The Rotary Club of Downers is hosting the third annual GroveFest from Thursday June 21st through Sunday June 24th.  The fest started three years ago when budget constraints forced the Village of Downers Grove to cancel the village’s summer party.  A few members of the Rotary Club viewed this as an opportunity to serve the community and help drive revenue to the club that provides aid to organizations such as SESPAR, YMCA and Alliance for Smiles.The fest has carnival rides, great local restaurants and a fun filled line up of entertainment from local dance troupes to the Cryan Shames to Dave Specter Blues Band as the headliner on Saturday night.  There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer to work the fest and help make this the best fest ever.For more information on the fest go to ww... 05/14/2012

The table below lists all of the single family detached and single family attached homes currently on the market in Downers Grove, IL The data lists available homes by price range with average time on market in each range.   Included in this list are many Foreclosures and Short Sale properties. Contact us for information on how we may assist you in seeing these properties. Active Listings List Price Range # Listings Avg. Days on Mkt Less than $49,999 16 443 $50,000 - $99,999 65 377 $100,000 - $149,999 49 456 $150,000 - $199,999 37 218 $200,000 - $249,999 33 449 $250,000 - $299,999 45 188 $300,000 - $349,999 39 351 $350,000 - $399,999 47 394 $400,000 - $449,999 18 164 $450,000 - $499,999 24 174 $500,000 - $549,999 15 253 $550,000 - $599,999 11 374 $600,000 - $699,999 26 409 $700,000 - $7... 04/27/2012

The table below lists all of the single family detached and single family attached homes currently on the market in Downers Grove, IL The data lists available homes by price range with average time on market in each range.   Included in this list are many Foreclosures and Short Sale properties. Contact us for information on how we may assist you in seeing these properties.   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 Less than $49,999 17 438 $50,000 - $99,999 63 404 $100,000 - $149,999 53 416 $150,000 - $199,999 44 161 $200,000 - $249,999 36 365 $250,000 - $299,999 46 197 $300,000 - $349... 03/25/2012

In the table below lists all of the single family detached and single family attached homes currently on the market in Downers Grove, IL The data lists available homes by price range with average time on market in each range.    Included in this list are many Foreclosures and Short Sales.   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 Less than $49,999 12 365 $50,000 - $99,999 65 382 $100,000 - $149,999 57 381 $150,000 - $199,999 38 262 $200,000 - $249,999 42 390 $250,000 - $299,999 41 335 $300,000 - $349,999 38 432 $350,000 - $399,999 46 413 $400,000 - $449,999 14 207 $450,000 - $499,999 ... 01/24/2012

Did you ever spend a great deal of time looking for something and it was in front of you the whole time.  I once remember traveling to Mexico and spent hours looking in several shops for the ideal chess board only to find the one I really liked in the Duty Free Shop.I’m looking for things to do on New Years Eve and low and behold the answer has been hitting me in the face all day.  I have had the local paper on my desk open to an advertisement  Carlucci’s New Years Eve party in Downers Grove.   $75 for Dinner, two drink tickets and great entertainment.  The best part for me is that the Double Tree Hotel is across the street.  I think a call to my friend Dan Techman, the catering manager is in order.  It’s a good life. 12/26/2011

Operation Pine Needle 2011     December 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th   The Knights of Columbus will be passing out   Free Christmas trees   at the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization 1001 W. Curtiss St. - Corner of Mochel & Curtiss St in Downes Grove Brian Krajewski, Chairman of the DGTRO and his office staff will be providing hot chocolate and cookies with a surprise visit from Santa Clause.  DGTRO is also going to ask some of the people in the community  to help us pass out Christmas trees to the needy.   .Christmas trees to the needy, what a great idea.  Everybody neeeds Christmas in their lives especially the ones less fortunate as I.  It's a good life. 12/21/2011

In the table below lists all of the single family detached and single family attached homes currently on the market in Downers Grove, IL The data lists available homes by price range with average time on market in each range.   Included in this list are many Foreclosures and Short Sales.   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 Less than $49,999 9 378 $50,000 - $99,999 74 417 $100,000 - $149,999 64 354 $150,000 - $199,999 37 312 $200,000 - $249,999 49 326 $250,000 - $299,999 40 356 $300,000 - $349,999 43 426 $350,000 - $399,999 46 390 $400,000 - $449,999 12 208 $450,000 - $499,999 15... 12/19/2011

Congratulations to the Downers Grove South Mustangs that advanced tonight to the Illinois High School Association Class 8A Football semi-finals with an convincing 41-14 victory over my Brother Rice Crusaders.  Both teams are very talented but the Mustangs made far less mistakes than Br Rice .Downers Grove South now awaits the winners of Mount Carmel vs Bolingbrook being played tomorrow.  It’s a good life 11/04/2011

                 VS                                                      Tonight Downers Grove South Mustangs play at home in the second round of the IHSA Class 8A Football Tournament starting at 7pm.  Now anybody thats’ familiar with Downers Grove South knows there colors are blue and white so why am I using orange font?  Because this blogger is a proud graduate of Br Rice High School, home of the Crusaders.  Though a good deal of my property tax  goes to Downers Grove South, tonight I will be cheering on the orange and maroon.  Below is a graph of the brackets for the tourney.  Hopefully when it’s completed Br Rice will be the 8A Champions.  It's a good life   11/04/2011

When one is purchasing a home the most important criteria is usually a great school district and High School District 99 is no exception.  District 99 covers Incorporated Dowers Grove, and parts of Unicorporated Downers Grove, Darien, Lisle, Oak Brook, Westmont and Woodridge.If you are not able to make it to Tom & Eddies be sure to pass on the word to this worthy cause.     10/31/2011

When a person has their back up against a wall there is usually that one person that is called upon.  Whether it be a person who has marginal credit and needs a loan or an entire community that is in the midst of losing a long running summer fest due to budget challenges, Keith Hoffman of 1st Advantage Mortgage almost always answers the call.I met Keith early on in my career as I did with many lenders but didn’t get a chance to truly know him until I decided to give back to my community.  I joined the Rotary Club of Downers Grove in December of 2004 and that is where I got to really know Keith.  I witnessed someone who was a proven leader and never afraid to roll up his sleeves and put his money where his mouth was.Keith has always given back to our community with things such as shavin... 10/31/2011

Where has the time gone?  It seems like yesterday that I was campaigning for a position on the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors Board of Directors and ultimately serving my local association.The last three years has been amazing.  I have learned so much and met such great people that actually I received MORe than I gave.  I encourage every Realtor to serve on a committee or two with their associations.  The education for your business is priceless and the networking opportunities become relationships that are created for a lifetime.I may not be in the boardroom over the next twelve months but I won’t be sitting on the sidelines and I encourage my fellow Realtors to join me. 07/14/2011

  Direct Action, a group of students at Downers Grove North High School who strive to make a difference in our world community, will be hosting a special one night screening of the 2009 Academy Award winning documentary, The Cove.  The Cove follows a high-tech dive team on a mission to discover the truth about the international dolphin capture trade as practiced in Taiji, Japan. The movie will take place tomorrow night, February 22nd at 6:30p.m. in the Downers Grove North Auditorium. There is no charge but donations are appreciated. Let’s hear it for 'The Cove' and the young people of Direct Action.             Direct Action Presents The Cove February 22, 2011 6:30pm Downers Grove North Auditorium 4436 Main St Downers Grove, IL 60515   02/21/2011

  When I was a kid, every Saturday my dad would load my sister and I into the car and drag us around the neighborhood to all of the different shops.  We would start at Tony & Jerry’s Grocery Store, followed by Caliendo’s Butcher Shop and finish up at the Egg Store.  Each store having it’s own unique specialty.  The Egg Store always amazed me as to how the cashiers would know the price of  the different items my dad would place on the counter. There were no scanners in those days and the the produce was never labeled. Then as I became older I realized that the cashiers would spend time walking around the store and memorize all of the prices and what was on sale.Today I was touring homes just like the cashiers used to tour the fruits and vegetables at the Egg Store. A fellow Realtor was ... 02/08/2011

Are you or one of your loved ones having trouble making your mortgage payments?   When your house is becoming a burden, many homeowners are considering a short sale to move the property. A Short Sale is a situation where the homeowners cannot sell the property for enough money to pay off the existing loans. The homeowner must negotiate with their lender to take less than what is owed. The following are some criteria which lenders use to determine if a borrower qualifies for a short sale:   1. Bad Health has befallen the borrower or an immediate family member and has crippled their personal   finances. 2. Death of a spouse has caused the borrower's income to drop. 3. Divorce has caused the borrower's income to drop. 4. The borrower has been called to active duty in the millitary and cann... 02/05/2011

Have a look and see how the Village of Downers Grove coped with all of the snow this week! We had mail delivered to our door as early as Thursday and Garbage pick up just one day behind schedule! These Guys Rock!           http://www.downers.us/top-stories/2011/02/04/scenes-from-the-snow-day-after?vdgs=true     02/04/2011

 Looking for a fun weekend with your    family and/or partner? Visit Downtown Downers Grove to see ice sculptures and enjoy a whole weekend worth of activities including a free scrrening of the movie "Happy Feet" at the Tivoli Theatre from 10-12 on Saturday Feb. 12th. Admission to the ice fest is $1.00.   This year we have loads of snow to go with it!   http://events.downers.us/calendar/upcoming-events     02/04/2011

It was a dark and stormy night on February 1, 2011. in Downers Grove. It started snowing heavily by mid afternoon. By 7pm it was a full fledged blizzard with 60 mile per hour winds, thunder and lightning. By 7:30 pm my electricity was off... Fortunately it was restored by 10:30 pm the same night. Thank you Com Ed! The next morning it was still snowing. It finally stopped around noon on Feb. 2, 2011. Ground Hog Day! The groundhog did not see his shadow, so we will have an early spring! With 21 inches of snow and drifts several feet high, that was a welcome thought! I am old enough to remember the famous Chicago Blizzard of 1967. It was the all time record of 23 inches of snow. The 2011 Blizzard just came in third, but I think that it was worse, because of the high winds and power outages... 02/03/2011

  I have never really been a big David Letterman fan but I always enjoy flipping through the channels and catching his Top Ten list.  I was reading today that people really love to look at lists and it got me to thinking that I could come up with my own top ten list.  But where do I start? Well I figured that last week I wrote about how Darien "is a nice place to live" then I could start with the next town over.  So here we go ladies and gentleman Joe Kenny's Top Ten Reasons to Move to Downers Grove Illinois. The Metra Train Service runs through the heart of the village and leads to Downtown Chicago. Is home to Award Winning Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital whose ER is a Level 1 Trauma Center Has great restaurants and shopping Less than 30 minutes away from O'Hare and Midway Airports a... 01/17/2011

Protect yourself when buying a foreclosed property! Over one million homes were seized by lenders in 2010, according to data recently published by Realty Trac, so chances are you may visit some of these homes in your house hunt. As the foreclosure documentation scandal grows, buyers who may be interested in purchasing a distressed property may wonder if they could have legal issues after closing. Some important points to consider are getting title insurance and getting a survey. If the buyer obtains a mortgage, their lender will require that they have a survey and title insurance, but if the buyer is paying cash it is not required. Title Insurance and a Survey are items that in Illinois are normally paid for by the seller, but banks may be unwilling to pay for them on foreclosed propert... 01/13/2011