After a year you can ag...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
As usual at this time of year our weather is like a yo-yo. We've seen a lot of rain in the last few days, it's been cloudy all last week, and now the cold is back with temperatures dropping into the 30's for the week ahead. Snow, dare I say it, will be here very soon. Now that winter is around the corner, winterizing your Barrington homes doesn't take long if you are living in your house. The majority of homes here in the Barrington area have large lots and acreage. So let's take a look at what you can do outside to help you through the winter months: Air conditioning units. Wrap the A/C condenser. This is done to prevent the constant water that gets through the top, freezing and melting which can cause damage. That said do not over wrap. We still need it to have air flow even though it...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
Open houses in Barringtonin the years preceding the explosion of the internet, were a very common thing. In todays real estate business they have certainly declined in popularity, let's face it the chance of someone driving around, stumbling upon an open house, visiting and buying the house are slim to none. I am not saying it doesn't happen but the odds are very low. Buyers today use the internet to do their research, which is a good thing. So why are Barrington open houses a liability Corinne? A Barrington listing Realtor, or not so good, a Realtor from the same office will hold your house open to the public for 2 to 4 hours. One person. The Realtors job is to sell the house right? Maybe not! It's a true statement that the reason other Realtors will hold the house open is not to sell ...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
In my daily life as a Barrington real estate broker, I meet with all sorts of responses about my working with an independent real estate brokerage in Barrington. Whether it's raised eyebrows, looks of confusion or about 6 times a year a request from another broker to meet for lunch so they can recruit me, reactions are diverse. So I thought it's about time I explained in print why I like working as an independent and how it benefits me. First it's important to explain that Royal Advocate Realty in Barrington the owners of RealEstateInBarrington.com, RealEstateLakeZurich.com and RelocationHouseHunters.com is my company. Having started out in real estate as an agent with a local independent company then moving to a large franchise name it was clear to me I did not like their business mode...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
Welcome, if you found this post then the chances are you will be relocating to South Barrington sometime in the not too distant future, or South Barrington is one area you are considering for your new home. As relocation specialists we are glad you found us. It doesn't matter whether you are coming thousands of miles, or from another suburban city closeby, packing up and moving is no easy task and our goal is to make the process less stressful. You might wonder why we love helping relocating families. If you read our bio hopefully all will become clear! If not I think it's a simple as using real life experiences to help my clients have a better experience. I make no bones about it, I consider myself far more experienced that other South Barrington Realtors. Why? Because I have the uniqu...
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By David Spencer, Show Me real estate in Kansas City
(Keller Williams Northland)
In the table below lists all of the single family detached and single family attached homes currently on the market in Barrington, IL The data lists available homes by price range with average time on market in each range.  Should you have an interest in homes in a selected price range, send me your physical characteristics requirements. I will send complete details on those homes that meet your criteria.
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By Randy Schulenburg, Schulenburg Realty, Inc.
(Schulenburg Realty, Inc.)
It's a problem that's not going away anytime soon.  It's also a Nationwide problem and not just isolated to your area.  The problem is that as of this writing 30% +/- of all homeowners Nationwide owe more on their home than what it is currently worth. Now for those who have not lost their job, been downsized or had some other hardship occur in their lives to where they can no longer afford their mortgage payments, too owe more on their house than its current value is really not an issue.  After all, you're still able to make the payments and maybe even take advantage of some of the lowest mortgage rates than most of us have ever experienced. "But what about me?"; you may ask.  I am having a really tough time making ends meet every month.  The mortgage on my house is the single biggest p...
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By David Spencer, Show Me real estate in Kansas City
(Keller Williams Northland)
In the table below lists all of the single family detached and single family attached homes currently on the market in Barrington, IL The data lists available homes by price range with average time on market in each range.    Should you have an interest in homes in a selected price range, send me your physical characteristics requirements. I will send complete details on those homes that meet your criteria. Active Listings List Price Range # Listings Avg. Days on Mkt $50,000 - $99,999 2 144 $100,000 - $149,999 20 247 $150,000 - $199,999 39 311 $200,000 - $249,999 41 293 $250,000 - $299,999 36 200 $300,000 - $349,999 35 276 $350,000 - $399,999 30 194 $400,000 - $449,999 31 199 $450,000 - $499,999 30 205 $500,000 - $549,999 20 297 $550,000 - $599,999 45 224 $600,000 - $699,999 55 393 $70...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
Homes in Barrington are like books, some are short stories and others are epic novels.  The bigger the house the longer it's going to take to review. When we get to mansion level there's so much to take in a notebook is a good idea, unless of course you have a photographic memory. I certainly don't have one and cannot remember every detail for every house, especially when I see so many in a week. As a buyers agent here in Barrington I get to show short stories and epic novels. I am not one of those agents that'll just drag you from room to room and then ask if you are interested in making an offer. Good Lord, how boring is that, actually that's just a little too robotic don't you think? Homes in Barrington run the gamut. Everything from one bedroom condos to mansions and estates with 4 ...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
Colonial homes in Barrington are one of the most popular styles and can be found in many of our neighborhoods. So what is the definition of a Colonial home? It might surprise us to know that there are more than one Colonial style. Colonial might therefore mean something different to you than to me. For me a colonial style home would be like the Lake Barrington home shown below. From the siding fascia to the center door and symmetrical shape, as well as the straight lines of windows on both levels, and center porch, homes like this are what I consider Colonial. Inside you'll also find New England Style panel doors and decorative crown moldings above with flattened moldings on the side. You can also see that on the windows exterior trim style. Home interiors have a central hallway with st...
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By David Spencer, Show Me real estate in Kansas City
(Keller Williams Northland)
In the table below lists all of the single family detached and single family attached homes currently on the market in Barrington Hills, IL The data lists available homes by price range with average time on market in each range. Should you have an interest in homes in a selected price range, send me your physical characteristics requirements. I will send complete details on those homes that meet your criteria. Active Listings List Price Range # Listings Avg. Days on Mkt $50,000 - $99,999 2 444 $100,000 - $149,999 19 246 $150,000 - $199,999 40 301 $200,000 - $249,999 46 263 $250,000 - $299,999 34 206 $300,000 - $349,999 36 279 $350,000 - $399,999 31 202 $400,000 - $449,999 31 204 $450,000 - $499,999 35 182 $500,000 - $549,999 23 283 $550,000 - $599,999 44 226 $600,000 - $699,999 53 394 ...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
When you've got Barrington real estate to sell, you need exposure. Exposure will ultimately bring you a buyer. By listing with a Barrington Realtor, you'll get exposure to all the other Realtors and their clients. In terms of where your buyer is that pretty much accounts for 80% of buyers. But what about all the buyers who are just researching, the ones in the early stages, the ones not yet ready to start offically looking for a new home. We all know they are online surfing the cyberspace waves and looking at listings. Do we? Well we know but what about you? Time after time we tell you that your Barrington property is being advertised online and getting the best exposure possible. As the seller you accept what we tell you, and that's great because it means you trust us. But wouldn't it ...
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By David Spencer, Show Me real estate in Kansas City
(Keller Williams Northland)
In the table below lists all of the single family detached and single family attached homes currently on the market in Barrington, IL The data lists available homes by price range with average time on market in each range. Should you have an interest in homes in a selected price range, send me your physical characteristics requirements. I will send complete details on those homes that meet your criteria. Active Listings List Price Range # Listings Avg. Days on Mkt $50,000 - $99,999 1 229 $100,000 - $149,999 21 250 $150,000 - $199,999 37 312 $200,000 - $249,999 48 266 $250,000 - $299,999 34 198 $300,000 - $349,999 40 260 $350,000 - $399,999 32 199 $400,000 - $449,999 34 194 $450,000 - $499,999 34 156 $500,000 - $549,999 22 297 $550,000 - $599,999 42 230 $600,000 - $699,999 51 397 $700,0...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
Real Estate in Barrington's primary goal is to help buyers find the perfect home at the right price. The right price can sometimes be a little difficult to pin down. Barrington does not have your typical subdivisions like in many of the suburbs with cookie cutter type homes from which to pick recent comparable sales from. So how can a buyers agent not only come up with some good comparable sales but also educate the buyer on prices?  The best choice for you is to pick a Barrington Realtor. Even better if they have also lived in Barrington for a while. You see looking at sales in our MLS system is one thing but you and I both know you should never judge a book by it's cover. An out of town Realtor is going to do just that. While it may give them an idea or range of pricing, there are con...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
It has certainly turned cooler in the last few days, I am sure many of you like me are enjoying the fresh air. If you haven't turned off the A/C do it now, open up the windows and breathe. I have my windows open at night, it's so refreshing and I sleep a lot better too. So now we have started the turn towards fall, the kids are back at school and another month's real estate has passed in Barrington, it's time for an update. I wonder if many of you heard what Case Shiller said about real estate in the Chicago area. Apparently our prices have risen a little in the last few months but it's really hard to know if it's true. Unless you sell the exact same homes my feeling is it's just too subjective. Also bear in mind that's for the whole of the Chicago area. I am sure you care more about Ba...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
Summer is not done yet, you only have to check today's weather forecast to know we have a couple of days of 90 degree temps. You might also see Monday 5th is forecast to be 66F for a high temperature. Sounds a little chilly right? September in Barrington has an average day time temperature of 74F. Another school year has started and the yellow buses are out in force. Remember to add a few minutes to your morning commute. I am sure Mom's are glad to have the kids occupied after 10 weeks of "What can I do?"  After school programs are ramping up and weekend matches will be seen on the football and soccer fields very soon. Local colleges also started at the end of August and my youngest son is getting used to his new routine, he managed to get a 3 day weekend, every weekend, nice for some e...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
August 2011 - Still firmly a buyers market in Barrington, with more than 6 months inventory, a lot more, marketing times still on average around 9 months, and you want or need to sell your Barrington home. Yet the home is old, does not conform to the neighborhood, usually a different age or considerably smaller, and has not been updated. The cold hard fact is your sale is going to be a tough one. I am not in the habit of sugar coating what I see to appease you, to me that's just about as bad a telling a lie. I am a straight shooter. I tell it like it is. This is how it is. Buyers want as new as they can get, the best substitute for that is as updated as they can get. They want the best locations, no busy roads, or big buildings closeby. They look at the best homes their money can buy an...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
Barrington Hills, long renowned for being the Equestrian location, has a more diverse choice than buyers might imagine. The majority of Barrington Hills properties are located on 5 acre lots, there are some with larger parcels of land too, but there are also some small areas with 1 acre lots and even a subdivision of duplexes and homes on lot sizes about 0.2 of an acre. If you are considering Barrington Hills for your next home here a few of the options open to you: Paganica of Barrington Hills - Remember we talked about duplexes? Well this is where you will find them, just a few. Paganica is not a huge subdivision but it is very unique for Barrington Hills. You will not be able to bring horses here! The majority of homes are single family with quarter acre lots or there-about and the s...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
Can I Live In Barrington Without A Car? For an English girl that when living at home used to walk everywhere, this might seem an odd question. But once I moved to the US it was apparent that walking everywhere was really not possible, even just to a few places would present hurdles. So can I live in Barrington without a car? Well the answer is it depends where in Barrington I live and what I might need that Barringtn does not have. Where in Barrington should I live so I can walk everywhere? Barrington is a big place and I am referring to the entire zip code of 60010, but to be close to things I need that I can walk to, my best bet is the Village of Barrington and close to the center. How does this help me? Here are the things I can walk to if I live close to the center of the village: T...
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By Corinne Guest, Barrington Lifestyles
(Corinne Guest, REALTOR® | Barrington Realty Company)
First what is a PUD. It's a planned unit development. PUD's can be small, like Savannah in Lake Barrington for example. It only has 43 properties but it was built as a PUD. Most new construction of multiple homes in a subdivision today are built as PUDS.  Some PUD's are huge. Barrington does not have a large one but an example would be Dell Webb Sun City in Huntley. Lots of homes there, I believe about 5500. I have a friend in Arizona who lives on a PUD. It has 40,000 homes on it. That's about 4 times the size of all of the Barringtons'! Boggles my mind. A PUD will have CC&R's Yes another acronym! CC&R's stands for  Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions. When a PUD is designed it makes best use of the space to provide properties but also green space. Gone are the days of straight line ...
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