KEN'S STORY...Naperville Illinois Real Estate Blog

"GOOD LUCK WITH THE HOME SALE."

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:58:49 -0500

We were at our favorite playground, The Enclave in Naperville.

It was a cool afternoon. Storm clouds were near, but not headed in our direction. The wind had picked up.

Erin was playing with Nicole while I sat on a bench with a sleeping Morgan.

There was a friendly woman sitting next to me.

"I love your daughter's outfit," she said as we walked up.

She was at the park with her two children who were 6 and 8 years old.

As we watched the kids play, we started chatting...

"We have our house on the market," she offered. "We have a buyer looking at it now."

"How is it going?" I ask.

"We have actually had a big increase in activity..."

"Did you change your price?" I ask.

"No. We have had it on since May and just recently had a pick up in activity. For awhile, nothing, but we have had four showings this week. One of our showings was back for the third time. I hope they make an offer..." her voiced faded off.

"Have you found a home yet?" I probed further.

"No. We have been looking for something bigger. We have a townhome now. It is just too small. We are staying in Naperville. My husband is from the area," she added.

About this time, the wind really picked up.

Her son, who was getting anxious, asked his mother if she would go on the swings with him.

As she got up to leave, she turned and said goodbye.

"Good luck on your home sale," I said with a smile.

It was a nice day at the park.

Ken

To buy or sell a home in Naperville or anywhere in Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

WOULDA, COULDA, SHOULDA...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:32:04 -0500

I sit at the computer.

Looking at my blog, I notice I haven't written a post since June 29th.

Certainly a record dry spell for me...

I am talking with my wife Nicole. Talking about work...

I speak of things I should of done. Things I could of said better. Things I would have done if...

Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

Ken

To find your next home in Naperville or anywhere in Northern Illinois, go to my website anytime.

A SHORT SALE SUCCESS...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:46:05 -0500

Wow. It can happen. You can close a short sale...

I did it today. It wasn't easy.

My seller first called last September. "Hi Ken, I found you on the internet," he announced as he introduced himself...

At the time it was a very important call...

I had just began work at my new office and didn't have any listings. Without listings a real estate agent is practically out of business, and the first listing is always the hardest to get.

It was also my first client that came directly from my blogging efforts here on Active Rain.

"Do I ever get any business from blogging??" Yes I do. Thank you very much...

Finally, it was my first experience listing a short sale. I had been warned about the challenges of selling short sales. What better way to learn?

We put the home on the market in late November, and after enough adventures to fill an Indiana Jones movie, the home was sold today...

10 S 087 Alan Road, Naperville

Congrats to the nice family who bought the home.

Ken

To buy or sell a home in Naperville or anywhere in Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

"Your profile has been viewed 10,000 times..."

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:26:45 -0500

It just happened this morning. One of the first statistics I started following here on Active Rain was the number of times my Active Rain profile has been viewed.

I have been watching this number slowly climb over the last year and a half...

Today it happened.

"Your profile has been viewed 10,000 times..."

Viewed by fellow agents across the country.

Viewed by potential clients in Naperville and the surrounding area.

Viewed by real people who need to buy or sell homes...

10,000 times that someone has been exposed to me, my services, and my listings.

And it didn't cost me anything...

That is a lot of free exposure. Pretty cool.

Thanks Active Rain.

Ken

To buy or sell a home in Naperville or anywhere in Northern Illinois, go to my website anytime.

I JUST BECAME A TRULIA PRO...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:28:02 -0500

I just became a Trulia Pro.

It feels good. My original commitment is fairly small, and for extra exposure to myself, my services and my listings...

It seems like a potentially great investment.

Trulia is the fastest growing real estate website. They currently have over 5 million users. If you are considering buying, selling, or are an agent that wants to learn more, you should check out the site.

They offer a free profile for real estate agents as well as an upgraded account called Trulia Pro.

There are two main benefits of becoming a Trulia Pro over the free Trulia profile:

FEATURED LISTINGS: All of my listings are now "featured" on the Trulia search pages. Featured status generates 4-7 times more traffic to my listings. More traffic equals more exposure for my listings and more leads for me.

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT ADS: Trulia creates a "spotlight" ad for the agent. This ad is placed conveniently on the side of the search pages for my covered areas. For example, someone searching for a home in Naperville may see my ad on the side of the search page. The ad is complete with links to my website, tag lines, and my smiling picture...

Trulia also offers two payment options. A month to month for $39/month. The other has a year committment for $29/month. Anyway, I signed up for a month to month plan. I am looking at this as a test drive...

Ohh. That reminds me. An awesome feature of Trulia is that they will send you and your clients free "traffic" reports. They look quite nice, your sellers love them, and will let me see the impact of becoming a Trulia Pro!

Trulia also offers all Keller Williams agents a free month trial. With that in mind, and fresh off an important closing, I thought it was a good time to make an investment in my business.

I just became a Trulia Pro. If you are a fellow agent and have any experiences with Trulia or Trulia Pro, I would love to hear them.

Ken

To find a home in Naperville or anywhere in Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

I NEED 991 MORE "FANS" FOR MY FACEBOOK PROFESSIONAL PAGE? WILL YOU HELP ME?

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:00:04 -0500

I was claiming usernames for my two Facebook accounts last night.

I claimed www.facebook.com/KenTracy for my personal page.

My plan was to take www.facebook.com/KenTracyRealEstate for my business page.

Bad news. Apparently Facebook requires a business page have 1000 "fans" before it gets a username.

1000 Fans?

Are you kidding me...

After today's marketing blitz, my page has 9 "fans". I just added my wife, a brother, and a brother-in-law.

I have a lot of work to do. I need 991 new fans...

And since I am neither Ashton Kuchar nor Coca-cola, I need some help.

Will you help me?

Go to my page and become a "fan".

The page is a work in progress, but I hope to make it an active and social place full of valuable real estate information.

Thanks so much,

Ken

To find your next home in Naperville, go to my website anytime.

BIG CLOSING TODAY...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:01:04 -0500

Big closing today...

It's not that it was big from a $$$ point of view.

But it was an important closing for sure. It was my first closing since the week of Christmas.

My first closing of 2009.

It seems ridiculous writing that. But true.

This business is much harder than I anticipated. But just as fun...

My next closing is June 30th.

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

SOMEONE BOUGHT "MY" HOUSE...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:38:57 -0500

My wife and I hope to buy a home this fall. We have been watching one home in Naperville closely...

Although the house is fairly small, we love the yard, the location, the neighborhood, and most importantly, we love the price...

Unfortunately over the weekend, someone else loved the price, too. Someone bought "my" house...

Although we have a few months until we are ready to buy, I did start picturing our family in the home...

It is odd. There will be more. I know that.

But I still feel a sense of loss...

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

ARE YOUR CLIENTS "WASTING" YOUR TIME? I SUGGEST YOU TRY A DIFFERENT STRATEGY.

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:23:45 -0500

I have heard many an agent speak of the time they have "wasted" with a client.

Almost every time I am with a group of Realtors, I hear some agent bemoaning their wasted time. "I drove my client all over Naperville, showed them 57 houses, and they are still sitting on the fence!" or my favorite "Buyers are liars (and sellers are too)."

My first response is my time is never wasted with a client. Every time I show a home I have an opportunity to learn. Every home, every client, every day, we have the opportunity to learn something about the business of real estate...

Are you taking advantage of that?

My second question is who called who? Did you, the agent, call a prospect and pull out one of those scripts that we Realtors are famous for?

I am available Thursday from 2 to 4 or would Saturday be better?

If you feel like you are "wasting" a lot of time with clients, I suggest you try a different strategy...

Stop calling your clients to set up appointments. Let them call you. If they want to move, they will call...

What? Huh? Blasphemy!!! Aren't we, after all, sales people?

I would argue that Realtors are not, in fact, salespeople, but rather in the service industry. We help people achieve their housing goals. We don't, in fact, sell houses...

Houses sell houses. Realtors blow sales...

So stop harassing your clients. Believe me, when they want to move, they will contact you if you have done your job correctly. It shouldn't be the other way around...

The client has to want to move. They won't (or shouldn't) move because their agent needs a paycheck.

I feel that too often, the agent needs the transaction more than the client needs to move. Clients can smell your desperation...

And no one wants to work with a desperate agent.

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

IS REAL ESTATE STILL SEXY?

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:51:15 -0500

There was a time when driving by a nice home in Naperville would get my heart pumping...

I could almost smell the granite. The hardwood. The new carpet...

Today I find myself thinking "It seems like a lot of house to clean..."

Maybe my needs are changing. My goal is to provide a comfortable home for my family, not buy a mansion...

Am I alone? Or is real estate still sexy?

A couple of years ago, it seemed the goal was to buy the biggest and best home possible. Jobs were secure. Businesses was booming...

Why wouldn't we buy that huge home? It's only going to go up in value. Better buy it quick...

But now, we are not so sure. We have seen home prices decline by 30% in many areas. Real estate is no longer a sure thing...

But we do need a place to live. A place to call home. A place for family. So, although I will be buying a home this fall, I wonder...

Is real estate still sexy?

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

HAVE YOU UPDATED YOUR TRULIA PROFILE?

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:28:35 -0500

Have you updated your Trulia profile? If you are a real estate agent and you haven't, you might be missing the boat. I know I was...

I just created my Trulia profile last week. It was very easy. In a few minutes you can download your photo, add links to your websites and blogs, and claim your listings. Once claimed, the listings become "branded" with your information. It's pretty cool...

Although my listings are automatically placed on Trulia when I enter them into the Keller Williams Listing System, I never really "worked" the website. I will now...

About a week back, I received an email. It was from Trulia. They said they had a referral for me??

Dear Ken Tracy,

I was searching on Trulia and found your listing. Please send me more information on **** **** *******, Chicago IL. - looking for a quick close - Thanks *** ********

I called the customer. They wanted to see my listing and one other. No problem. I showed them the homes, and now they want to write an offer on my listing!

I thought they liked the other home. That shows you what I know...

I might just have a happy buyer, a happy seller, and a nice paycheck...

That is a win, win, win.

Thanks to Trulia.

Have you updated your Trulia profile? Don't miss the boat...

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

MAYBE PICTURES DO MATTER?

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Sat, 30 May 2009 09:45:29 -0500

Which home would you look at?

This courtyard welcomes you. The plants are green and the sun is shining. It is bright and full of life. I want to take a look at this building...

Brrr. I get a chill looking at this picture. Is it a prison entrance? It looks cold and uninviting. If I am a buyer, I am probably not looking at this home...

I recently wrote a post that questioned the role pictures take in selling homes. After looking at the above pictures, it is pretty clear I was wrong...

As you may have guessed, the above pictures are of the same building. They are both active listings on the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

As Realtors, we at least need to try and take nice pictures. I don't believe we need to be professional photographers, but really, let's work a little harder...

Which home would look at?

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

WHERE IS MY POT OF GOLD? A NAPERVILLE RAINBOW...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:40:48 -0500

Great riches have been elusive during my 3 year career as an agent. Sometimes I feel I am looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...

Where is my pot of gold? It must be getting close...

I have always enjoyed thunderstorms. Here in the Midwest we can get some good ones. In the late summer, on a hot humid day, you can almost feel the atmosphere prepare to explode...

During a particularly humid day last week, we had a couple nice thunderstorms roll through. Lightning. Thunder. The works...

Between storms, the sun managed to peek through for a few minutes, and a beautiful rainbow appeared...

Where is my pot of gold? It must be getting close...

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

ARE YOU TRYING TO SOLVE THE REAL ESTATE CRISIS? STOP BLAMING TWITTER.

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:49:49 -0500

I have just re-read a recent featured post by Active Rainer Jennifer Allan titled "Social Media Is not the Solution to the Real Estate Crisis." In her post, Jennifer writes "I'm among the crowd who "just doesn't get it."

Fine. You don't get the value of Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

That's cool.

But as far as solving the real estate crisis, who said that it would?

Social media is a way to stay connected. It's great for that.

But are you really trying to solve the real estate crisis?

I am not. Honestly, the problem is bigger than me or any other Realtor...

I am trying to help people achieve their housing goals. I can do that very well.

But I cannot fix the housing "crisis". Taking nice pictures and having lockboxes that work won't make home values go up. They won't. Knocking Twitter won't help either...

We as an industry should take a realistic look at our roles. Sure, we can help our clients accomplish their housing goals...

But we cannot correct the imbalance of supply and demand that we have in today's real estate market. Therefore house prices continue to fall (see this mornings Case-Shiller numbers).

So as for me, I will continue to use my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn profiles for what they were intended...

To market myself, my services, and my listings.

If you don't want to use these free tools, great.

But I don't understand why it is suddenly popular to bash such powerful tools.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

"THERE IS A MAN SLEEPING IN A BEDROOM..."

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:30:37 -0500

It was a gorgeous day to show homes...

My spirits were high. It was Sunday morning. 10:00 AM.

The temperature was in the low 60's. Just a hint of wind. Not a cloud in the sky...

I was showing a home in the Orchard Valley townhouses, just off Orchard Road and I88, in western Aurora.

It's a great neighborhood. The subdivision borders Orchard Valley golf course. The homes are priced between $150,000 and $200,000...

I was early for the appointment, so I took a stroll along the course. The eighth hole, a challenging par 5, runs the length of the subdivision. I catch myself wishing I was golfing...

I am showing a townhome to a young couple I have been working with for two years. They hope to buy this September...

We are seeing an end unit that is just on the market. Largest model. The pictures looked great. The home was priced at the higher end of the range, but it was a short sale, so I expected them to be flexible with their price...

Upon approach, I noticed all the blinds were down. The home has beautiful windows, so I hoped the blinds would be up. It made me wonder...

As I opened the door, I rang the bell and said in a loud voice, "HELLO..."

The front room was rather messy and dimly lit. All the blinds were down. Piles of papers were in a makeshift office by the fireplace...

I moved quickly through the house turning on the lights...

How could the carpeting be so dirty? Do the sellers even care? It looked as if someone had walked through with muddy boots...

As I moved upstairs in this multi-level three bedroom, I noticed one of the bedroom doors was shut.

I knocked lightly on the door, quietly saying "Hello" as I opened the door...

A man was laying in the bed. A fairly sizable man with a shaved head. He was laying on his side, facing the other direction...

No movement. Not even a bit. He must be a solid sleeper...

What to do? What if he has a gun? Is he even alive? Thoughts raced through my head...

I caught my breath, quietly shut the door, and went downstairs to inform my buyers...

"There is a man sleeping in a bedroom," I said in a confident yet hushed tone.

"Oh really" they responded. But it didn't seem to bother them. We had seen seen short sales before. They usually don't show too well...

We continued looking through the house. I couldn't help wondering "Is this guy going to come down with a gun?"

Fortunately, the man never emerged from his bedroom.

As we left the home, my clients had a fairly upbeat attitude.

They liked the model, the subdivision, and the potential of the home.

They were still considering buying?

I was just happy to make it out without waking sleeping beauty...

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

IS THIS A "POCKET LISTING"? AND HOW DOES IT BENEFIT MY MOM?

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:58:02 -0500

My mother owns a plot of land in southwestern Michigan. She has been working with an agent for three years trying to sell the property...

The agent just sent her a listing agreement to sign. The listing agreement had a section titled "Other Provisions".

Mom's "other provision" was that the "listing would not be placed into the MLS or otherwise advertised until the seller and the agent agree to do so."

The agent didn't think it would be a good idea for the property to "sit on the MLS"...

Hmmm.

Why would anyone sign this?

A buyer for my mom's land would have to know her agent...

Seems like it cuts out a large percentage of the market, doesn't it?

Yet my Mom wants to sell. I wonder why she hasn't...

Is this a "pocket listing"?

And how does it benefit my mom?

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

A STRESSFUL WEEK...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:44:41 -0500

What day is it? Wednesday? Yes.

They tend to blur together when I am busy...

It has been a stressful week...

I think the stressful weeks are probably the one's that butter the Realtor's bread. They are the weeks we make money...

I just finished negotiating a fairly large and important contract this evening.

My buyer seems really excited. She probably should be. She is getting a heck of a deal...

It feels good.

But the negotiation process was longer than I was expecting. Fairly tiring.

I added a new listing too. My first in the city of Chicago...

I have an appointment for another one tomorrow. This one is in River Bend...

It should go well.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

NAPERVILLE BLOOD DRIVE. MAY 14TH. KW CARES...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:50:25 -0500

Give blood. Save a life...

In honor of Keller Williams RED DAY (Renew/Energize/Donate), the Naperville Keller Williams office will be hosting a blood drive on May 14th from 9 AM to 1:30 PM. Heartland Blood Centers will have a Mobile Coach parked in front of the Keller Williams office, located at the corner of 75th and Rickert Avenue (1271 Rickert Avenue).

Every donor will receive a BBQ set, an apron, as well as a t-shirt as a way of saying thank you for helping save lives...

Please, if you are in the neighborhood, stop on by for this great cause...

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

REAL ESTATE AND FROSTED FLAKES...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Sat, 09 May 2009 11:53:41 -0500

THEY'RE GR-R-REAT!

Crunch Crunch goes the Frosted Flakes between my teeth. Click click goes the keyboard underneath my fingers.

Real estate and Frosted Flakes...

It is Saturday morning. I sit in my PJ's, eating a bowl of cereal at my kitchen table.

I am working. Yes working.

Huh? No office? No suit and tie? Not even a name badge?

No. None of the above. But still getting a lot done...

Setting appointments. Scheduling showings. Updating listings. Downloading photos...

Oh, and the online activity. Facebook. Twitter. ActiveRain. That is almost a full time job in itself...

RING RING. There goes my phone. I have to go. There is more work to be done...

"Hello, this is Ken, can I help you?"

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime.

WORKING ON MY CREDIT REPORT...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:55:20 -0500

My family has just started shopping for a home in Naperville, so I called my mortgage broker last week. He was able to look at my credit report over the phone and give me a few simple tips to improve the report...

I actually needed to be added to one of our accounts. There were also a few small errors. One of my credit files listed me as "Enneth Tracy". Things like that...

Fortunately I have never been a victim of credit fraud, so it was surpisingly simple to make the necessary changes...

The websites and phone numbers for the three credit agencies:

TransUnion 800-916-8800

Equifax 800-685-1111

Experian 888-397-3742

I am continuing on my path to home ownership by the end of the year.

Do you want to buy a home?

These are good times...

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime...

GONE FISHING...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:22:07 -0500

One of my favorite things about being a real estate agent is the flexibility of my work schedule...

Sometimes I am crazy busy. Several appointments in a day. Open houses. Listing appointments. These are the money days. I try to make hay while the sun is shining...

Sometimes things are a little slower. That's OK too...

I had a quiet real estate morning this morning. I spent about two hours in my home office catching up, but then my schedule was clear. I decided to spend it on one of my favorite activites...

FISHING.

I wouldn't be traveling far. I actually walked from my home in Naperville to the Country Lakes golf course. I had played there on Sunday, and had noticed a few lakes on the course that needed some closer inspection...

I started off doing more hiking than fishing. The first couple lakes I tried were shallow, muddy, and filled with big carp. Carp were not the target. I was looking for largemouth bass this morning...

After traveling across the golf course and back, I decided to give the large lake near the course entrance a try...

The lake is a fairly unspectacular body of water. Sometimes those hold the best fish...

This bass was about 15" and starting to fatten up. It was tricky taking fishing pictures alone. You need something in the picture for perspective...

I wonder why they are named largemouth bass...

As I fished my way around the lake, I ran into one other fisherman...

A great morning fishing. I caught 4 bass. Lost two. The largest fish measured 17". All in about an hour and a half a short walk from home.

Pretty cool.

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime...

GIVING MY WIFE A BREAK...GOING TO THE PLAYGROUND AT THE ENCLAVE OF COUNTRY LAKES, NAPERVILLE ILLINOIS

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:29:02 -0500

My wife needed a break this afternoon. We had our second daughter about a month back, and the two young girls can be quite demanding on a mom...

So I took my older daughter Erin to our favorite local playground here in Naperville, the one at the Enclave of Country Lakes....

The Enclave is a community of townhouses located just west of Route 59 and North Aurora Road in Naperville. The townhouses range in price from $175,000 to up to $232,000.

Some of the townhouses have beautiful views of Country Lakes golf course...

While others overlook the fantastic playground...

The climbing tower is always fun...

And all the children love the oversized sand box...

Erin and I had a great afternoon. We got out of the house on a beautiful day...

And my wife got two hours of quiet...

Ken

To search for homes in Naperville and all of Chicagoland, go to my website anytime...

SO I CALLED MY MORTGAGE BROKER...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:24:07 -0500

So I called my mortgage broker the other day. It was quite painless...

My wife and I have been looking for a home here in Naperville the last two months. So far it has been very casual. Mostly online searching, but we have looked at a few...

Ready to take the next step, I called my mortgage broker the other day...

He took a look at our credit reports and made a couple recommendations to improve our scores. He also gave me an idea of what we could be approved for this fall...

Nickie and I are close to making our dream a reality. Buying a home in Naperville...

So if you are considering buying this year, stop dragging your feet. Contact a mortgage broker. Get the process started...

Until you get preapproved, you won't know if you are a buyer, or really just looking...

My wife and I just found out we will be buyers this year...

Ken

To search for homes in Northern Illinois, just visit my website anytime...

"I HAVE CONCERNS WHERE YOUR HOME STANDS IN THE MARKETPLACE..."

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:00:56 -0500

I was showing homes to a buyer client on Tuesday night. We were in a neighborhood where I have a listing...

We had selected the 5 nicest homes for sale and made the appointments. I don't usually show more than 5 or 6 homes at a time. Any more than that, and they can blur together...

One of the 5 homes we saw was my listing...

Unfortunately, my listing was her least favorite. Various reasons. I was hoping it would show better...

What to do?

I figure it is not my decision to make. It is my clients...

So I sent him this email:

After showing several of the homes in the neighborhood last night, I have concerns where your home currently stands in the marketplace...

Let me know what you think,

Ken

Intentionally vague. Honest, but not insulting. Informative, but not brutal.

I didn't want to get into specifics on this email. We can get into those later...

But I needed to put the ball in my clients court. He needs to know where he stands.

It is his decision to make...

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

SHOPPING FOR A HOME...

Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate (Keller Williams Naperville) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:55:26 -0500

My wife and I packed up our two young girls this afternoon and did a little house shopping.

After what has seemed like an endless winter, my family has been suffering from a serious case of house coop. The dark and rainy weekend we had here in Naperville wasn't helping. We needed to get out...

We have been searching for homes online over the last month or so. Today was the day we would see them on the inside...

I made a few quick calls, set up three appointments, and we were off to search for a home. We would be seeing homes in Brookdale, Springhill and Hobson Village subdivisions.

It was nice. It is always good for an agent to see homes. Every home I see makes me a better Realtor....

It is especially fun seeing homes when you are considering a move. My wife Nicole was pleased with what can be purchased these days in our price range...

The real estate market has changed here in Naperville. Home prices have come down, and are more affordable than they have been in years. Our goal is to be in a new home before the end of the year.

With the $8000 tax credit, lower real estate prices, as well as low mortgage rates, I am surpised more people are not sharing my families enthusiasm for a new home...

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.