The Crazy world we call Real Estate

Traditionally, in what I like to call "old school" real estate, all the real estate agents represent sellers.  Even YOUR agent was working for the seller...not you.  But now, as a result of new agency laws, consumers have a choice: Buyer's Agents who represent buyers. That's a big difference! A B...

Most of us glance occasionally at the hoards of real estate listings of homes for sale in the newspaper. We search the real estate listings out of curiosity for what's happening in the real estate market and as a guide to what our own property might be worth. For many of us, searching the real es...

Backyard swimming pools as nice as they are when the weather is hot, aren't necessarily a hot commodity across the country. It is a natural tendency for people to want to have a home that is better if not equal when they move to a new place.  Homeowners transferring to the Northern Illinois area ...

When it comes to buying a home from a financially-distressed homeowner, many people conjure up the image of vultures swooping in on their helpless prey. And, sadly, there are more than a few unscrupulous opportunists looking to take advantage of homeowners who find themselves in foreclosure. In t...

The main reason that home owners decide to sell their homes themselves is to save the commission charged by a real estate agent. The commission rate varies, depending on which marketing plan you choose. Weighing against that commission rate are the advantages that having an agent offers.Advantage...

A great philosopher once said  that all movements have three periods.  The first phase is change as perceived as necessary.   The internet became necessary because people had access to limited information.  There was little transparency, and the consumer had no voice.  Oftentimes the consumer was...

If you are building a home, remodeling a home, or just plain trying to sell an existing home in Northern Illinois, you will find some tips below on what to look for in 2007. " What's hot and what's not" will add resale dollars and enjoyment to your new home, increase your investment payback in a ...

I have been following the residential housing market closely for many now years and have tried over and over to make the case to friends, colleagues and family members that reduced lending standards were the primary driver behind skyrocketing real estate prices over the past five years; not the e...

Just to show that no one has a clue as to what will happen with the housing market, or anything else for that matter, here are two items I spotted this morning on another site:Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lewis, the leader of the world's second-biggest bank by market valu...

Agents are well aware of this growing epidemic and I hate to beat a dead horse but here are some more figures. I was reading thorugh my local paper today and I found 4 new foreclosures right in my subdivision, which prompted me to post this.Foreclosure filings in May 2007 up 90 percent nationwide...