One of the benefits of the economic stimulus plan was the increase in FHA loan limits, (currently 410,000 in DuPage and Will Counties), opening up another avenue of financing for home buyers.  Some of the benefits include: -FHA loans are federally insured -Qualifying for an FHA loans is  not driven by your credit score -FHA loans require as little as 3% down payment -FHA loans allow sellers to finance buyer closing costs -Buyers down payments can be obtained as a gift from a family member As the real estate "bubble" has burst, home prices have become more affordable than ever.  This is great news for Naperville home buyers.   Naperville was  ranked #3  in Money  magazines "Best  Places to Live". Naperville is well known for its thriving downtown and luxury homes.  However, I have a se... 08/12/2008

Built in the 80's, Cress Creek is located in Naperville on Ogden west of Mill Road and east of River Road. The Golf course community of Cress Creek Country Club Estates was the first community in Illinois to be built around a golf course. Amenities include swimming pools, tennis courts, pro shops and restaurants. Cress Creek Park has recreation areas for neighborhood children and families and the Cress Creek homeowners association has active participation from its residents. 28 homes sold in Cress Creek in Naperville from $114,000-$1,800,000 with an average price of $410,041 within the last 6 months. For up to date information on homes for sale, real estate agents, or recent home sales for Cress Creek in Naperville, click Cress Creek 08/08/2008

Brookdale Subdivision in Naperville. Built in the 80's and 90's, Brookdale is located in Naperville on River Road north of Ogden. 21 homes sold in Brookdale in Naperville from $149,000-$520,000 with an average price of $319,400 within the last 6 months. For up to date homes for sale, real estate agents, or recent home sales for Brookdale in Naperville, click Brookdale   08/08/2008

Ashbury in Naperville Built in the early-to-mid 90's, Ashbury is located in Naperville on 95th Street east of Book. The Ashbury Subdivision is made up of over 514 acres of land. 1000 single family homes targeted toward families and designed for luxurious active lifestyles, Ashbury features its own aquatic center, tennis courts, and ball fields. A neighborhood where children can walk to school, play ball, soccer and tennis in the park and then cool off at the aquatic wonderland all located on quiet meandering streets. In addition to its water park, central club house and tennis courts you will find a fish-filled pond, walking trails and an active homeowners association with many annual community events. 22 homes sold in Ashbury in Naperville from $374,000-$875,000 with an average price o... 08/08/2008

Naperville Home Sales Average List Price and Sale Prices by subdivision in the Naperville area. Single Family HomesSearch Previous Sales Subdivision Sales Avg. List Avg. Sale Ratio Andermann Acres 1 $599,999.00 $540,000.00 90 Ashbury 22 $540,145.23 $522,752.27 96.8 Ashwood Creek 7 $665,828.57 $651,350.86 97.8 Ashwood Park 7 $883,642.86 $873,322.00 98.8 Bay Colony 1 $300,000.00 $300,000.00 100 Breckenridge Estates 5 $597,440.00 $566,900.00 94.9 Brighton Ridge 4 $534,950.00 $507,250.00 94.8 Brook Crossing 9 $325,640.22 $309,671.44 95.1 Brookdale 15 $390,878.20 $374,093.33 95.7 Brookwood Trace 4 $521,033.25 $510,000.00 97.9 Brush Hill 7 $383,942.86 $374,410.86 97.5 Burnham Point 2 $583,825.00 $557,500.00 95.5 Buttonwood 3 $426,566.67 $403,333.33 94.6 Campus Green 1 $474,000.00 $450,000.00... 08/08/2008

What a beautiful day it is.  One thing that is AWESOME about being a Realtor is that work can be done anywhere anytime. I know some agents swear by going into the office, but not me.  Why punish myself? I am on my back deck.  A beautiful day here in Naperville.  Probably 80 degrees and no humidity. Birds are chirping.  Erin is playing in the back yard. I laugh.  She must have pulled off her diaper in the sandbox.  She is running around with no pants! Anyway, I am sitting here enjoying the day and continuing my note writing campaign.  I am up to the O's in my database.  I have written 51 notes so far in 6 days. I would like to be finished within a week. Ken To find your next home, go to my website anytime! 08/08/2008

Naperville Real Estate Welcome to the Naperville, IL Real Estate site. Search for Naperville homes for sale, Naperville real estate agents, or recent Naperville home sales using these real estate tools. Get complete access to all available homes for sale on the MLS in Naperville and the surrounding areas. We have hundreds of listings including condos, town homes, foreclosures, new homes, duplexes, and vacant land with photos. Refine your real estate search in Naperville, Illinois by price, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, property type (including townhouses, condos, and single-family homes), garage, architectual style, age of home and subdivision or complex. See average Naperville listing prices, Naperville sale prices and information for local school districts. Naperville, Illinois has ... 08/08/2008

  Staying healthy and getting your five servings of fruits and vegetables is made easy at Naperville’s Farmers Market.   Farmers from Michigan (Such an awesome state!) bring in fresh fruits and vegetables, but you need to get there early or you will be left with slim pick-ins (I made that mistake once).   Fruits and vegetables are not the only thing you can buy at the Farmers Market, fresh baked bread, cheese, homemade salsa, honey and all things made with honey, fresh herbs, homemade olive muffalata (reminds me of Italian gardinara) and a lot of beautiful flowers to choose from.   The Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fifth Avenue Station parking lot and runs until Oct 25th and is sponsored by the Naperville Farmer's Market Association.     08/07/2008

The new "housing" bill has a few interesting things to say about Reverse Mortgages. These are "mortgages" where the lender pays you while you stay in the house. For many people that's the only way that they can maintain their property as living on a fixed income (social security and perhaps a pension) just doesn't cover the inflationary rise of medicines, utilities and food. One of my clients, took a reverse mortgage when she turned 62...and that made her life good. However, there are some drawbacks...high closing costs and a limited amount of money that you can withdraw. So, if you want to do this...investigate and compare your options. The new bill attempts to limit the fees, as its loan origination fee is set at 2 per cent of any loan under $200,000. Higher loans will have a fee of 1... 08/06/2008

Here are some questions that you as a consumer might want to ask the agent that you hire to represent you. 1) How long have you been in the business? I started in real estate back in the pre-historic days. 1976 to be exact. Took a full year of business courses which included real estate sales and management. And, passed my exam and got my assigned desk in a brand-new office with several other brand-new agents. No computers in those days. No electronic keyboxes. No internet. We kept a black notebook and made changes to it on a daily basis. We toured all the new listings several times a week and attended mandatory weekly meetings, even though we were independent contractors. 2) Are you a REALTOR? I am a card carrying REALTOR, a member of the National Association of REALTORS, the Illinois ... 08/02/2008

My 2008 Real Estate Predictions-Revisited and Revised August 1, 2008   It's hard to write a blog that contains downbeat news. 2007 was just awful for real estate. And, 2008, I believe, will even be worse. Wow! How true. This housing depression is almost as bad as the depression in the 1930’s. Some people feel it is worse! According to RealtyTrac there are over 200,000 homes a month in the foreclosure process, and they expect that number to increase. By next summer we may have 2 million homes across the country in the foreclosure process. Yes, the Case-Shiller monthly housing report of 20 major metropolitan areas has shown that every area has decreased housing prices and increased inventory. In my sub-division homes have dropped anywhere from $75,000 to over $100,000 in price. And market... 08/01/2008

I do.  At least one of them... They are looking at a townhome in North Aurora.  WITHOUT ME!!! This is a client I met about a year back.  I think I have been servicing the heck out of him. Anyway, about 6 months back, he casually mentioned to me, "I had a friend that just became a Realtor.  Don't worry Ken.  I am loyal to you." I knew I was dead. One week ago, he said, "We certainly have a long term relationship!" Another nail in the coffin. Anyway, I played it cool.  We looked at more homes, made a bid at one that missed, and now... He goes to see a home with a friend... Thick skin. Everything is a learning experience. Rock on. Ken To find your next home, go to my website anytime. 07/31/2008

Dear Frustrated Personal Growth & Success Seeker, Why is it that every time you buy a personal development product you're guaranteed the world but nothing in your life ever changes?   Is it because of you? Is it because of the people around you? Is it because of your past?   The answer to all of them is a big, fat...NO!   And here's why... Most personal development "experts" don't fully understand what it takes to change your life. They don't understand human nature. They don't understand what motivates you to take the time and energy to create the life you've always dreamed of. They don't truly understand how to make you change. Let me explain... There's one specific aspect of personal development that virtually no other product or system addresses. Without it, you're almost guaranteed... 07/31/2008

Those looking for more of a "country" feel in Naperville Illinois need to check out the subdivision of Wheatland South. Conveniently located at the corner of 103rd and Book Road, Wheatland South has homes very reasonably priced starting in the low 300k's. If you like big yards, big trees, low property taxes?  Top schools in the state?  Wheatland South might be for you. Ken To search for homes in Wheatland South, go to my website anytime. 07/29/2008

Naperville, IL - another top ten place to live Taking into account the excellent schooling facilities, a buoyant local job situation and real estate pricing that's more affordable than ever, Naperville Il has made it into the top ten places to live once again. The 2008 statistics place Naperville IL 3rd in the top ten. Naperville home search Rest assured that when the time is right to move to Naperville a long time resident such as myself is ideally placed to assist in your home searching and real estate transaction. With many subdivisions and exciting new developments in Naperville IL you can rely on my local expertise to ensure your home transaction is smooth and trouble-free. If you're considering a move to Naperville, IL then please consider me your real estate partner. 07/29/2008

White Eagle subdivision, Naperville IL A beautiful community of around 1000 homes located on and around a Signature Arnold Palmer designed golf course. White Eagle subdivision in Naperville offers you access to 2 clubs, one is exclusively for White Eagle owners. Imagine golfing on your doorstep. Imagine spending time using the exclusive home owners facilities. Entertain in your new home after a round on White Eagle golf course. Choose from spacious single family homes or the luxury Golf Villas homes on the fairways. Well positioned on Route 59 just south of I-88 getting to and from White Eagle is easy at any time. Development of the area surrounding White Eagle has been at such a pace offering many local amenities to all local residents As a resident of White Eagle subdivision myself I ... 07/29/2008

Eileen's Naperville Single Family Stats for July, 2008 Currently we see the following market statistics: NAPERVILLE SINGLE FAMILY LISTINGS ACTIVES Bedrooms #Active Avg LP Avg Market Time ALL 1356 680,191 194 DAYS 3 284 381,389 160 DAYS 4 860 669,062 196 DAYS 5+ 189 1,222,604 236 DAYS   SOLDS (in the past 6 months) 513 HOMES SOLD 67 PER CENT OF MARKET SOLD $470,542 AVERAGE SALES PRICE 94 PER CENT LIST-TO-SELL RATIO Based upon today’s Case-Shiller monthly housing report, prices are still dropping in all the top 20 metropolitan areas. No surprise. Fewer lenders also…and much harder underwriting standards are causing many sales NOT to close. Be prepared to document everything and it will take longer to get to the closing table. Buyers with less than 10% down payment will find that the only ... 07/29/2008

Last week I wrote about the rally we have seen in the stock market.  At the time, oil had dropped $18 to $129 per barrel, and the Dow 30 was up 600 points in just 4 days. I felt at the time that the stock market was up in a relief rally, celebrating the pull back in oil. Well, oil has continued to fall, while the stock market rally has lost it's steam. Oil is currently trading at $124 per barrel, while the Dow is currently trading at 11180, off 400 points from it's recent high. What's going on?  Who knows, I am just a Realtor!!!:) But I have a guess. Oil is still too high.  It will settle out around $70 per barrel sometime in the next two years. As far as the stock market, if you are a long term investor (and you should be), then you should be dollar cost averaging into diversified mutu... 07/28/2008

When you go through the short sale process your lender will require certain documentation. Remember, the lender does not want to take the home back through foreclosure. That is a last resort for both the homeowner and the lender. The lender would rather accept a short sale as long as the borrower can show an inability to pay the mortgage. Each lender has their list of required documentation. Therefore, the first step is to give your Realtor signed authorization to speak with the lender about your account. Your Realtor will then request a "short sale package" from the lender. Most lenders require the following documentation. Exclusive right of Sale Listing Agreement A copy of the executed "AS-IS" Sale and Purchase contract Letter of Authorization to the bank to release Information. HUD-... 07/21/2008

Naperville Illinois has made another appearance on Money Magazines 100 Best Places To Live list for small towns.  This year Naperville has secured the #3 spot behind only Plymoth, MN and Fort Collins, CO.   "It's no wonder Naperville has made Money's Best Places list three times now. The walkable downtown area is packed with restaurants and shops. The popular Riverwalk is a nearly two-mile brick path that follows the DuPage River's course through town." For the full article, follow the link here: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/snapshots/PL1751622.html   Our office services the entire Naperville area and we'd be happy to meet with you to assist in your real estate needs.   Joe My Website for more information about Naperville. 07/14/2008