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

Baby boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, and who count more than 76 million, are getting near to retirement but are most definitely not ready for a retirement home! Whether they are selling their homes and heading to Florida or remodeling to accommodate their retired lifestyle, boomers are making an impact on new housing trends. Some features that Orlando builders and remodelers are seeing as they begin to cater to the boomer generation include the following:Home Offices- As life spans continue to increase, many are choosing to work past the age of 65. However, they want home offices for flexibility. This can also eliminate the hassle of commuting while keeping them active and adding supplemental income.Tech/Media Centers- The tech-savy boomer generation wants amenities ... 03/01/2008

What is a Short Sale? A short sale is a negotiated settlement. This is when the lender agrees to accept less than the amount owed as a payoff on a loan.Why would my Lender want to allow a Short Sale to help me? The reason is simple; a short sale often has a better return on investment to the lender than a foreclosure. The average savings a lender sees from a short sale property compared with a foreclosure property is $14,000. Not only does the lender receive this savings, they are also paid on the loan 6 months earlier than in the foreclosure process. This allows them to collect and cash-out earlier than they would in a foreclosure. Plus, lenders spend a great deal of money with attorneys to complete the foreclosure process. Lenders created the short sale process as a foreclosure altern... 03/01/2008

Plainfield, Naperville, Illinois - Bankruptcy & Your Credit Score About the author: Cheryl Bowers is a Naperville, Plainfield Area Residential Real Estate Expert, who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of real estate in Naperville IL., Plainfield IL., or any place in the country. Chery has created a team of professionals throughout the Plainfield, Naperville IL. area and the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. Please visit www.CherylBowers.com for your real estate needs. Please give me a call if you have questions about the Naperville, Plainfield IL. Area real estate market. Cheryl Bowers, REALTOR® 630-712-1921 (Copyright © 2008 By Cheryl Bowers, All Rights Reserved.) 03/01/2008

Has a sufficient amount of air been expelled from the deflating housing bubble to suggest that a bottom is in sight? No. But there may be a few nascent signs of recovery amid the housing rubble. Let's start with a remarkable chart that compares the Nasdaq bubble to the housing bubble (see "A Tale of Two Bubbles"). From peak to trough during the 2000-2002 bear market, the Nasdaq lost 78% of its value. From peak to trough during the recent housing bubble, homebuilding stocks lost ... yes, you guessed it ... 78%!Assets down, liabilities upThough housing's woes are at the root of most of today's economic evils, the stimuli underway-fiscal and monetary-can only go so far in healing the carnage the bursting housing bubble is inflicting on millions of homeowners. Housing's black hole is the ep... 03/01/2008

Home prices are forecast to fall more than 30% in some communities in 'the most severe housing recession' since 1945.Housing markets from Orlando, Fla., to Stockton, Calif., will crash, and some will suffer price drops of more than 30% before the housing crisis is over, a report from Moody's Economy.com said today. I find this funny because once again the media is slow to find out. I've been telling people now for a year that we won't see the bottom until fall of 2009.We are now in the spring here in Orlando and I've sold 4 homes this week and listed another. Does that mean we're turning the market? My opinion is NO. It's simply the seasonal shift that we always have. Buyers always come out around the end of February and buying subsides in August.On a national level, the housing market... 03/01/2008

WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Wednesday delivered an economic forecast fraught with risks from housing, labor and credit markets, suggesting policymakers remain on track to lower interest rates further next month. Meanwhile, Mr. Bernanke indicated that inflation risks are more two-sided, though skewed slightly to the high side -- a nod to the stagflationary mix of weak growth and rising price data of late.But Mr. Bernanke made it clear where the Fed's main worries lie. "It is important to recognize that downside risks to growth remain," Mr. Bernanke told members of the House Financial Services Committee.http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120412412525296845.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news 03/01/2008

Do you  remember I showed a previous mini-reduction email about two months ago?Well, this morning's email brought me another amazing mini-reduction.Eileen, You showed my listing at xxxx Lane, Plainfield on 8/9/2006.I have recently reduced the price on this listing from $549,000 to $548,500 and thought you may want to bring your buyers back for another look.If I remember correctly one of the earlier reductions was from $550,000 to $549,900. A mini-mini reduction!So, let's analyze this missive.#1, I showed the property almost 18 months ago! Those buyers have been in their "new" home for 15 months.#2, the property was overpriced then, and it's still over priced! Now, it's probably greatly overpriced, maybe by $50,000, as the market has fallen a lot faster than $500 in the past two months.#... 02/23/2008

Have a heart in Feb. - Give Blood!Both St. Valentine's Day and American Heart Month give many people a chance to reflect on matters of the heart during February. In an effort to help increase awareness about heart disease and prevention, February is declared American Heart Month. Unfortunately, there are still thousands of Americans that undergo heart surgeries every day and community members can help contribute to the success of their surgeries by donating blood. To maintain an adequate blood supply, Heartland Blood Centers, an independent medical organization serving 33 hospitals in a 12-county region in Illinois and Indiana, urges all area residents to donate the gift of life this February at local blood drives."Donating blood is a great way to celebrate American Heart Month and Vale... 01/30/2008

In celebration of the C.W. Avery Family YMCA's 2nd anniversary and the Plainfield Rotary Club's 25th anniversary, the two organizations are planning a Giving Gala Celebration.The gala will be a formal black-tie dinner and auction event Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Drive in Bolingbrook. The ticket price is $125 per person and tickets are limited. There will be live entertainment and a silent auction along with an interactive explosive auction. Items range from gift certificates to jewelry and will highlight an elegant cabin cruiser excursion down the Illinois River.Proceeds will be used to award college scholarships to Plainfield high school seniors in the top 10% of their class.For more information contact Pam Lee at 815-267-8600. 01/20/2008

Lockport Street in downtown Plainfield is sponsoring a Customer Appreciation Day this Saturday. Visit these stores for specials, giveaways, raffles, tastings and fun...follow the snow shovels!Cathy's Sweet Creations, Cherry Creek Home & Gift Accents, Forget Me Not, Gourmet Junction, Homewares by CWS, Lockport Street Gallery, Magnolia Restaurant, Me and My Sis in Primitive Bliss, One Lovely Thing/Tyler Lynne, O'Sullivans Irish Restaurant, Pixie Pizazzi Gift Basket Boutique, Plainfield Art Factory, Plainfield Supper Club, Sleepy Pony, Sweet Pea Childrens' Boutique/Have to Havve, The Perfect Invitation, Wine & Cheese by TCC and The Tawny Tortoise.Visit www.plainfieldstreetscape.org for Frequent Flyer/Shopper Rebate Program! 01/17/2008

If you are looking to sell or buy in Plainfield, I hope to hear from you! Please visit my website at www.lanitacates.com and read about me.  Having been a Plainfield resident for 12 years, I'm very familiar with the north, south and central areas.  Whether you are a first time homebuyer or a seasoned homebuyer, I would love to help you. Call me at 630-341-1545. 01/13/2008

If you are looking to buy or sell in the Plainfield, Naperville or surrounding area, please give me a call at 630-341-1545 or visit my website at www.lanitacates.com. Take a minute and read my testimonials so you know the type of agent I am. I work extremely hard for my clients and will make your real estate experience smooth and an enjoyable experience. 01/08/2008