Oak Lawn Real Estate

To read an informative page about Oak Lawn homes for sale just click on the link. This new page offers an Oak Lawn MLS search link, some demographics and sales statistics plus all listings currently for sale in Oak Lawn IL.

Oak Lawn has the closest Metra train station from the southwest suburbs that will take you to downtown Chicago. There are three new and newer condominium complexes built around the station so you can walk to the train.

Oak Lawn, Illinois continues to update itself and is bringing in more dining and shopping for its residents. It has become a growing and progressive village.

Orland Park Homes for Sale and Real Estate

The popular village of Orland Park has a new webpage telling all about it. This bustling town was listed in Money Magazine as one of the top 100 places to live.

Find out all about it here: Orland Park homes for sale. This page will fill you in on why Orland Park Illinois is such a desired place to live and offers some demographics, Orland Park weather and a map of the village.

You can search the Orland Park MLS to find any Orland Park homes or homes in any area of Northern Illinois and even neighboring states like Wisconsin and Indiana.

If you're considering moving to Orland Park IL or any of the surrounding southwest suburbs, go to the site now and learn all about the area. Be sure to bookmark it as you won't need to use another site for your real estate needs.

Tinley Park Real Estate and Homes for Sale

Sometimes you need to get detailed information about an area you're considering living in. You can visit village websites or any of the dry community pages that come up in the search engines. Basic information from a good local real estate website should provide enough data for you to make an informed decision of what town you'd like to live in.

You can get a lot of information from the below link, which will give you some information on Tinley Park and show you all current real estate listings:

Tinley Park homes for sale - This is a very popular local real estate website and appears at top positions on search engines. You'll find everything you need to find a property for sale in the village.

Feel free to search the Tinley Park MLS to search for all homes available for sale in Northern IL.

Sarasota MLS Attacks One of Their Paying Members

This is a different post for this blog. But it is needed. An Internet REALTOR friend, Marc Rasumussen, has been in a lengthy battle with his local Sarasota MLS. You see, he purchased a domain name over 5 years ago called "thesarasotamls dot com". If you do a Google search for Sarasota Real Estate you'll find Marc at the #1 position. And I think that's what caused the witch hunt.

What agents were taught - by NAR!

The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) offers training for its members, including articles (magazine and online) by Mr. Internet. Years ago, Mr. Internet published ideas for creating good real estate domain names for agent websites. He suggested using area real estate or area MLS, etc.

Marc tried getting Sarasotarealestate dot com but it was already taken. The only good domain name, according to Mr. Internet, was thesarasotamls. So he took it and spent thousands of dollars and many hours getting his website to top positions on Google and other popular search engines.

And he made other agents mad

Why else would they go after him (the Sarasota board of REALTORS) and actually file an ethics complaint against Marc (which he won)? Why, after losing this ethics complaint, would they take it as far as ICANN? ICANN, despite the ethics ruling in favor of Marc, ordered the domain name to be returned to the Sarasota MLS board. So Marc cannot use this long-standing domain any longer.

His webmaster, Morgan Carey of Real Estate Webmasters (REW) is trying to use a 301 redirect to his new domain, http://www.luxurysarasotarealestate.com/, so Marc can retain some of the authority he built over the years. This will help him while he's trying to build this brand new domain, which will take some time.

But we don't yet know if he'll be able to continue doing this. Once the redirect is removed I'm sure we'll see Marc's long-standing positions decline. All of those thousands of dollars and hours of work down the drain, plus having to start over from scratch in the highly competitive real estate community on the Internet.

Other's envy is hurting a family

Anyone else who has a website that falls below Marc's in the search engines could spend money and put in the same amount of hours to try to beat Marc or at least show up right below him, which will still give them business. Instead, a group formed to complain about Marc's site and finally got their way. What will they do to the next webmaster who outranks them? And I hope they'll chase the other websites with MLS in the domain name, no matter how low they appear in the search engines. But I doubt they'll bother with those.

Southwest Chicago Suburbs Real Estate

The #1 site for Chicago Suburbs Real Estate is so popular on the search engines that many prospective buyers and sellers find the site that are looking in other areas. The link above shows the different suburbs that this site covers. In fact, some of those areas are going to be deleted as the areas served is getting revamped.

It really doesn't matter if buyer prospects from the north side find the site as the Northern IL MLS covers a huge area including all of Chicago and north, west and south suburbs. So any buyer for Northern IL can create an MLS search from the site.

For sellers that want an Internet CMA that reside out of the area might have to get referred to a local agent to do this for them. If buyers that use the MLS want to start seeing homes in areas not included in this site they also might need to be referred out. But that's OK as we have a great list of good referral agents so you can be assured you'll be well taken care of.

Find Your Dream Chicago Suburbs Home

Although it's certainly fun and interesting to search the Northern IL MLS, if you're busy and don't feel like going back or just don't have the time, you might be missing the perfect home. There is an easier way.

Just fill out the Automated Chicago Suburbs Real Estate Home Finder Form with as much information as possible. By doing this, you'll receive all active listings in the MLS sent to your e-mail. You can access the listings at your convenience.

The search will be made using your search parameters such as location, price and amenities. You can easily change any of those search items by just sending an e-mail.

Even though it's a Buyer's Market right now and there's a slew of real estate for sale, homes priced correctly are still getting multiple offers or are selling quickly. So don't let the perfect property pass you by. Fill out the form now and you can still use the MLS search whenever you'd like, but you'll receive listings from the Home Finder Search whether you do or don't.

Suburban Real Estate News

For another blog that offers a lot of real estate news please click the link. This blog is part of the Real Estate Webmasters (REW) website that offers a real estate forum (click to join) and blogs for buyers, sellers and other real estate professionals. The site also offers beautiful website designs.

The Real Estate Blog

This blog offers a little more technical information geared toward other real estate professionals. You can also access multiple blogs written by other agents. Some of the blogs are related to local areas, some are general real estate. You'll be able to find a little bit of everything going through these blogs.

The Real Estate Forum

Although most forum members are in the real estate industry, this forum is also for buyers and sellers to ask questions. Although no real estate agent can act as an attorney (and many of the questions asked need an attorney's advice), a lot of buyers and sellers can get answers or ideas from this helpful forum.

Please check out the REW blogs and forums by clicking on the links above to find a whole new world of real estate articles, news and advice.

MLS Search for Chicago and Suburbs

Most real estate web surfers want one thing whether they are buying and/or selling, and that's access to the local MLS. But what many prospects don't understand is that there are different ways to access the local MLS.

One way is IDX, which is a sampling of active MLS listings. There is no registration required but only a portion of the MLS is available using this kind of search. So if you are not being asked to register in the Northern IL area, you're not getting all of the listings for sale.

Cook-County-Real-Estate.com offers full Chicago MLS search including all suburbs. In fact, it is one of the largest MLS's in the nation. Not only can you search the Chicago suburbs but you can go into parts of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin! You can also search pretty far south such as Kankakee and other "far-away" areas from what most of us consider Northern IL.

Registration is required but all you really need is your name and a working e-mail account. Once you sign up you can save your searches and come back as much as you want to continue with your search. In fact, if you log-in at least once every 30 days you don't have to register again.

So if you want access to each and every available home for sale (plus condo/townhouse, rentals, mobile homes and vacant land), the only way you can access this information is by registering. You don't want to miss what might be the perfect property for you!

You don't have to worry that your information will be sold or shared. This is simply a requirement of the MLS to allow access to the complete active database of homes for sale.

If you want to set any appointments for these properties give Judy Orr a call at 708-536-8200.

www.cook-county-real-estate.net

This Chicago Suburbs real estate website is geared for both buyers and sellers of southwest chicago and southwest and near west suburbs. Click the link for a list of suburbs covered.

I will be introducing this website in more detail as it is extremely comprehensive and has a lot of information. It's a large website that cannot be viewed in one sitting so I will try to break it down in this blog.

It offers full MLS search and listings that are available to view without registering. There are lots of buyer and seller links and information to help you buy and/or sell your next property.

When you first click on the site you are drawn to the photo slideshow header that takes you to many area features and outdoor views. There have been many compliments on the beauty and usability of this website and is the most popular site for the southwest suburbs of Chicago.

Click the photo below to get to the home page:

Selling a Home in Southwest Chicago Suburbs

Most real estate websites are geared toward buyers. But the Chicago Suburbs Real Estate website offers information to buyers and sellers.

• There is a link for an Internet Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that a seller can quickly fill out and get a CMA sent directly to their e-mail.
• There is a link to an extremely informative step-by-step article on selling a home.
• A link is provided to a real estate glossary.
• One easy-to-read page with links to helpful websites for Chicago suburb home sellers
  

Some of the marketing tools utilized are mentioned to get your home sold. This is the only Chicago suburbs home sellers page on the website that can be accessed through the navigation menu. That is what keeps the site focused mainly on buyers and simple to use without bogging visitors down with so many links that a visitor just gets confused and leaves.

The goal of this website was to keep it simple, and offer buyers what they want; listings with photos and descriptions. Those same listings can also help sellers keep up with their competition and help them price their homes better.

School Search for Illinois

Real estate agents get asked about school systems a lot. Unfortunately, they have to be careful with their responses as it will only be personal opinion unless the agent has a photographic memory. Also, there is no way for an agent to know the exact borderlines of different school districts without double checking.

An informed agent will not give your their personal opinion but will guide you to make your own choices. Every listing on the Cook County Real Estate website will show you at minimum the school districts for all listings (grammar, junior high and high school). A good website to compare one school to another is Greatschools.com.

Automated Home Finder Search

It's fun to search the entire active MLS for Northern IL and it even allows you to save your searches. However, if you're really looking for your next home you don't want to rely on having to go to the MLS every day on your own as you might miss out on the perfect listing.

That's why you should fill out the easy form to create an Advanced Automated Home Finder search. You will get new listings sent directly to your e-mail so you don't have to worry about doing daily searches.

In fact, if you want to change your search it can be done quickly and easily. If you're just starting your home search it's OK to take your time to see what's out there by doing your own searches. But if you're serious and actually setting appointments to see properties, then you need to have an e-mail home search set up.

Go to the Advanced Automated Home Finder Search page now!

More Featured Listings

The home page has been changed for the Chicago Suburb Real Estate website that has everything buyers need to find their next property. There used to be one Featured Listing on the home page in the left sidebar and now there are four right in the middle of the page. They change with every page "refresh."

Another change was that the website was made to fit wider on the page so it is easier to read and you can see more at a glance. We try to keep the website current and as easy to navigate as possible while providing you with what you need most as a buyer and/or seller.

View Listings Without Registration

I can't understand why someone wouldn't want to access the entire Northern IL Multiple Listing Service (MLSNI) to be able to search for every single active listing. I guess because most sites require some kind of registration.

Maybe you're not ready to actually view homes and are just starting your search. You don't want to register with anyone because you're not at the point where you are ready to go setting up appointments to see homes.

If that's the case, then visit the Chicago area real estate MLS listings page to view a huge selection of properties without having to register. You can do a search and will get a list of properties available per your search parameters. You will be able to see a photo and a small description.

If a listing piques your interest then you can do a quick and easy registration and see multiple photos, a full description including room sizes and even a virtual tour link for the listings that have them.

Full, Active MLS Search for Northern IL

Buyers want to search the Chicago area MLS. You can do that by clicking the red link. This MLS search is different than most you'll find on Chicago and Northern IL real estate websites.

Some like to search by clicking boxes for different areas and some like to search by map. The link above will give you the option to search either way.

You can get a list of all properties in your area and price range and will be able to view a photo and description of each one. If you want to see more then you need to register.

Registration is simple and all that is required is your name and e-mail address. You can even save searches.

If you're seriously searching for a home this is the best tool you can use with the exception of the Automated Home Finder Search. Using this requires one form to be filled out and you don't have to do anything else, just open your e-mail to see any and all new listings as they hit the market.

Playing around with the MLS search is fun and buyers always think they're missing something if they don't make their own searches. But if you're really serious and don't have time to search every single day then you need to be set up with the automated search.

The Best Virtual Tours

Buyers Want to See Lots of Pictures

Many times you'll see listings on the Internet with only one or zero pictures of the property. I've heard many buyers say they bypass those listings. They don't even bother reading to see if the house would be a match for them based on the description and room sizes. No photos - no interest.

If you're looking to sell your real estate in Chicago Suburbs and want to offer great photo slideshows and virtual tours then give Judy Orr a call at 708-536-8200.

Judy creates a full website just for your property! Here's an example of a New Lenox home that has sold and closed. This particular website has a talking salesperson but that is not a requirement. The sites offer unlimited photos, a virtual tour that automatically goes to Realtor.com and the website itself is added (without brokerage information) to the MLS and gets syndicated to all of the popular real estate portals. I don't know of any other agent in the southwest or near west suburbs offering this.

Revamped for Buyers

The website for Chicago Suburbs Real Estate has been revamped. It was always an easy site to navigate and use and offered what buyers want most - listings! But now it's even more buyer-centric and simpler than ever to find listings of Chicago Suburbs real estate.

Search All Active Listings in the MLS of Northern IL

If you're really interested in purchasing a home you should just go straight to the MLS Search page. It only requires registration to see more photos and a more informative description (just your name and e-mail) but this is the only way for buyers to find every active listing available in Northern IL. If you're not having to register then you're not getting it all. Simple as that! You're under no obligation and your information isn't sold or shared so there's no reason to be afraid to sign up. Again, if you want all the active MLS listings this is the only way to get them on your own.

Don't Have Time to Search?

Personally, having to make searches and go back and continue every day seems like a chore to me. If you're getting serious about finding a new home (or condo, townhome, multi-family or whatever you're interested in buying), then get an Automated Home Search set up. All you do is fill out an easy form once and get ready to start checking your e-mail. Depending on your search criteria you might recieve new listings on a daily basis. Sure, it's fun to search and play around with the MLS but by relying on that alone won't be enough. You need to get automated.

If You Need a Little More Help

Maybe you're a first-time buyer and would like to learn more about buying real estate. Then click on the Home Buying page that offers a simple interface with everything you'll need such as a great Step-by-Step Home Buying Tutorial, a real estate glossary, mortgage info, free reports and more.

There's so much helpful and straightforward information that you'll definitely want to bookmark it but this site is so informative (only gives you the cream of the crop info) you'll definitely be coming back.

This is by far the best site for any buyer looking in the southwest Chicago suburbs area. There's more than listed above with updates to keep you informed and abreast with today's market.

The Best Chicago Suburbs Real Estate Site

View this Chicago Suburb Real Estate site to see what many other real estate agents use to promote their real estate listings, Chicago Area MLS search and information to buyers and sellers.

What's So Good About This Particular Site?

The site linked to above offers quick and easy navigation to everything a buyer or seller of real estate would need to know. It's easy to use and doesn't offer an overload of information like many other busy and cluttered real estate sites do. Yet it offers everything a buyer or seller of Chicago Suburbs Real Estate would want or need.

If you want to sign up for automatic e-mails of listings from the Chicago area MLS you have the option. You can inquire about any of the listings via e-mail or a phone call. You can save the listings you like.

Lots of Pictures, Slideshows and Virtual Tours

You can view properties from the MLS and if the listing agents add photos and a virtual tour, you'll be able to view them.

Benefit to Buyers

Buyers can view every single property that is currently up for sale by using the MLS search. You can view all properties for sale with a photo and description. If you want to see more there is a simple, private e-mail registration.

Registration only requires your name and e-mail address and your information is not shared or sold. There is no reason not to register if you're truly looking for property.

This site offers the best information that buyers want and need such as links to credit and mortgage tutorials, calculators current mortgage rates and more. Again, there isn't any fluff. Just good information that any buyer would need whether you're a first-time buyer or more experienced.

Benefit to Sellers

Sellers can receive a Comparative Market Analysis directly over the Internet by filling out a quick form. The CMA will be sent to their e-mail. This is a computer generated CMA so you need to give as much detail as possible.

In Summary

• Buyers - First-time or seasoned southwest Chicago suburbs area buyers will find everything they need to search for their next home in one easy to use website. No need to keep searching through the Internet. Even if you're not in the Chicago and surrounding suburbs area you'll still find step-by-step tutorials that will help you out.
• Sellers - If you're thinking of selling a property in southwest Chicago and the southwest suburbs, you need to get your listing on this website. I had an agent call me that worked in central Illinois asking me how she could get her seller's listing on my site. He found it and wanted to get on it. I told her since she isn't in my MLS it really wouldn't do them any good.
  

Happy househunting!