Last week my sellers at 2212 Candlewood Dr. in Plainfield IL sold their home, and they needed to find a new home on the double! One of the hazards of my profession is wanting to move into a vast majority of the homes I preview with clients.  Like... real bad. It depends on the price range, and the sellers taste in decor of course, but I get a really bad case of "keeping up with the Jone's" when I see something I like.  The awesomeness of home shopping with the Farrows is that they have 5 kids too.  They were looking for the "supersized home" just like I would be if I were in the market for a new home.  And if I were them, I, without a doubt, would have chosen exactly the same house that they did in that price range. The idea of moving ever again just makes me nauseous, but I always thin... 06/08/2010

 Don't buy a home without a home inspection!  Protect your biggest investment with a quality home inspection.  A Plus Home and Building Inspection has over 30 years experience in the building sciences, offering standard home inspections, warranty, and new construction inspections.  Jess Alvarez is the owner and A.S.H.I. Certified inspector at the premier property inspection firm, located in North/Central Illinois.  Jess is dedicated to providing the best inspection service, period.  Radon & Mold testing services are also available.  "Where You Find Peace of Mind" Call 815-941-2345 or visit http://www.aplusinspector.com/ or http://www.aphbi.com/ for more information.   My clients' testimonials say it best: Jess - Thank you so much for getting this report done today, we really appreciate ... 06/08/2010

The Plainfield IL luxury home market has slowed a bit due to the lack of buyers in the market in this economy.  Most of the buyers in this market are first time home buyers which has slowed the volume of luxury home sales in Plainfield, IL.  Sellers priced above $350,000 can expect longer market times and higher seller concessions during negotiation in this market, but the good news is that homes are selling!  Buyers have somewhat of  a limited amount of choices in this price range because sellers that don’t have to sell, are reluctant to sell in this market. With the right mindset and a good attitude, you can sell your luxury Plainfield IL home for a good price in this market! Recent home sales in the Plainfield IL luxury home market include… Dunmoor Estates: 13432 Skyline Dr. sold for... 06/03/2010

This may not have anything to do with Home Staging, but it's sure a fun look at what you can do with inexpensive coffee filters around the house!! Check out my website for more "green" links to websites to save money and the earth www.dwdesignstudio.org.   Coffee Filters don't take up as much space as a roll of paper towels.   Better than paper towels and a lot less expensive...      COFFEE FILTERS Coffee  filters . Who knew!   And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Store for almost nothing -- even the large ones. 1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the  microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.  2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome...  Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling. 3.  Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between... 05/24/2010

  In the world of short sales, there are no rules.  Just trends.  Lots of them.  That change like the wind.  On a daily basis.  Without notice.  Sometimes on a whim…. Can you tell I’m frustrated?  I could certainly use other words, but that wouldn’t be nice. So before I get into this too deeply, I just have to put up this little disclaimer:  I am not an attorney.  I do not give legal advice.  All of the information contained on this website is for informational purposes based on my experience as a Plainfield IL short sale and real estate professional.   Now, where was I?  Oh, yeah.  I was about to complain. Deficiency judgments are getting nasty on the sellers side of the transaction by both the bank, and the sellers.  This week my seller had her short sale approved by Bank of America a... 05/24/2010

Now that the home buyer credit has expired for qualified buyers, those that missed out on the opportunity to get the credit will now be looking to save some money on the purchase of their new home. Short sales were overlooked during the frenzy to purchase a property before the credit expired because of the length of time it took to get them approved, but they are now back in the game. But exactly how long do short sales to get approved? Knowing that I wasn't going to get an easy answer, I decided the most objective way to get the info that I wanted was to analyze the data from the last 30 days. I found a lot of similarities among the listings, and a few surprises too. Among the variables in the world of short sales, the lender and the person behind the short sale makes all the differenc... 05/18/2010

PlacesInPlainfield.com is seeking content from local Plainfield businesses.  I am looking for any information you'd like to provide to potential customers.  This could include descriptions of your business, photos, PDF files of forms, menus, coupons, etc.  All information will be posted on placesinplainfield.com and will be blogged on Activerain.com, a leading real estate blogging platform.  Feel free to start your own post regarding your business at myforum.placesinplainfield.com.   Additional content will build my site's (and your site's) Google ranking enabling more customers to find your content.  This is free internet advertising for your business.  If you already have your own website, more links to your page will improve your sites SEO.  Please visit placesinplainfield.com to see... 05/18/2010

Plainfield Chiropractic is conveniently located at the west end of downtown Plainfield at 15104 South James Street, Plainfield, IL.  Dr. Joseph Conklin established Plainfield Chiropractic in 1978 as the first office chiropractic office in Plainfiedl.  The current office location was established in 1990. Chiropractic care enables patients to feel better by relieving pressure on the spine caused by misalignment. Chiropractic improves overall health by helping the body operate more efficiently and fight infection and disease without medication.  Patients of chiropractic report having more energy, sleeping better and having fewer or less intense illness and allergy symptoms.  Many patients with back pain may also be able to avoid expensive and painful back surgery by following a regimented ... 05/18/2010

Mortgage Rates Are Still Low! If you are in the market to buy a home or other real estate in Plainfield, Illinois, Naperville, Illinois, or the surrounding areas, call me or visit www.cherylbowers.com. It is still a great time to buy a house. Prices are still low and despite the April 30th expiration of the Federal Home Tax Credit, mortgage rates are still low! For the third straight week, mortgage rates have remained nearly the same. The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage inched down 1 basis point, or one-hundredth of one percentage point, this week, to 5.21%, according to the Bankrate.com's national survey of large lenders. There was an average total of 0.45 discount and origination points in the mortgages included in this week's survey. For comparison, one year ago, the mortgage i... 05/06/2010

It's Moving Season...Take Precautions Did you recently buy your home or sell your home? Are you going to be moving into or out of the home soon? Did you know that The Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois received more than 850 complaints against movers and storage companies? Risks with Hiring Movers or Storage Companies: Damaged Goods Lost Goods Final Prices Higher than Original Estimate Sometimes Movers Won't Deliver Goods without Additional Payments Tips (Provided by The American Moving & Storage Association and The Better Business Bureau): Movers must be licensed by the Illinois Commerce Commission or the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Verify the movers motor carrier number at www.icc.illinios.gov or www.protectyourmove.gov Get at least three in-home e... 05/05/2010

As the very first active adult community in the greater Chicagoland area, Carillon in Plainfield, IL is still as popular as ever. This gated IL 55+ community started in 1989 and is now an exciting community of almost 2,100 homes. There are numerous different floor plans to choose from among the resale homes in Carillon. Home styles include condos, coach homes, townhomes and single family ranch homes. Prices are very reasonable beginning in the low $100’s. Carillon homeowners enjoy a wonderful selection of amenities highlighted by the recently renovated community clubhouse, Club Carillon. This amazing facility is 32,000 square feet and features an indoor pool & spa, fitness center, aerobics & dance studio, ballroom, card & game room, billiards hall, library and several hobby rooms for ce... 05/03/2010

Attention Plainfield, Naperville, Illinois Residents - Home Tax Credit Expires Tonight... Other Offers Still Available Did you recently buy a home in Plainfield, Naperville, Oswego, Joliet, or Aurora Illinois? If you did, congratulations on taking advantage of the federal government Home Tax Credit deal! Even though the federal government's Home Tax Credit deal expires tonight at midnight, you can still take advantage of some great offers. If you recently bought a home or are still looking to buy a home in Plainfield, Naperville, Oswego, Joliet, or Aurora Illinois, I want to remind you of a few of those offers that run through at least December 31, 2010: 1.       30% Credit up to $1,500 for the purchase of energy-efficient products, including: Windows and Doors Heating , Ventilating, a... 04/30/2010

Yesterday, as I was dropping in on recently expired listings, I met a couple in Plainfield whose home was a short sale.  I offered them the help of an investor that I met recently who makes cash offers on short sales, negotiates a price with the bank on the seller's behalf, then sells the home to a  3rd party buyer below market value as an approved short sale.  The investor's goal is to help people improve their chances of selling their home by shortening the period of time that it takes for a short sale to close.  For this Plainfield short sale home, the owners already had a cash offer from a buyer, but were having difficulty negotiating the terms with their lender.   The following is the story that they told me about their frustrations with their lender, PNC National City. The home wa... 04/25/2010

If you are planning on selling you home through a short sale, you might want to hold off on filing for a bankruptcy if you haven't already.  *As a disclaimer, I am not an attorney and I am not offering legal advice.* A bankruptcy halts all foreclosure proceedings until the bankruptcy is discharged or dismissed; permission from the court must be given to sell the property as part of the bankruptcy.   Permission can be granted, but it will delay and prolong the short sale process without a doubt. Another reason you may want to hold off on a bankruptcy is, in the event of having a deficiency judgment filed against you, you can include the deficiency in the bankruptcy after you close the short sale of your home.  Deficiency judgments are becoming more common in situations where income is no... 03/08/2010

Much of my current listing inventory belongs to homeowners wishing to sell and purchase a larger, maybe nicer home that they previously might not have been able to afford.                                                                    If you find yourself in that crowd, I have some advice for you before you place your home on the market: Call a lender! Purchasing a move-up home on a contingency is difficult enough as it is. There are a lot of logistical issues to work out.  Just as important, lending regulations & qualifications have changed greatly since you bought your current home. *You need to make sure that your credit is healthy.  *You need to determine what you can realistically afford. *You need to determine how much money you will need to put down on the new home. This is e... 03/06/2010

This whole short sale business has my nerves on end.  I've got between 1 and 2 homes closing every month since I've filled the pipeline, but wow... I swear I learn something new every single time. I've been too busy to blog.  Not only is real estate keeping me busy, but I do have 5 young children that keep me pretty busy too, lol!  Despite the fact that my head is spinning and my nerves are shot, I thought it was worthwhile to stay up a little later tonight to write this post. One of my properties was supposed to close on Thursday, after a long process for an approval from Wells Fargo on both a 1st and a 2nd mortgage.  The buyer held off on the inspection until the final approval came from the bank (in Illinois buyers have 5 business days from the bank's approval). Upon the inspection,... 01/12/2010

There are no guarantees when it comes to short sales, but I've got an excellent record of having my short sales get approved. I hire professionals to negotiate my short sales and work hard to make sure my sellers have the best opportunity to avoid having a foreclosure, and to keep from having their defaulted loan affect their credit any further. Short sales in Plainfield IL take anywhere from 3-6 months to get bank approval. My quickest response being just 4 weeks, while my longest negotiation took just over 6 months. Negotiations not only depend on the lender, but also on the individual investor who financed the loan through the mortgage servicer. I take the stress of facing foreclosure off the shoulders of homeowners. There are no guarantees in dealing with short sales, but I've got a... 10/22/2009

Time is running out in Plainfield IL for buyers to take advantage of the first time buyers tax credit of up to $8,000.  If you are a first time home buyer you need to close by November 30th, 2009.  This poses a big problem for buyers that are tangled up in short sales because there is no guarantee of if and when those contracts will close. The inventory of homes available has dramatically decreased in the last 3 months since the details of the first time buyers tax credit were announced, but there are still great opportunities for home ownership available. I can help you take advantage of the first time buyers tax credit by searching for homes that are not short sales and that are available for a quick close in Plainfield IL, by sellers who are motivated for an offer on their property! ... 09/14/2009

On Aug 31, my short sale listing in Plainfield IL closed. What seemed to be a long process with many hurdles finally came to an end. In this case, the process took a bit longer because there was a private mortgage insurance company that also needed to approve the short sale. In addition, the bank's negotiator was somewhat unorganized -- let an approval letter and BPO expire -- not good. The seller owed $260,000, and the short sale was approved for $190,000. It took 120 days from receipt of contract to close. The success also came from everyone being patient and working together. The buyer's agent was very understanding and great to work with, the buyers were extremely patient -- even had a wedding in between -- the attorneys were the glue that held everything together. Yes, short sales ... 09/04/2009

  Ugh, I HATE short sales… and no, it’s not because of the all the extra paperwork or problems that come with the process.  It’s heartbreaking to see families have to leave their homes behind and start over. I have 5 kids, and because of what I do, I lay awake every night wondering what we would do if we had to pack up everything we have, and give up everything my husband and I have worked for simply because our house was no longer worth what we paid for it, and we could no longer afford it. I have listed 4 homes this year for friends who are behind in their payments.  Friends, who 18 months ago… would never have imagined themselves in this situation. A few months ago my daughter and I watched the American Girl movie, Kitt Kittridge, about the Great Depression.  I had no idea at the tim... 08/21/2009