A staged home makes a great impression on buyers. If you don’t have that decorating touch, then you should seriously consider hiring a home stager.
But not every stager is appropriate for all properties, therefore ask a few questions before hiring.
*Ask to see their portfolio, its not enough to ask a few questions over the phone.
*Do they have a specialty? Many stagers specialize in a specific type of of home and may not be the right fit for your property, or their furniture may not be the right fit.
*What is their training and background? The home staging industry is largely unregulated, find out if they have been trained and what their certification means.
If you have marketing ideas you want to bring to the table, ask the stager if you can work together because if buyers aren’t walking through the door, the staging doesn’t mean much.

Evidence of an uptick in remodeling late last year is giving some in the industry hope for a busier 2010.
ServiceMagic.com, a site that connects homeowners with home-service professionals, said the number of remodeling service requests at the Web site rose by 37% in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with the fourth quarter of 2008. There were large spikes in requests in areas that had some of the country’s highest foreclosure rates.
For example, requested home additions and remodels in Miami were up 110%, compared with the year before. Requests for kitchen projects were up 166% in Phoenix, 120% in Chicago and 112% in San Jose, Calif., over the year.
“The surge of remodeling activity late in 2009 lets us know those in the position to put money into remodeling projects will likely do so at an accelerating pace in 2010,” said Craig Smith, chief executive of ServiceMagic, in a news release. “What does this mean for the industry? Read more »

By: Victoria Thomas Now that you have decided to list your house for sale with a professional real estate agent, take a few minutes and walk around your home and look at it like a buyer would. Many sellers make the mistake, and believe me I see this all the time, of thinking their home is perfect and buyers will like it just the way it is. The truth is, buyers don’t want to look at YOUR things, they want to see themselves and THEIR things in it, so make it easier for them to do just that by following some of these tips: Read more »

According to the National Association of Realtors®, “distressed homes” represented nearly 2 of every fifth home sold in January 2010. Clearly, real estate investors in the Chicagoland area and around the country are taking advantage of good deals on cheap property. But there’s risk involved.
Today may be a terrific time to buy a bank-owned home — just make sure you do your research first. There’s plenty of ways for investors to get burned.
Some tips:
Have the property inspected by a professional before buying
Make sure there are no liens by third parties
Buy in your own backyard
Start small, then build to a bigger portfolio
Pre-qualify your tenants
Watch receipts — rent rolls don’t matter if tenants aren’t paying rent
Foreclosures should represent a large number of 2010’s total home sales and will offer interesting opportunities to bona fide real estate investors. Before you jump in, make sure to do your homework. The rents you save may be your own.

Lenders analyze your credit score to determine whether or not to approve your home mortgage request.  Before lending you money, creditors want to determine how much of a risk you are—in other words, how likely you are to repay the money they loan you. Credit scores help them do that, and the higher your score, the less risk they feel you’ll be.

You can improve your credit scores by taking a close look at your credit reports and charting a plan of action to improve them.  Keep these simple rules in mind: Read more »

Maybe you are one of those unfortunate homeowners who just can’t make the mortgage payments on your home, scrambling for a solution and looking into doing a “Short Sale”. Let’s explore this much written about alternative. By definition, a “Short Sale” is when a home seller sells his home for a lesser amount than what is owed on his mortgage, and the mortgage lender agrees to accept the lesser amount in lieu of a full payoff.

For example, a Short Sale may be appropriate for a Chicago home seller whose mortgage balance is $350,000 but whose home will not sell for more than $300,000. Instead of paying the $50,000 difference to the mortgage lender at the time of sale, the seller enters into an agreement with the lender that all sale proceeds are paid to the bank and the outstanding balance is forgiven. Read more »

In the Gold Coast, closings are happening in fast pace at Ten East Delaware, a Lucien Lagrange designed luxury tower. Located at the corner of Delaware and State it is a short walk to some of Chicago’s notable five-star restaurants and hot bar scene, amazing Oak Street and Michigan Avenue shopping, gourmet grocers and not to mention, the gorgeous lakefront. The stately 35-story tower is a collection of luxury condominium residences combining classic architecture with well appointed interiors, private amenities and services. Located on the upper level of Ten East Delaware is The Ten Club, a facility for residents only, featuring a rooftop swimming pool with sundeck and gardens, a state of the art fitness center and a private club room for entertaining. Prices start at about $1.5 million for 3 bedroom luxury units and $2.5 million will buy you one of the penthouses.

The Elysian, located next door to Ten East Delaware, is a Lucien Lagrange-designed hotel hybrid, with homes starting at $3.5 million. This 60 story tower offers countless amenities and is perhaps the City’s most high-profile development combining the services of a 5-star hotel with 24 hour room service, a 14,000 sf spa, indoor pool and valet parking to create a care free lifestyle. On the 44th floor is a full floor 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath residence of 7400 sf offering 365 degree views of the lake and city and boasting 3 fireplaces, in-unit guest suite, wine cellar and of course a high end kitchen design, all for $8,225,000. Read more »

There is still time to take advantage of the government tax credits for first time home buyers. The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 extends the deadline for qualifying home purchases from Nov. 30, 2009, to April 30, 2010. Additionally, if a buyer enters into a binding contract by April 30, 2010, the buyer has until June 30, 2010, to settle on the purchase. Read more »