How to get the perfect hard boiled egg.Start by placing the eggs in an empty pot.  Then fill with cold water until the water is about an inch over the eggs.  Place pot on stove and turn to high heat to boil eggs.  When the water begins to boil, turn down burner to medium heat.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Once the eggs have finished boiling, remove the eggs from boiling water and place them in a bowl of ice water.  Let the eggs sit for 3-4 minutes and remove from ice water.  Now you have the perfect egg......and the yolk will not turn green!   About the author:  Cheryl Bowers is a Chicagoland Area Residential Real Estate Expert, who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of real estate in Plainfield, Naperville, Aurora Illinois or any place in the country. Cheryl has created a team of ... 03/22/2008

  Timing Is Everything: When And How To Move In the next few months making a move can become increasingly more complicated say industry experts. "June to September is really known as the high season for the moving industry," says John Bisney, Director of Public Relations for the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA). It's a popular time because kids are out of school and people are trying to get the move done before the children have to return to class. "So if you can avoid moving during June to September you're probably going to get better service and have more options," Bisney. However, Bisney says, "If you do have to move between June to September, then it's better to move in the middle of the month and the middle of the week as opposed to doing it at the end of the month wh... 03/21/2008

If I pay mortgage insurance and default on my loan, why wouldn't that cover the deficiency amount?The mortgage insurance is not there for your protection, just the lender's. If you are paying PMI (private mortgage insurance) it is there to protect the lender in case you default on your loan. You can usually get the PMI removed after you have enough equity in the home. The lenders will not remove this for you. It is your responsibility to get this removed. Afterall, why do you want to be paying PMI if you don't have to. It doesn't protect you, it protects the lender.For more information on PMI, contact me. If you are a first time buyer, please contact me and we'll set up a buyers consultation to discuss buying a home. Cheryl Bowers is a Naperville, Plainfield Area Residential Real Estate... 03/21/2008

Did you know that I can help you find a home to rent?In the multiple listing service, there are rentals available.  Contact me today and we will work together to find a home for you to rent.  Whether you want a month-to=month lease or a one year agreement, I'll be sure to find you something.  With so many homes on the market today, many home owners are looking for other options like renting out there homes."That sounds great, Cheryl, but I can't afford to pay you!"No problem, as the renter, you are not responsible for my compensation.  The landlord would be responsible and they are already aware of this.In today's market, there are many different reasons why people are renting.  Contact me today, and I will address your individual needs.  You can be moving into your rental home in as li... 03/21/2008

The economy is going through a rough patch, and the stock market is well below its all-time high. Mortgage rates have been dropping since the end of last year.  For homeowners, that can mean only one thing: It's time to think about refinancing your mortgage.If you can save on the interest you're paying, then it's time to do a mortgage refinance.  For some homeowners whose adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) interest rates are rising, the low interest rates on 30- and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages offer an opportunity to refinance into something that's a known quantity.  If you have a mortgage that's going to adjust, it's important to get into a fixed-rate program now.  In Freddie Mac's latest survey of mortgage rates, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.72 percent with fees totaling 0.4 ... 03/21/2008

Will I have to pay capital gains taxes if I sell a property as a short sale?No. If your bank suggested that, they are ridiculous. Capital gains would indicate that you are in some way "better off" financially because of money you have made. In a short sale, you lose and owe money. The only thing the bank could possibly mean is that the deficiency will be reported as 1099 income and you will have to pay taxes on that, but not as capital gains. 03/21/2008

If you are relocating to the Plainfield, Naperville, Aurora or Bolingbrook area, please call LaNita at 630-341-1545 or visit www.lanitacates.com. Having worked with families relocating to these areas, LaNita is the obvious choice to help you find your new home. As a full-time licensed realtor serving Naperville, Plainfield, Aurora, Bolingbrook and the Joliet IL (illinois) real estate market, LaNita is the type of agent that will work with you from the beginning all the way to sitting with you at the closing table. 03/20/2008

How does a realtor profit from a short sale?When formally requesting a short sale commitment from the bank, realtor commissions are usually included if a realtor was involved in the deal. The bank may counteroffer to lower the commission. Realtors can also "hunt" for short sales by talking to clients that have had their homes listed for a long time with no success. The realtor can explain the short sale process and help the owner negotiate with their lender to get it sold and the realtor gets their commission.Contact me today so we can evaluate your individual situation. 03/18/2008

I owe more than my home is worth. Am I eligible for short sale or is my only option foreclosure or bankruptcy?Always consult your lender as to what your options are. The options usually are: a short sale, deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (basically an accelerated voluntary surrender), and foreclosure. The banks like to prevent foreclosure when at all possible. They've even been known to lower people's rates and/or payments because of all the new defaults in the past few years.  Either way, your first stop should be to get information from you lender on what options they provide.Contact me for an assessment of your costs.  We can go through the fees involved in selling your home. 03/18/2008

If I pay mortgage insurance and default on my loan, why wouldn't that cover the deficiency amount?The mortgage insurance is not there for your protection, just the lender's.  If you are paying PMI (private mortgage insurance) it is there to protect the lender in case you default on your loan.  You can usually get the PMI removed after you have enough equity in the home.  The lenders will not remove this for you.  It is your responsibility to get this removed.  Afterall, why do you want to be paying PMI if you don't have to.  It doesn't protect you, it protects the lender.For more information on PMI, contact me.  If you are a first time buyer, please contact me and we'll set up a buyers consultation to discuss buying a home. 03/18/2008

Fed Plan Lifts Mortgage MarketsTuesday, the Fed's surprise announcement of a new $200 billion lending facility led to a 400 plus point rally in the Dow, the biggest one day percentage gain since March 2003. The effect on mortgage rates was also favorable. The newly available funds will make it more appealing for financial institutions to borrow money from the Fed, which is expected to increase the demand for mortgage backed securities. Mortgage markets should benefit, and the spread between mortgage rates and Treasury yields narrowed significantly, reversing the trend from the prior week.Mortgage rates fell significantly during the week, reversing a similar sized rise the prior week. That said, not all areas of the mortgage market benefited equally last week. Demand for securities backe... 03/17/2008

Will I still have to pay property taxes if I do a short sale?Someone will have to pay the property taxes in a short sale.  It's just a question of who?  Whether it is the property owner or the lender depends on the policies and specific agreements negotiated during the short sale.  Do not take a short sale on by yourself, it's unnecessary.  Contact me today.  03/13/2008

A state law requires radon disclosure as of January 1, 2008. What do you need to know?When a buyer and seller sign a contract on residential real estate property in Illinois on or after January 1, 2008, the new Illinois Radon Awareness Act will apply to the sales transaction. According to the new law, the seller must supply the buyer with two documents before the buyer will become bound on a contract to purchase the property. The first is a pamphlet from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) entitled "Radon Testing Guidelines for Real Estate Transactions."  The second is a form to sign called "Disclosure of Information of Radon Hazards." What is Radon?  Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that comes from naturally occurring uranium in the soil and is the leading ca... 03/11/2008

The secret to selling your home is pricing it correctly.  If you are serious about selling then price your home below the comparable homes.  A properly priced home will attract buyer showings.  The correct price and good condition will cause a buyer to write an offer on a house. It's that simple! I suggest sellers start by pricing their home below the other comparables.  Then, slowly reduce the price until they begin getting buyer showings and an offer is negotiated.  This is the simple answer to selling a house; however, it's not that easy since we are dealing with human emotions.  It is a buyer's market, and today's buyer doesn't tolerate improper pricing and a home that they cannot move into right away without making necessary improvements.  Pricing is based on supply and demand.  Wh... 03/11/2008

If your home is on the market, you better make it easy for buyers to see!I was showing homes yesterday and I had problems showing 3 of the 7 homes I was to show my buyers.  At the first home, the home owner was there and unaware of the showing.  I guess the realtor never told them.  (It's never a good idea to have the home owner at home when the buyers are there.)  The whole situation was awkward and the buyers just rushed through the home.At the second home, there was a combination lock box on the home.  When I opened it up, there was no key inside......how am I suppose to get into the house?  I am sure the home owner removed the key.  With combination lock boxes, home owners can open them......actually, in my opinion; they are completely unsafe because ANYONE can open them.  With elec... 03/08/2008

Don't Get Caught In Mortgage FraudIt's like a Train Wreck. Mortgage fraud is among the top concerns of those investing in real estate. If you get caught in a mortgage fraud scheme it can create a financially painful and emotionally distressing situation. While there are many reputable and trustworthy mortgage providers, the lengthy documents filled with legal jargon make conditions ripe for misunderstandings. So before you sign, consider the following:1. Read every page of every document. 2. Sign documents only after seeing that the original and the copy contain the same contents. Be sure to get your copy. 3. Make sure there is no false or even slightly fibbed information on your loan paperwork. 4. Check the license background of your broker. 5. Ask how much your mortgage broker is earn... 03/07/2008

I must admit that it is a challenging time to be selling your home.  Improve your odds of selling your home in today's buyer's market with the following tips:1. Be motivated!  There are many homes listed right now.  If you don't need to sell, then don't.  Ask yourself: Why am I selling?2. Condition.  Gone is the day where the buyer wants to fix up a home.  If it's broken, fix it.  If it's not neutral, make it.  Why should a buyer buy your home over another.  Contact me for staging tips.3. Price it right!  What does that mean...........be prepared to list your home 10% below other comparables.  Next, be prepared to lower the price every couple of weeks.  Contact me for a CMA. (Comparative Market Analysis)4. Hire a REALTOR!  Call me at (630) 712-1921 to schedule your marketing consultatio... 03/06/2008

Washington Report: HUD Unveils Proposed Changes to Mortgage Process Published: March 3, 2008Within days, the federal department of Housing and Urban Development plans to unveil sweeping proposed changes to the American mortgage application process and real estate settlement system.The rule changes are the end-product of HUD's five-year effort to streamline mortgage disclosures, promote comparison shopping by loan applicants, and to stamp out eleventh-hour surprises at closings -- where fees come in hundreds or thousands of dollars higher than initial estimates.Realty Times obtained a point by point summary of the proposals in advance of their official release by HUD. The changes are designed to radically overhaul the current, much-criticized "Good Faith Estimates" (or GFE) disclosures a... 03/03/2008

Don't wait too long to buy a home in today's market?  While today's market plays to your advantage as a buyer, with reduced housing costs and favorable interest rates, are you sitting by waiting? When the market turns, today's bargains will be yesterday's missed opportunities.While it is conceivable that home prices may drop further, it is likely that the decreased prices will be accompanied by increased financing costs due to rate cuts by the Fed. This means that any money saved on paying less for a house in a few months time will be offset by having to pay off your mortgage at a higher interest rate making "playing the waiting game" a waste of time (and very little fun).This rate increase isn't just speculation. Just a couple of weeks ago, in early February, the fixed mortgage rate ju... 03/03/2008

This video below is not only Incredible but it tells a story. Certainly, you can't judge a book by it's cover. The first impressions that Simon and the judges had I'm sure were not good ones, you can see it in their eyes. Then they're pleasantly surprised with this diamond in the ruff. This aired on Britain's Got Talent competition. Enjoy 03/01/2008