Best August Real Estate Blog Posts

I like to recap some of the prior month's real estate posts I've written in other sources, so here they are for August 2013.

Orland Park Homes and Real Estate

The website isn't just about real estate and homes for sale.  I live and work in Orland Park so like to throw a local lifestyle spin on the website.  In fact, although I don't get a lot of people relocating into Orland Park, I'd like to paint a true picture of living in this popular southwest suburb.

I wrote about a great fast food diner and find out by a comment that the place might be moving from their current Orland Park location.  Go figure. Baby's Cheesecake and Lemonade has other locations, although they're a bit too far for me.  If they move I hope it's not too far away.

Although there are lifestyle articles on the site, it is about real estate, after all.  I'm really interested to see how 2013 will compare with 2012.  I don't really need to read statistics to know we're much busier this year compared to last, but I wasn't sure about how that affected prices.  You can see the difference between Orland Park homes sold in July of 2013 vs. 2012.  It's good news!

Homer Glen Homes and Real Estate

I've been transferring older posts to my new Homer Glen website template and it's literally been copy and paste.  Lots of time consuming work and I hope I keep this site as I'll have to do it all over again if I decide to switch back to Wordpress (although I kept my last back-up from my prior Wordpress site).

I'm having fun creating pre-set searches and I know many local buyers are interested in Homer Glen short sales.  Not only does this post give the link to show all current short sales in the village, but it explains what short sales are and how they work.  Many buyers have heard about short sales but don't fully understand what they really are.  This post should explain everything in easy-to-understand language.

Another fun way to search for Homer Glen real estate is by viewing pre-made searches by price.  Click Homer Glen homes for sale to see all single family properties priced $200,000 and under.  There are several ways to get to this pre-made search.  You can find the link in the post or on the right-hand sidebar on the Home Page.  It is also under the Search Homes tab on the top menu and this shows on every page on the website.

All of these pre-made searches will continually update the results, so you'll always have fresh listings no matter what the search parameters are.  Don't forget, you can always create your own advanced search of Homer Glen real estate.  We realize you might need more than just price.  You might need a certain price with a certain number of bedrooms and baths, etc.  If the pre-made searches are giving you properties you're not interested in then create your own personal search.  The best way to keep updated is to create an Automated Search that will send listings directly to your e-mail.  You'll never miss what might be the pefect place for you.

I sold another home in popular Meadowview Estates in Homer Glen.  This post will give you a little information on this subdivision.

Homer Glen doesn't have a lot of restaurants so we go to different towns a lot (we live in Homer Glen even though we have an Orland Park address - it's a long story).  One of our favorites is in the neighboring town of Lemont called 3 Corners Grill & Tap.  It just goes to prove you can be in a weird location and still prosper if you have something great to offer, and 3 Corners has great food you don't usually find in a restaurant/bar.

I've written other posts but these are the ones I wanted to feature here.  Homer Glen and Orland Park are the two major towns I work in.  Call Judy Orr if you're interested in either of these towns, or any southwest Chicago suburbs - 708-536-8200.

New Homer Glen Real Estate Website

There is a new website created for Homer Glen homes, real estate and lifestyle.  It features a search of Homer Glen homes for sale, a mortgage calculator and current interest rates, a blog with Homer Glen news and reviews plus more.

We created this site so it is fun and easy-to-use.  You can access the Home Search from almost every page. You can see current blog posts with thumbnail photos to help you choose.  There are pre-made searches already created in the Search Homes menu section.

As a buyer, you can use the pre-done Homer Glen homes for sale searches or create your own custom search.  You can make things even easier by filling out an easy form and get all active listings sent directly to your e-mail.

Homer Glen home sellers can get an online market valuation of their home.  They can also search for area homes to keep updated with the current market.

There is a ton of useful information for both buyers and sellers and you could spend hours on this website.  We live and work in Homer Glen and wanted to create a blog/site for the village we love living in.  We hope Homer Glen residents or anyone interested in this growing village enjoys, reads and participates in this site created just for them.

2011 Homer Glen Real Estate Sales Stats

You can now view Homer Glen real estate sales statistics starting from 2005 and going through 2011.  Comparing single family Homer Glen homes from 2010-2011, there was an 8.6% increase in amount of homes sold but a 5.8% decrease in average sale prices.  We would certainly prefer to see prices increase, but at least the decrease remains in single digits, unlike some areas.  The last time we saw a double digit price drop was in 2009.

Homer Glen condos and townhomes showed double increases.  There was a huge 142.9% increase in the amount of attached properties sold!  Prices increased by 8.9% and this is the 2nd year in a row that prices have increased.  However, I think ground is being covered by a big 31.7% decrease in prices in 2009.

You can view the charts of both single family and attached Homer Glen real estate by clicking the link.

Happy Holiday Wishes

I hope you had happy and safe holidays.  2011 flew by for me.  I am anxious to start 2012 and have a positive outlook for real estate in the coming year.  I have been very busy working with buyers and can't remember writing so many offers this time of year.  My problem was dealing with sellers that didn't want showings too close to the holidays.

I will be anxious to see the real estate sales statistics our board puts out every year to allow us to compare all of 2011 to prior years.  I have a feeling that the amount of sales for most southwest suburbs will be higher but I'm not sure about prices.  Are we truly seeing a trickle of recovery?  We'll find out soon and I'll share those stats when they are available.

In the meantime, I am gearing for a busy start to 2012 and I hope it stays that way.  If you're considering buying and/or selling Homer Glen homes or properties in any of the southwest suburbs, give Judy Orr a call at 708-536-8200 or use the Quick Contact Form to the right.

Homer Glen Homes For Sale Today - 12/9/11

I'm kind of surprised at the amount of buyers I'm working with and the amount of showings some of my listings are getting at this time of year.  Sometimes the market shuts down in Illinois during the winter months, especially between Thanksgiving and New Year's.  I think low interest rates plus low prices are getting the buyers out - this is a great opportunity and I wish I could buy a bunch of homes myself right now.

 As of today's date, there are currently 207 Homer Glen homes up for sale.  I always like to show the extremes, so the extreme low price for a Homer Glen home today is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch home in Pebble Creek for $129,900.  This is a short sale that is remodeled and looks to be a great deal.  However, banks don't always accept some of the low prices that agents list their short sale listings at.  So until the bank accepts an offer, we won't know if this price will stand until it closes.

On the other extreme, the most expensive Homer Glen home is priced at $1,400,000.  It is a 6,000 sq. ft. home with 5 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms.  It is one of 3 homes priced over $1,000,000.

Why You Might Need More Than An Online Real Estate Search Site

My main website is very popular and I constantly get buyers that register to use my IDX (or MLS) property search.  Although my IDX search is pretty easy to use, there is a limitation to how many items you can specifically search for.  That goes with most real estate search portals, no matter how good they seem to be.

Many search portals do not keep their database up-to-date.  These are portals that allow agents to post and/or syndicate their listings, and these listings are not coming from an MLS feed.  Because of that, these listings could have been sold, closed, cancelled or expired years ago.  You call the listing agent or another agent you "like" from the portal site and find out that listing is long off the market, and you probably won't visit that site again since you feel it is not accurate and wasted your time.

If you use a website, like mine, that provides listings directly from the MLS (the data feed is usually acquired once a day, sometimes twice or more), you will still find listings that are technically Active Status, but they are truly Contingent on Financing.  That means there is an accepted contract and there are no further showings.  So why is it showing up on sites like mine and many others?

Because as I mentioned, Contingent listings are technically Active, even though they have an accepted offer and do not allow further showings.  There are different types of Contingent listings, and some do allow further showings.  These are Contingent on Sale and Contingent on Close and some Contingent on Other.  But you won't know the difference on your end.  All Contingent listings are bundled together in our MLS, so you'll see those that are still allowing showings and those that are not.

Because of this, you really need to allow your agent to create an automated search for you via their access to the MLS (Multiple Listing Service).  They can leave out the listings that have accepted contracts and do not allow showings, thereby only sending you listings that are active and ready to see.  You don't have to continue creating searches and wasting your time with those listings that have accepted offers on them.

Keep in mind, our MLS requires status to be changed within 72 hours of contract acceptance, so there still might be lag time between when an offer was accepted on a property and when it is changed in the MLS, but the majority of listings will be truly active when you have your agent set you up with an automated search.  In fact, your first search will provide a large amount of inventory and subsequent searches will be New listings, Reactivated/Back on Market listings or listings that had a Price Change.

For example, if you're looking in the southwest suburbs and might be interested in Homer Glen homes, if you're just starting and want to get a feel for the market you can set up your search on the website.  However, if you're ready to start looking for homes, you should fill out the Automated Home Finder Form and have Judy Orr create a specific search using your personal choices and sending you properties that are currently up for sale and ready to view.

Homer Glen Homes For Sale

As of today's date, there are currently 233 Homer Glen homes for sale.  That is about average at any given time for this village.

Prices start at $149,000 for a 3 bedroom, 1 bath home that touts itself as "the lowest priced home in Homer Glen."  There are currently 9 Homer Glen homes priced $200,000 and under.  The most popular price range is between $300,000-$400,000, which had 83 listings.  On the high end, there are 8 listings priced above $1,000,000.

So as you can see, there is something for everyone in this growing village, which is the newest Chicago suburb and will be celebrating it's 10th anniversary this year.  If you are interested in Homer Glen real estate click the link and start searching the MLS.

Homer Glen Real Estate Resources

If you're interested in living in Chicago's youngest suburb, then here are some of the best Homer Glen real estate resources:

Homer Glen homes - this entire page is chock full of information on Homer Glen real estate, including a list of homes currently up for sale.  You don't even have to do a search and the price ranges are broken up so you can easily view all listings in the price range(s) you're interested in.

Search the Homer Glen MLS - maybe you'd like to get a little more in depth with the amenities that are important to you.  This search is already started for you, you can add your specifics.

Homer Glen real estate - this is another resource page for the village of Homer Glen, which will be celebrating it's 10th anniversary this year.

Surgery, Convalescing and Getting Antsy

I had major surgery on March 29th and am just about two weeks out in my recovery phase. I may need follow-up treatments. I cannot drive until a month after surgery. Thank goodness my husband, James Herter, got his real estate license just prior to my operation. We are now a real team and James is out there pounding the pavement.

I can handle behind-the-scenes stuff like marketing, e-mail and phone communications, blogging and website maintenance and setting appointments. Jimmy is out there taking buyer clients out.

This is the time of year that I try to get new listings by contacting expired sellers and for sale by owners (FSBO's). I use a great postcard campaign and get a lot of listings by doing this. This year I will concentrate on Orland Park and Homer Glen homes. I am trying to make my listing side of the business super local.

My husband is too new to the business to be able to handle a listing appointment on his own. So we'll have to wait a couple of weeks until I heal more as I never know how quickly I will get an appointment request from the postcards.

Sitting home can get boring, especially with these couple of days of beautiful weather. I am raring to get out there and be more active with my buyers and sellers. I have some plans for new marketing techniques this year and am anxious to give them a try.

Homer Glen Homes For Sale

As of this writing, there are 226 Homer Glen homes available for sale. Prices start at $172,000 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath foreclosure in the Pebble Creek Subdivision up to $2,100,000 for an 8,100 sq. ft. home built in 2009 located in Evlyn's Gate.

That's a wide price range and shows that Homer Glen offers single family homes in all price ranges. You can be a first-time buyer or maybe you're interested in a custom, upscale home - Homer Glen has it all!

The link above will allow you to view Homer Glen listings without even having to do a search. You will get choices of price ranges if you want to drill down to the price you're qualified for. Once you see a property you're interested in, just click on it and you'll get all the details you'll need to see if it might be a home you'd like to see.

Homer Glen Homes

A new town page has been created on the popular Chicago Suburbs Real Estate website for Homer Glen, the newest incorporated village in Il, having been incorporated in 2001. Homer Glen is located about 11 miles southwest of Chicago and the boundaries are 131st St. to the north, Will-Cook Rd. to the east, Gougar Rd. to the west and 183rd St. to the south.

Click on the link for Homer Glen homes to see all of the current homes for sale in the ever-growing and popular village. Single family homes currently start at $189,900 and go as high as $2,100,000. There aren't as many Homer Glen townhomes or condos for sale at any given time compared to single family homes, but currently there are 26 units available and prices start at $175,000 and go as high as $399,900.