How to Search For a Neighborhood Before You Buy

Keep an open mind when you search for a neighborhood and do your best to pay attention to these things, and you will most likely enjoy your new home for years to come. Here are just a few things you may want to look for in a neighborhood before you buy a home.

1. Walkability – A good thing to look for in a neighborhood before you buy is the walkability of it.  If you don’t know, a good place to start is to walk the neighborhood yourself.  If you don’t want to get out and walk around in the neighborhood before you purchase a home there, you can always check the walkability score on sites such as Walk Score.
2. Neighbors – A great way to check out the neighbors in a hood that you are considering buying a house in is to drive through the neighborhood on a Saturday afternoon. Most of the time you will at least get to take a look at a few of the neighbors out in their yards.
3. School Rankings – If your children’s education is important to you, you may want to check out the schools in the area in which you are planning to buy a home. Talk to neighbors, go to the school and talk to teachers, check for school ratings in that area online to get an idea of what you should expect.
4. Crime Rates – It is very important that you check into crime rates in a neighborhood before you make a purchase so that you are not surprised once you move in. Most of the websites such as Zillow and Trulia have a crime rate locator that will show you just how much crime goes on in different areas.
5. Places Of Interest – A good thing to look for in a neighborhood before you buy a house there is for places of interest nearby. You may or may not get a chance to do all of the fun things nearby your new home once you move in but knowing there is a lot to do within a close distance may be important to your children.
6. Demographics – If it is important to be in a neighborhood of people who look like you and who are around the same age you may want to check out the demographics before you buy a house there.

These are just a few things you may want to look for in a neighborhood before you purchase a home there.  Keep an open mind when searching for a neighborhood and do your best to pay attention to these things and you will most likely enjoy your new home for years to come.

MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES.

Karen Breen Elia & Louis M. Elia, REALTORS®, are brokers for homes, condos, and multi-unit properties on Chicago’s North Side.

ChicagoCityHomes, RE/MAX Exclusive Properties
2951 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago IL 60657
Toll Free: (866) 404-3585 Fax: (773) 938-1467  Send An Email

We know Chicago Real Estate!  Call us today!

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Chicago Real Estate Market Trends for July 2016

Fifty-two percent of home owners say now is a good time to sell in their neighborhood. This is up from 34 percent who said so last year, according to a survey conducted by the real estate brokerage Redfin.

What’s more, 58 percent of home owners believe sellers have more power than buyers in the market right now. Redfin researchers note this is nearly the highest level of seller confidence they’ve recorded.

Neighborhoods included in these statistics are: Avondale, Albany Park, Edgewater, Irving Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Logan Square, Loop, Near North Side, Near South Side, Near West Side, North Park, North Center, Rogers Park, Uptown, West Ridge, West Town.

Chicago Real Estate Sales – Detached Single Homes

The number of Chicago detached single homes selling in July 2016 decreased by 6.56% compared to July 2015. The average selling price in decreased by 7.72% to $818,895 and the average market time increased by 1 day or 1.61%. Homes sold for 98% of the listed price.

Date	Sold Listings	Average Sold Price	SP:LP	Average Market Time
July 2016	242	$818,895	98%	63
July 2015	259	$887,446	97%	62

Chicago Real Estate Sales – Attached Single Homes

The number of Chicago attached single homes selling in July 2016 decreased by 13.6% for the month when compared to July 2015. The average selling price increased 4.42% to $425,085 and the average market time dropped 6 days or 10.0%. Homes sold for 98% of the listed price.

Date	Sold Listings	Average Sold Price	SP:LP	Average Market Time
July 2016	1,476	$425,085	98%	54
July 2015	1,710	$407,078	98%	60

Chicago Real Estate Sales – 2-4 Flats

The number of Chicago multi-family properties selling in July 2016 remained the same when compared to July 2015. The average selling price increased 1.73% to $569,628 and the average market time increased by 9 days or 15.0%. Homes sold for 99% of the listed price.

Date	Sold Listings	Average Sold Price	SP:LP	Average Market Time
July 2016	123	$569,628	99%	69
July 2015	123	$559,924	97%	60

Curious about the value of your home? Get your home’s value here!

Information courtesy of Chicago Realtor Karen Breen Elia.

MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES.

Karen Breen Elia & Louis M. Elia, REALTORS®, are brokers for homes, condos, and multi-unit properties on Chicago’s North Side.

ChicagoCityHomes, RE/MAX Exclusive Properties

Consider Some Renovations When Planning On Selling Your Home

It can be hard to set a budget and stick to it when it comes to renovating your home.  If you are planning on selling your home soon, you should go ahead and do a few renovations that may need to be done. But do the ones that don’t cost a lot of money.  Of course if your home has some issues and you feel you can get a lot more money out of your home if you make those renovations now, you may want to go ahead and do so.  Below are a few tips on what exactly you should consider when renovating your home to prepare it for sale.

• One of the best ways to prepare your home to sell is by renovating your walls and floors. You can add paint to the walls of your home for a quick “pick me up” that will help your home appear newer than it is.  Refinishing hardwood floors or pulling up carpet to reveal hardwoods is also a great way to spruce things up around your home.  Be sure if you are painting to do so with neutral colors that will be pleasing to everyone’s pallet.  Likewise if you are putting down carpet, be sure to choose a neutral color.  If you are refinishing hardwoods, be sure to stay away from natural light finishes that may turn some buyers away.  Consider the Jacobean stains that are popular now.
• Doors are another place you may want to consider during your home renovations. Replacing your front door with a steel door adds a great deal of value to your home.  Adding some new garage doors may help to add value as well.   Keep in mind you don’t have to spend a ton on these types of things, just replacing old with new will likely be enough.
• If you don’t have the money to redo your entire kitchen, try upgrading by replacing old worn out drawer pulls or cabinet knobs. You may also want to put a little paint on your old cabinets to lighten and brighten things up a bit.  Keep in mind if money is not an issue that kitchen renovations  can sometimes make or break the sale of your home.  If you need to” bling it out” and you have the funds to do it, go for it.

Any and all renovations you do to your home in an effort to get more money out if it during a potential sale is a good thing.  Don’t go crazy spending a lot of money for cosmetic fixes but ‘DO’ do your best to make your home look like a shiny new penny!

MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES.

Karen Breen Elia & Louis M. Elia, REALTORS®, are brokers for homes, condos, and multi-unit properties on Chicago’s North Side.

ChicagoCityHomes, RE/MAX Exclusive Properties
2951 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago IL 60657
Toll Free: (866) 404-3585 Fax: (773) 938-1467  Send An Email

We know Chicago Real Estate!  Call us today!

Get These Things Done Soon After Moving Into Your New Home

If you were lucky enough to buy a new home recently then you need to know a few things that you should strive to accomplish soon after the move.    These things will get you set in the right direction for being comfortable mo in your new home for years to come.  A few of these ideas are listed below.

• Be sure to take pictures of each room in your new home just before moving in. Sometimes the inspection takes place and then the previous owners come back to get a few last items of theirs moved out. You never know, especially if the previous owners were forced to move due to a short sale, what they may have done to the house.  Take pictures before you move your furniture inside.  This way if any damage has occurred you will have full documentation of it and may be able to get things fixed more easily.
• If you hire a moving company to move your belongings from one house to the other you will want to check all of your belongings to make sure there was no damage done to anything during the move. You should have liability coverage in your moving contract and if that is the case if any damage occurs and you document the damage you should be able to get reimbursed for that.
• One of the most important things to accomplish as soon as you move into a new home is to change the locks. You have no way of knowing how many folks have a key to your home from the previous owners and you surely don’t want to worry about someone being able to get inside of your home without your knowledge.  Get this task done right away.
• If you want to make the home have a nice new feel, painting is a great way to do that. Painting an empty house is much easier than having to move the furniture around later.
• If you are a registered voter and you have recently moved into a new home that is in a different county, you will want to change your voter registration right away. It’s not a good feeling to be turned away at the polls because your address is incorrect.

These are just a few ideas of things you should strive to accomplish soon after moving into a new home. Hopefully they will be of some help to you and yours.

MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES.

Karen Breen Elia & Louis M. Elia, REALTORS®, are brokers for homes, condos, and multi-unit properties on Chicago’s North Side.

ChicagoCityHomes, RE/MAX Exclusive Properties
2951 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago IL 60657
Toll Free: (866) 404-3585 Fax: (773) 938-1467  Send An Email

We know Chicago Real Estate!  Call us today!