Yesterday The Mainstreet Organization of Realtors®  awarded my dear friend, Mike Drews, The 2011 Realtor of the Year Award.  Since 1979 Mike has been serving the Aurora and Oswego communities as a licensed real estate agent, and community leader, loving husband and father.  Mike has been actively involved in the local, state and national associations along with dedicating many hours to the Rotary Club of Aurora and the Aurora Family YMCA.      Immediate Past President at Mainstreet Organization of Realtors ®                                Federal Political Coordinator for Congressman Randy Hultgren State Legislative Contact for State Representative Kay Hatcher Member of the National Association of REALTORS® Professional Standards Committee REALTORS® Political Involvement Committee Bo... 02/17/2011

With only 9 days left in January here is how 2010 stacked up against 2009 in Oswego's local market.  Current active listings for both attached and single family housing are included.   Oswego Single Family Detached Homes on the Market RIGHT NOW: 242 Oswego Single Family Attached Homes on the Market: 118 Oswego Pending Detached:54 Oswego Pending Attached: 11 Oswego Homes Sold in 2010: 273 Oswego Homes Sold in 2009: 311 Oswego Average Sale Price in 2010: $246,706 Oswego Average Sale Price in 2009: $248,467 Oswego Median Sale Price in 2010: $239,000 Oswego Median Sale Price in 2009: $240,000   Oswego's Median Price dropped -0.4% and the Average Sale Price dropped only 0.7%. There was a -12.2% drop in the amount of homes sold in 2010 vs. 2009. 01/22/2011

If you live in Oswego or if you are thinking about making this great city your home, you might want to keep up-to-date on what's going on in the real estate market.  Are you looking for current information?  Are you looking to sell your home and can't decide whether this is the right time for you and your family?  Have you thought about purchasing a home but need more information?  Then this is the site for you! You will find helpful statistics that will open your eyes to the reality of what's sold and what is selling. I have included some great information on what has sold and the price ranges, days on market, month to month comparisons, and year ending comparisons.  This information does not target particular subdivisions but is meant to be an overall view of the Oswego market. So, gr... 01/20/2011

Ashcroft Place in Oswego Ashcroft Place is a single family home neighborhood built in the early 2000's by Wiseman-Hughes Enterprises. Ashcroft Place features 209 homes with floor plans ranging from 2,370 to 4,046 square feet of living space. Ashcroft Place is located in Oswego, Illinois. Activity in Ashcroft Place for the past 6 months Homes Sold Lowest Price Highest Price Average Price 3 $205,000 $338,500 $279,667 3 homes sold in Ashcroft Place in Oswego from $205,000-$338,500 with an average price of $279,667 within the last 6 months. -Oswego- Address City Beds Baths Model List Price Status 408 Arboretum Way Oswego 4 2.1 Laurel $239,900 Active 302 Hemlock Ln Oswego 4 4   $345,000 Active 207 Liszka Ln Oswego 5 2.1 Laurel $289,900 Active 228 Liszka Ln Oswego 4 2.1 Birch $269,900 Active ... 12/18/2010

  Lakeview Estates is located between Rt. 71 and Grove Rd. in Oswego, IL behind the Ace Hardware strip mall.  This subdivision was built by Property Concepts Inc. starting in 1997. In the single family category there are 5 active listings currently.  Year to date we have had 7 sold homes and there is one home currently under contract.  Two of the sold homes were foreclosures. In the duplex side we have 6 active listings and 6 close listings.  There may be slight variances if listing agents did not specify the subdivision. City wide there are currently 243 active single family homes, 52 pending or contingent listings, with 15 out of 52 marked as short sales.  We have closed on 264 single family homes as of 12/17/2010.  Fifty-six of these were foreclosures. There are currently 117 active... 12/17/2010

We have been having some cold weather here in the Oswego, IL area.  Luckily we did not get as much snow as our neighbors to the north but we have bone chilling cold and winds bringing the temperature to single digits. I was on my way to my mailbox which is at the end of the driveway - mailing an earnest money check to the seller's attorney since my brokerage does not hold earnest money and before I knew it I was down on my tush! It happened so fast that I did not even have a chance to think.  Unfortunately, my left hand landed first and took the most of the impact after my tush.  I got up quickly and tried brushing it off but I knew something was wrong. I had been off to my health club for a workout but I knew I had no choice but to go to my local medical clinic.   Long story short...I ... 12/13/2010

It's funny how death will make one think of life.  The passing of a love one allows one to wonder not only how we live our lives but the choices we make to keep that life.   Although my uncle, Quintin Santiago, had been seriously ill for several weeks the actual announcement of his passing still caught me off guard.  Memories came and went as I remembered him as a young man when I was a teenager and also the last time I saw him in September during my vacation to Puerto Rico.  He will be missed and his death prompted me to think about how so many of us fail to take care of ourselves in small ways . Christmas is a time of family gatherings, as well as holiday parties with friends.  Some of us will drink socially and some of us will drink pass the limit.  Winter driving adds a twist to the... 12/06/2010

Kick off the weekend in downtown Oswego at 5:00 p.m. at the town's official tree lighting ceremony at the old firehouse on Main Street.  Musical entertainment will be provided by Oswego East High school group "Spotlight". Some of the other activities will be the Toyland train rides, ice carving demonstrations, strolling carolers, food vendors and more.  Oswego Vistor's Bureau will be sponsoring a Vist with Santa from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. with free pictures with your favorite jolly man.  Additional activities such as a hayride at Hudson Crossing Park, music, food and crafts throughout downtown. The festivities continue on Saturday with Breakfast with Santa at the Senior Center from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. brought to you by the Rotary Club.  Continue the festive mood with the annual Holiday Cooki... 12/02/2010

Earlier this year I listed my neighbor's home.  It was not the best way to get the listing since my neighbor had passed away and her daughter had given me the listing.  I knew that they wanted a quick sale but the home was in good condition albeit a bit outdated.  I priced it for today's market and it's current condition and was able to have it sell it with only 35 days on the market and close exactly 60 days after I listed it!  It was priced right so instead of having it sit around waiting for the perfect offer the seller's worked with the buyer's to come to a mutually agreed on price.  Everyone was happy with the outcome and I have some great new neighbors! Instead of having your home lingering on the market, chasing the market down and wastiing more time than necessary, price it righ... 11/22/2010

Childhood memories in the summer always remind me of one of my favorite treats...ice cream!  In my small town the favorite place for a cone is the Dairy Hut on Main Street.  Although their menu has expanded beyond ice cream it has been known since the 50's as the place to get a great ice cream treat.  Originally a trailer it has now has a permanent place on Main Street.  The current owner, Jeff Smkal, has owned it for the last 3 years and has kept the tradition alive. When I stopped by last month it was obvious why it's a favorite stop for those in and around town.  The smiling courteous staff is efficient and ready to help you make your selection. With the owner's and customer permission I took some pictures of those enjoying a respite from the summer heat enjoying a cone or food item ... 08/10/2010

Our small farming village(pop. est. 30K) that is now a bedroom community of Aurora/Naperville currently has 8 listings that allow horses.  The smallest home is a 2 bedroom on 1.7 acres for just under 200K and the largest is a 20 acre estate for almost $2 Million with several of the listings being "short sales" With many horse stables in Oswego and several large farms, horses can still be seen on some of the back roads as trainers and riders take them out for their daily runs.  Although we have many name brand stores both on Ogden Avenue and Orchard Rd., Oswego still has deep roots in its farming origins. Fields of corn and soy beans abound especially now that the "housing boom" has come to a standstill.  For those horse lovers being able to keep horses on your own property is even bette... 07/11/2010

We are still ahead of 2009 numbers year to date in Oswego.  In the attached family homes we are almost double the closings from 2009.  With 6 months left of the year hopefully the trend continues and we lower the inventory and start seeing stabilization in prices.   June 2010 - Market Activity - Oswego     Single Family Attached Active 261 137 Contingent 56 20 Pending 15 5 Closed 26 15 YTD 145 71 2009 - Month 29 16 2009 - YTD 138 44       07/07/2010

Imagine on Main is the perfect shop to find gifts for those people on your list that are really hard to buy for.  With handcrafted articles running the gamut from earings to minature paintings and everything in between you are bound to find the perfect gift or addition to your own collection.   Local artists have an outlet to sell their creations whether pottery, glass, wood, metal or jewelry.  Amy Irwin loves to expose the unusual in her shop and hopes that local residents and out of towners will make the trip to keep art alive in Oswego.    With everyone trying to cut back on their spending there is a price point for everyone.  For the almost the same price as mass produced items you can acquire a gift that is unique as the individual you are buying it for.         Beautiful sets of h... 07/06/2010

Since moving my real estate office to my home I have found that I end up working longer hours.  Without an actual commute to another "physical site", sometimes it's hard to draw the line on when to stop working.  So lately, I have been forcing myself to "take a break".When you live in a small village/town like I do, if you want to go to a well known coffee spot you will have to drive at least 10 to 30 minutes.  We all develop certain habits and one of mine is a cup of coffee - I usually brew my own but every once in a while I decide to have a cup outside of my home.Less than 5 minutes from my house in downtown Oswego is my current favorite - The Village Grind coffee & tea co.  This is not your typical coffee house.  Owner's Jodi & Dave Behrens have put their heart in soul in making this... 07/04/2010

Head out to the uber suburbs city dwellers and enjoy Oswego's 22nd Prairiefest sponsored by Oswegoland Park District and local business such as Allied First Bank, Lowe's, Allied Waste Services, Town and Country HOmes, Oswego Community Bank,Walmart and many other local sponsors.  The fun starts today at 6 p.m and continues until Sunday June 20th at 7 p.m. when Tin Horse a local favorite ends the fest. Windy City Amusement Carnival provides rides throughout and for only $20 you can get unlimited rides per day.  Food and plenty of music will give everyone something to do.  The Main Stage will have Mike & Joe on Thursday, Infinity - Friday and along with Vicious Cykle. Saturday listent to Green Thirteen and Eddie Money! Leave the Windy City and head out to small town living and one of the b... 06/17/2010

Listen up fellow Oswegoan's, the numbers are in and it looks like we beat last year's numbers on closed sales.  We seem to be building some momentum and hopefully we will continue selling off the remaining 253 active detached single family homes and 137 attached single family homes we currently have in inventory. So call your friends and family.  Tell them what a wonderful community we have in Oswego.  From 1 bedroom condo at $35,000 to the $2.8 Million 5 bedroom Victorian on 17 acres we have the right home for them at the right price.   Current Market Activity - Oswego - May 2010       Active Price Change Contingent Pending New Detached 232    15 57 12    6 Attached 131      6 20 11    0     May 2010                     Sold            SS            REO        Market         YTD Detach... 06/03/2010

Gloomy, rainy weather and a day full of phone calls and errands.  Before I knew it it was 7:00 p.m. and I had not had dinner.  I normally don't like fast food but every few months I stop at a small strip mall near my home for what I personally think is the best Italian Beef in the area.  Only locals probably know about it but I have decided to let the secret out to the rest of Chicagoland. Located at 4538 Route 71 in Oswego, IL, Genoa Pizza has been in Oswego for 20 years!  For a small business this is a major accomplishment and with today's economy a bit of a challenge to keep the regular customers and grow your business.  As a fellow small business owner I understand how difficult this can be so I want to give as many small business' in my market area a little push. Ever since I moved... 04/07/2010

As March is behind us and April brings us much warmer weather let's take a minute to breakdown the latest market activity for our wonderful village.  We are lucky to have a diverse housing stock.  From condo's to 20 acre farmettes and everything in between, you can find a home that suits your needs in our town. Although Oswego has a downtown reminiscent of times gone by we also have the latest in strip malls with everything from Home Depot to your favorite franchise restaurant or fast food.  With our more prominent neighbors - Aurora and Naperville garnering more news we manage to provide great schools, diverse housing stock and plenty of green space for bike trails, farms and even a golf course.   We have 152 active attached single family homes.  This category covers condo's, townhomes... 04/02/2010

Since I am now officially in Oswego I decided to add the local market activity for this past month.  I can't believe we are already in April!  If you look at the chart below you will understand the following numbers:   Currently we have 257 Active Listings - Out of those we have 172 market listings, 6 Foreclosures/REO, 41 short sales and 38 new construction.  We currently have 67% regular market listings, 16% short sales, 2% foreclosures and 15% new home construction for those of you who like a different perspective.   In March there were 19 sales in the single family category.  Of those 19 sold 6 were foreclosures/REO, 4 short sales, 3 new construction with only 6 regular market listings.  We are behind 2009 March Sold's which were 27 total with 11 foreclosures/REO, 2 short sales, 3 ne... 04/02/2010

As a home buyer one of the most important things for you to do before you go and talk to a lender is to get your free annual credit report.  The official site is: AnnualCreditReport.com   There are others that may give you a free credit report but a lot try to sell you other products. Why should you check your credit report before going to a lender?  If you check your own credit report it is not reported as an inquiry to the credit bureau's.  Too many inquiries like, too much credit can have an affect on your credit score or F.I.C.O. score.   FICO scores are provided by the Fair Isaac Corp. via a variety of sources.  Beacon scores are another similar provider.  They are all based on algorithms developed by individual companies that are trade secrets that take into account various aspect... 03/09/2010