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.

Introducing the New Orland Park Real Estate Website

I created a website years ago for Orland Park real estate but at the time there wasn't any talk about hyper-local niche websites.  What does that term mean?  It could mean anything from a website created for Senior Lifestyle & Living, real estate for members of the Armed Forces, golf properties, beach properties, etc. It can also mean a site created for a specific area such as one town or even a subdivision.

The reason I shut down the website in the past was because I didn't understand the power of keeping things local.  Most real estate agents take business where they can get it, and I work in about 40+ different towns in the southwest Chicago suburbs.  

Over the years I've heard of some agents that work a very small area.  One real estate agent works within a mile radius.  She states that she can walk to any of her listings.  I don't know how she can make a living in such a small territory and I wonder if she turns down buyers who want to venture out of her boundaries.

I also met a gentleman who did the websites for a brokerage in Florida where agents were assigned an area (normally unheard of in real estate sales) and the websites pulled in the leads for these agents.  He said they made more money working those small areas than they ever did before, selling wherever business brought them.

As real estate agents we sometimes spread ourselves too thin in areas covered.  We don't make our mark in any one of them.  I did create one local real estate niche site for Oak Lawn that held it's #1 position for many years.  I used to live there so it was a perfect match.  But now my office and home are in Orland Park (I live in Homer Glen with an Orland Park address), and I want to make my presence in these two villages.  I was listed as a 5 Star Real Estate Agent for Orland Park in Chicago Magazine's October 2012 issue and am hoping to make it again this year.

Please visit the site if you're interested in Orland Park.  It offers more than just real estate.

Catching Up With Orland Park Real Estate Statistics for 2012

Instead of writing duplicate content, I am providing links to posts that show 2012 market data for Orland Park, IL.

The stats are in for Orland Park real estate for 2012.  See the ups and downs and get the link to see all Orland Park sales stats starting form 2005 to 2012.

This is a great chart to see 2012 market activity for single family Orland Park homes.  See the month-to-month differences in active listings, listings that went under contract and homes that sold and closed.


If you're interested in buying or selling an Orland Park call Judy Orr, an Orland Park real estate specialist, at 708-536-8200.

Craigslist Ads for the Southwest Chicago Suburbs

I have a new vendor for the single property websites I provide for all of my listings, like the related living Orland Park home at 15536 Canterbury.  Although my prior provider allowed for Craisglist postings my new provider makes it super easy and allows a huge choice of templates to use, some using low html (that Craiglist prefers), medium and fancier ads with high html (risky as CL might ghost the post).  It is much easier to keep up posting once the original ad has expired.

Does Craigslist Work in My Area?

That's the question!  I have gotten two responses from Craigslist since I started using it for listings many years ago.  One lady came to an open house from a CL posting of mine and I got what sounded like a scam - a man from somewhere in Europe who wanted to buy my listing sight unseen and pay cash and when he had to come in to close on it I was expected to pick up this stranger at the airport.  I was nice to him but things started sounding weirder and weirder and I finally told him this all sounds fishy.  He acted like he was offended and I never heard from him again, and he is not the person who purchased my listing.  If he was that interested in the home (if he was a true buyer), and I offended him he could have found another local agent to work with him to purchase the house.  Never heard back from him.

Crazy Craiglist Happenings

We've all heard about murders that happened using CL to lure unsuspecting victims and how about the CL rental schemes.  That's where someone posts a home for rent, usually a vacant home or even one for sale, collects the rent and leaves the lessees without keys for a home that was never for rent and belongs to someone else.

So Why Do We Use It?

My husband is a musician and has sold some equipment via Craigslist.  We sold our prior living room couch to a very nice local lady.  However, we're on our toes when we have strangers coming over looking at our wares, and only the lady was allowed in our house.  For the other stuff my husband meets them outside or in the garage (and we're all on alert).

As far as real estate, I truly believe it's an area thing.  Maybe CL works for real estate in the city of Chicago or other large areas, but far less people use it (at least for real estate) in the outlying suburbs.  With that said, sellers want to see some type of advertising and marketing, and sending them the link to their CL ad is a tangible thing they can see that shows them we're working to get their home sold.

Personally, I can't imagine using CL to find anything.  The ads rotate so quickly I can't keep up with them.  I'd rather browse on any other kind of website for items to purchase.  If I'm looking for something used that I know I can't purchase new any longer, I go to ebay.

As far as real estate, there are so many better ways to find property, like using my Orland Park homes search, for example.  On this page, a general search is already started and you can go through the listings or create a more advanced search, adding different towns, putting in a more specific price range, number of bedrooms, baths, etc.  My search covers all of Northern IL including border towns of Indiana and Wisconsin.

My website is local and has local information, something that is lacking in many of the large real estate portals that span the entire country.  My data is up-to-date.  Those other big portals show homes for sale that were sold and closed years ago.

I will continue to post my listings to Craiglist, especially since my new vendor makes it so easy, and I will share those ads with my sellers, who feel I'm working hard for them (this is only one tiny facet to my marketing).  You never know when that ready, willing and able buyer will find one of my listings on CL, so I'll keep using it.

Busy Autumn Season With Such Low Interest Rates

Fall is definitely in the air and the leaves are coming down.  The Midwest colors of yellow, oranges and reds paint beautiful landscapes.  Living in the Orland Park/Homer Glen area allows me to continuously drive through forest preserves and drink in the beautiful foliage.  It makes driving more enjoyable for me.

Sometimes we see a halt in buying and selling real estate in Fall and Winter months.  But with interest rates in the 3 percent range, buyers would be foolish to wait.

In fact, this is a great time for buyers.  There are still less buyers out looking.  Many already made their purchases, especially families wanting to move before the school year.  There might be less inventory to choose from, but I am still seeing some great homes. 

Orland Park real estate has remained healthy with more sales this year than last year.  Year-to-date to the end of September has shown a 9.8% increase in the amount of single family homes sold.  Prices have dropped but remain in the single digits.  The average sale price September year-to-date is $296,150. 

If you want to take advantage of these historically low interest rates don't put your home buying off until next Spring.  These rates might not last and more buyers are out looking making it more difficult to get a good deal.  Give Judy Orr a call at 708-536-8200 to get set-up for an automated search that will be sent directly to your e-mail, or fill out this easy Home Search form.

Orland Park Homes Available 3/24/12

Orland Park, IL is a very popular southwest suburb of Chicago.  In fact, it was on Money Magazine's Top 100 Places to Live.  So how many Orland Park homes are currently up for sale?  Today there 272 homes on the market.

The lowest priced home is $89,900!  Keep in mind, the average sale price in Orland Park for 2011 was $318,088.  So this home is priced really low.  In fact, it's the only home priced under $100,000 in the village.  It appears to be cute and has some updates, but there is some kind of mold report that makes it look like there is some kind of mold on the property.  I think that's why it is priced where it is.

There are 23 homes priced under $200,000, which is a good amount considering the average price of Orland Park homes.  Some of these are short sales and foreclosures, but there is a good selection.

On the top of the range is a home priced at $2,200,000 that's been on and off the market since 2004.  Although the price has been reduced over the years, it's not that far off from the original list price of $2,499,900.  It's not easy selling a multi-million dollar home in our area.  They are selling in New York and California, but it's a tough sell in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.  The home is gorgeous and sits on a big lot.  I hope they can find themselves a buyer soon.

If you're looking for a home in Orland Park or any other southwest suburb, give Judy Orr a call at 708-536-8200.

Orland Park Homes 2011 Sales Statistics Are In

The stats are in for all of 2011 for single family Orland Park homes.  Click the link to go to a blog post showing the data comparing the amount of sales and average home prices from 2010 to 2011.

There was a small (6%) uptick in the amount of homes sold in 2011, but the average sales prices dropped double digits (-11.9%).  It's great to have more buyers out there purchasing Orland Park homes, but sellers certainly aren't happy seeing these constant price reductions.

One of my buyers told me today that they heard that things were going to continue getting worse.  I've been feeling positive and I've been very busy working with buyers.   I'm seeing a lot of activity for this time of year.  If this activity continues this could be my best year yet.

I didn't expect Orland Park homes to drop by double digits.  I also thought we'd see a much higher figure for amounts of sales, so these figures surprised me.  I'm going to continue feeling positive about the upcoming year and working with my happy buyers and getting my listings sold.

If you're looking to purchase and/or sell this year, give Judy Orr a call at 708-536-8200.

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.

Orland Park Real Estate Resources

Sometimes when looking through websites doing a Google search, I will find some so difficult to maneuver that I leave and find something else. I try to create my websites so they are easy to use and you can find what is needed quickly.

The following are some great Orland Park real estate web pages:

• Orland Park homes for sale - view all available homes for sale in Orland Park without having to do any kind of search. They are also broken down by price range to make it easier to find what you want.
• Orland Park MLS - this is where you can search for exact amenities you desire along with price. You can also search multiple areas (it is currently set for Orland Park, but by using the Ctrl button you can search for other towns simultaneously.
• Orland Park real estate - This is another website/blog page with a description of this popular village.

If you're interested in Orland Park real estate, these pages (especially the top two), are all you'll need. Happy Orland Park house hunting!

Inclement Weather in the Southwest Chicago Suburbs

There was tornado damage in a farther south Chicago suburb of Peotone last night. Several homes were damaged and there were also some injuries. Peotone is considered a more rural area and I had relatives that had a farm there, but it's a little too far out of my selling area.

I slept very well in my Orland Park home last night and was surprised to speak to a client who told me he didn't get any sleep last night because of the storm. I remember having trouble sleeping in my prior Oak Lawn home that I just closed on last week.

It was originally a ranch style home that had a 2nd story addition put on, turning it
into more of a cape cod or 1 1/2 story home. For some reason, I could always hear the wind and rain more in my Oak Lawn home than I can in my current split level home. Maybe it's because my 2nd story was so much higher than in my current home.

I don't know the reason, but I'm glad to have "weathered" my first bad storm in my new Orland Park home. I hope the new owners of my Oak Lawn home slept well last night.

New Blogger Templates

Woo hoo! Almost every time I create a post in Blogger, I check to see if there have been any new templates added. Finally, there is a great choice of new looks to choose from. In fact, there were a few I wanted to try, and with the template I chose there are many background photos and color choices to choose from. This is going to be fun.

I have many different websites and blogs. First off, here is my Orland Park homes page from my main website. I like having changes and although I've done a few things with that site, I have some future changes planned. My main Chicago suburbs blog is on this site and I love how the header changes with each refresh or page change.

I also have a hyper-local niche site for Oak Lawn homes and an Oak Lawn news blog for the village and surrounding towns. This website and blog comprises the main village plus surrounding towns of Alsip, Bridgeview, Burbank, Chicago Ridge, Evergreen Park, Hickory Hills, Hometown, Justice and Worth.

I also have a standalone blog that I've changed the template on many times for Southwest Suburban Real Estate. This is my favorite template by far so I don't think I'll be changing it anytime soon.

I have a couple other blogs but they are geared more towards networking with other real estate agents throughout the nation. As you can see, I offer a lot of local information for buyers and/or sellers of real estate in the southwest Chicago suburbs. And on this blog, I can now have fun presenting that information with all of the new templates I can switch to.

Orland Park Homes Under $200,000

With the average price range of Orland Park homes in the $400,000's, it's unbelievable to see Orland Park homes available priced under $200,000. But in today's buyer's market, there are currently 20 single family homes available priced under $200,000!

You can now find a 4 bedroom, 2 bath raised ranch/mid-level style home in Orland Park priced at $164,900. It is a foreclosure that needs work and is being sold in "as-is" condition, which is to be expected in this price range for a home with these amenities.

Many first-time buyers didn't feel they could afford to purchase their first home in Orland Park, but with today's falling prices it can be done. Of course, some of the foreclosures that need work need cash buyers or won't get approved for anything but a rehab loan.

If you're looking for a home in Orland Park feel free to search on the Orland Park MLS.

Orland Park Homes

This is a busy pre-Spring season as buyers are out looking for properties so they can take advantage of the tax credit, which isn't just for first-time buyers this time around.

Today, there are currently 230 Orland Park homes for sale. Prices start at $169,000 for a 4 bedroom, 2 bath ranch style home that is a short sale and goes up to $2,995,000 for a gorgeous 4 bedroom, 5+ bathroom luxury ranch style home on 2 acres. This one has been on the market for 114 days and at this price in our current economy, it might take quite some time to get this sold.

If you're interested in buying an Orland Park home, condo or townhome, call Judy Orr at 708-536-8200 or fill in the Quick Contact Form to the left. If you're not quite ready to start looking, feel free to fill out the Automated Home Finder Form which will send listings directly to your e-mail. You are under no obligation to start looking until you're ready. But this is the best method to get updated listing information without having to constantly do your own searching.

Automated Home Finder Search

There are many websites with good Northern IL MLS searches. But to be up-to-date on the market and not miss out on any listing, a buyer should fill out a Home Finder Search Form.

Although it's better today than in the past, there are still some brokerages that have opted out of sharing their listings on IDX website searches (what website MLS searches are actually called). So any website offering an MLS search is only providing the feed of those brokers that have opted in to share their listings.

Again, most brokers do share their listings, after all, it's a form of advertising for their sellers. Many brokerages don't utilize print advertising anymore because it simply doesn't work and isn't worth the large expense. So they want to use the Internet to market listings since most buyers start their home search via their computer.

But what if your dream home is held by a broker that doesn't want to share? Unless you sign up for a Home Finder Search, you could miss that property. The Home Finder Search sends listings to your e-mail directly from the MLS and it is done automatically.

You can search for properties in all of Northern IL such as Orland Park homes, for example. The automated home search will send you listings of the type of property you want in the area(s) you desire and in your price range. You can select specific amenities that you need.

Don't miss out on what might be the perfect property! Fill out the Home Finder Search Form today.

Cook County Real Estate - Median Price Comparisons

The chart above depicts the downward trend of median prices in Cook County for a combination of attached and detached properties from September of 2007 through September of 2009. What I find interesting is the difference between the median price of new listings (the green line) vs. the median price of sold listings (red line) and even the under contract listings (blue line). Either sellers are very optimistic or unrealistic!

This comprises all of Cook County so this might not pertain to a specific town or subdivision. Single family Orland Park homes might show a different data set, for example. But this is a good indication of our Cook County market. Most of what we hear on the news is national data, which isn't always accurate for every state or village.

If you're interested in searching for homes in the southwest area of Cook County feel free to fill out the Home Finder Form and you will receive all MLS listings in your price range, area and with the amenities you want - sent directly through your e-mail.

Orland Park Homes For Sale Today

It's time to review the amount of Orland Park homes currently available for sale. We are ending our popular summer purchasing time since school will be starting for many in August. Most families have already purchased their next home. Some have already moved and some are waiting to close.

By clicking the link above you'll see that as of today's date, there are 295 single family Orland Park homes for sale. Prices start at $170,000 for a 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath ranch style home and go as high as $2,395,000 for a 5 bedroom, 6 1/2 bath two-story. You can see photos, some virtual tours and descriptions of all of these homes by clicking the link in the first paragraph.

Although popular Orland Park hasn't lost value like some other areas, prices have dropped and this might be your chance to buy in this sought after village. This is still a slow buyers market and sellers that have to sell are pricing their homes right, offering some lucky buyers the opportunity to get some great deals.

If you're interested in purchasing an Orland Park home give Judy Orr a call at 708-536-8200 or use the Quick Contact Form to the left.

Orland Park Real Estate Market Review

The chart to the left shows Orland Park real estate statistics comparing '08-'09. As you can see, there is still way too much inventory compared to the pending sales and those that have sold and closed. It's great to be a buyer for Orland Park homes.

This is why it is so important for sellers to price their Orland Park properties correctly. Buyers have a huge selection of homes in all price categories. They only write offers on the properties that are priced correctly for what they offer. This chart shows the true imbalance of properties that have actually sold compared to those currently up for sale.

The reality is, if you don't price your place correctly for what it has to offer (or not) it simply will not sell. Buyers won't make an offer since they'll find something better to make an offer on. If your home is not priced right you will not get any offers at all. You might not even get any showings.

I hope this chart shows you the real Orland Park real estate market. This chart was created by Terradatum that uses the information from the Northern Illinois MLS. If you'd like to take advantage of this high amount of inventory, which brings prices down, give Judy Orr a call at 708-536-8200 or use the contact form to the left.