Blog

If you plan on buying or selling real estate you will most likely be presented with a contract to sign. The contract is the basis for your transaction and contains all the information that is needed for the purchase or sale. The contract is the blueprint for the...

There are several real estate scams that are starting to pop up again that you should be aware of. There are two different scams that have been resurfacing in larger metro areas but could also show up locally. One has to do with rental property and the other one is...

The real estate market in Freeport is changing. For quite a long time, Freeport has primarily been a buyer’s market and that is no longer the case. The local market has been busy and we are experiencing a low inventory of homes for sale. I’m sure you have all heard on...

If you are among the many people that have been trying to work from home, you may have had the challenge of trying to create a home office. Since many of us were used to working outside the home, you may not have needed a dedicated office in your home. More and more...

What is the most important thing you can do when selling your home? Price it correctly! Pricing a home correctly is the key to getting it sold quickly. Sounds like an easy answer but it isn’t always an easy thing to do. One of the best reasons to hire a local Realtor...

Since many of us are still staying home and the weather is finally feeling like spring you might want to spend some time outside on your landscaping. Garden centers are allowed to be open so you can pick up some supplies to help you with the transformation and help...

As you all know, Illinois is under a “Stay At Home” mandate ordered by Governor Pritzker requiring all “non-essential services” to shut down and asking all residents to stay home. While this has had a huge impact on all businesses, it is also having an impact on the...

If buying a home is on this year’s To-Do List you may be wondering exactly how long it will take. There is no magic number of days that I can give you, because there are a lot of variables that go in to purchasing a home. On the average it takes about 60 days from...

Every year after we change the clocks and we get the first blast of winter weather I get the same question: Should we take our home off the market for the winter? Home sellers think that if their home hasn’t sold by now they are better off taking it off the market and...

There is a chill in the air and the leaves are changing color signaling that soon winter will be upon us. If the Farmer’s Almanac is correct, and I hope it isn’t, we are in for another nasty winter! If you are a homeowner, there are things you should be doing now to...

Our area has certainly been impacted by the recent flooding and there are many Freeport residents that have not received assistance or have not had access to a program to apply for assistance. Our local Realtor® Association- The Realtor® Association of Northwestern...

Many homes built before 1978 have lead based paint in them which can pose a serious health hazard. Federal law requires that sellers and/or landlords disclose known information on lead based paint hazards before selling/leasing a house. In addition, if you are...

If you own your home you probably carry homeowner’s insurance on it. If you have a mortgage, your lender will require you to maintain insurance on the property. You probably pay your premiums and don’t think too much more about it, but there are some things you need...

The snow is finally gone and you are thinking of getting your home on the market. How do you prepare your home to look its best? Here are some easy tips that will have your home looking market ready and hopefully get you a quick sale. The first step to getting your...

We are already almost to the end of the first quarter of 2019, so how is our housing market looking so far? That depends on what you are comparing this year to: last year’s numbers or to the State of Illinois as a whole. Let’s start with a comparison to last year’s...

Every Real Estate Broker can’t call themselves a Realtor®. Realtor® is a trademarked word for a real estate professional that belongs to the National Association of Realtors® or NAR for short. Members of this Association are bound by a strict Code of Ethics and...

Have you ever wondered about the history of the house you live in? If you aren’t the first owner then your house has a story to tell. Tracing your home’s history can be a fascinating project. There are basically two types of research you can do on your home:...

Today is Veteran’s day so I thought I would dedicate today’s column to all the Veterans out there and to explain one of the benefits of being a Veteran- the VA Guaranteed Loan Program. The program was started in 1944 as part of the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act or the...

When you put your house on the market you have high hopes of getting multiple full price offers the first day. Unfortunately for most sellers, that rarely happens. Average marketing time in Freeport for a single family home is about 7 months. So when you do get an...

The Multiple Listing Service, or MLS as it is commonly referred to, has been around as a concept since 1907. Originally, REALTORS® would get together and discuss properties they were trying to sell in the hopes that one of their colleagues had a buyer. In 1908 the...

By now, you have probably received your property tax bill and I’m sure you are wondering why is it so much and where does that money go? The amount of your tax bill is based on the assessed value of your property. In Illinois, the assessed value is 33 1/3% of the...

Spring may have finally arrived and so has spring cleaning time. If you are thinking of putting your home on the market one of the most important first steps is a thorough cleaning and de-cluttering. If you aren’t in the market to sell right now, I bet you can still...

April 11 marks the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act being signed in to law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This historic act occurred just days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Act reads” It is the policy of the United States to...

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year again-tax time! For some people, this may be the last year that you can take advantage of deductions that come with being a homeowner. Since most of the tax law changes don’t take effect until 2018, there are still deductions...

If you are buying or selling a home you will probably need an appraisal if there is a mortgage involved in the purchase. What exactly is an appraisal? The lender that is making the mortgage will order an appraisal to obtain an unbiased report on the value of the...

Everyone like a bargain and saving money is usually a good thing unless it results in a costly mistake. If you are a homeowner you know that maintaining your home is important to protect your investment. Keeping your home in good repair and up- dating and remodeling...

Both the House and Senate are currently working on a “Tax Cuts and Job Acts” tax reform plan. The House and the Senate each have a version they are trying to enact and there are many similarities, but also some important differences in these proposals. If you are a...

For the past year and a half, we have been working on getting an extension of the existing enterprise zone in Freeport. The extension is for a residential enterprise zone in a designated area of Freeport which allows benefits for both builders and buyers of new...

Almost everyone has been to an open house at some time in their life. To some people, it is free entertainment on a Sunday afternoon. Other people want to see what the inside of their neighbor’s house looks like or the inside one of those beautiful houses that they...

Now that fall is almost here you may be thinking of tackling some exterior remodeling jobs before winter. If you are thinking of selling your home in the future, which projects pay off the most to potential home buyers should be of interest. Certain remodeling...

What You Should Know About Flood Insurance by Anne Sadler If you were among the lucky ones not affected by the recent flooding then you probably can’t understand how devastating the aftermath of a flood can be on your property and your finances. If you were affected...

Buying or selling a home can be a complicated venture. Laws and requirements have changed significantly over the last several years and most people can benefit from hiring professionals to help them through the process. Hiring a Realtor will allow you to access local...

What to Expect From a Home Inspection by Anne Sadler If you are currently house hunting you will probably be faced with the decision of whether or not to have a home inspection. Before you make that decision, you should know what a home inspection is and what to...

When you decide it’s time to go house hunting, you probably imagine finding your perfect house. Let me give you a reality check- there is no such thing as a “perfect” house. The challenge in finding a home is to strike a balance between what you need in a home and...

Tax Tips for Homeowners It’s everyone’s favorite time of year again-tax time! This is my annual column about tax deductions for homeowners so if you are a procrastinator and have not yet completed your taxes, here are some deductions you can use. Let me start by...

It is the beginning of a new year and many people are setting goals for 2017. If your goal is to become a homeowner in 2017, I want to let you know about an organization that might be able to help. HomeStart is a HUD approved non-profit housing counseling organization...

We have had the luxury of enjoying a very long fall this year but it is December and winter is here. If you haven’t already winter-proofed your home, here are somethings to do to keep your home safe and comfortable throughout the winter. Starting with the exterior,...

You just closed on your first house. Congratulations! You are now a home owner! After all the excitement of finding your perfect home, navigating the paperwork for the Realtor, the lender and the title company and the exhaustion from packing and moving, now what?...

If you have bought or sold property with a mortgage since October of 2015 you probably noticed some things have changed. If you are in the process of buying or selling right now, there are some things you should know. The new mortgage rules that the government put...

One of the most difficult parts of putting your home up for sale is determining the listing price. Price it too high and it won’t sell, price it too low and maybe you are leaving money on the table. If you are like most homeowners, you are somewhat emotionally...

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Illinois Association of Realtors. Illinois was among the first in the country to form a state Realtors Association and is now the 6th largest in the U.S with 44,000 members. The Realtor association...

What is Designated Agency and why does it matter to you? Licensed Illinois Realtors are governed by the Real Estate License Act of 2000. According to Section 15-10 of that Act, “Licensees shall be considered to be representing the consumer they are working with as a...

If redecorating is on your to- do list for 2016, here are some of the top trends in home décor for this year and some ideas on how to use them in your home. Some of these trends may be especially useful to you if your house is on the market or you are going to be...

September is Realtor Safety Month and that got me thinking about how most of us don’t give enough thought to safety.  Your home should be your refuge and the place where you feel safe. Having your home burglarized is a traumatic occurrence that we would all like to...

Ready or not fall is here and that means winter isn’t far behind. Take advantage of the beautiful weather now to get your home ready for winter. If you are a new homeowner, you may not know what you need to do to get your home ready for winter.  If you have owned your...

The Illinois Association of Realtors Real Property Alliance has launched a new website for Illinois property owners: www.realpropertyalliance.org The Real Property Alliance is a non-profit educational foundation for consumers that was founded in 2015. Their goal is...

First, some good news: If you read my last column about the new mortgage disclosure laws going in to effect on August 1, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has delayed the start date to October 1. This means the banks, title companies, Realtors and consumers...

Beginning August 1, major changes are coming to mortgages. Any real estate transaction involving a mortgage will use new disclosure forms created by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). This new disclosures will change the timing requirements for...

I'm sure most of you have heard some of the common real estate myths out there. Although they may contain some truth, they tend to be fairly black and white instead of the gray area that lives somewhere in the middle. Here are some of the more frequently heard myths...

It ís already March and Spring is just around the corner. Time to think about getting your house on the market. You may be thinking of trying to sell it yourself to save some money. How hard can it be, right? Here are some things to consider before you stick that For...

As a Realtor, the subject I hear most about seems to be property taxes. No one likes them and everyone thinks they are too high, but they arenít going away. From talking with clients about property taxes I have discovered that there are many people that donít...

It only takes 15 seconds for a prospective buyer to decide how they feel about your house. That is how long your house has to make a good impression and capture that buyer. If you are getting ready to list your house, here are some tips to make yours stand out from...

If you have bought or sold a house in the last several years, you were probably asked if you wanted the home tested for radon. The first thing you need to know is what radon is. Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas which comes from uranium in the soil. It is...