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September
2015
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Newest
LinkedIN review:
Ron helped me
buy and sell two homes in Chicago and I don't think we could have
done it without him. His attention to detail, knowledge of the real
estate market and industry and creative advice to get the best deal
are second-to-none. I would recommend Ron to anyone looking for a
real estate broker who will be honest with you and tell you all the
detailed facts in order to make an educated buying or selling
decision.#lovemyclients#chicagoluxuryrealty#stpeteluxuryrealty
Carpe
Diem!
My
motto in life and business. As an exclusive senior broker
representing buyers, sellers, investors, developers, and financial
institutions, I am dedicated to providing high quality service in
the Chicago suburbs and city as well as exposure on a global level
for your property. I possess an intimate knowledge of the local
market and am a Luxury Collection™ Specialist in both residential
and commercial properties.
2014
Berkshire Hathaway President Circle-Top 4% in nation
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FINANCIAL TIPS
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Understanding Energy Efficient Mortgages.
Energy
Efficient Mortgages (EEMs) were formally introduced by the
Federal Housing Administration in 1995 to help consumers save
money on utility bills by enabling them to finance the cost of
energy-efficiency features for their new or existing homes as
part of their FHA-insured home purchase or refinanced mortgage.
The U.S. Department of Energy maintains that an EEM is one of the
most beneficial programs consumers can use to capitalize on in
today’s real estate market.
You
can participate without the need to qualify for additional
financing because cost-effective energy improvements result in
lower utility bills—making more funds available for mortgage
payments. You can upgrade windows and doors, install active and
passive solar technologies, insulate an attic, replace older
heating and cooling systems and fix or replace chimneys, etc.
The
maximum cost of improvements you can add to your mortgage is
either 5% of the property’s value (not to exceed $8,000) or
$4,000, whichever is greater based on your property’s value. FHA
requires that you make at least a 3.5% cash investment on your
property based on the sale price. The total mortgage amount is
based on your home’s value plus the projected cost of
energy-efficient improvements.
Experts
believe that an EEM can add an additional 15% of a home’s
appraised value to the principal of a new loan or refinance,
often at no additional cost, no compromise in the loan-to-value
ratio for the borrower and perhaps a better rate. Benefits
will vary and your lender will be your best source on what
benefits you may obtain. Energy efficiency becomes an attractive
selling point when you place the property on the market.
You
may apply for an EEM with any HUD-approved lender, such as a
bank, credit union or mortgage company. Click here
for more information on EEMs.
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HOME IMPROVEMENT TIPS
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A green lawn gets attention.
Homebuyers
pay as much attention to the exterior of a home as the inside.
They want to envision their kids playing in the yard, friends
coming over for barbeques and lazy afternoons laying on the lawn.
Sure,
bring in flowers, trim the bushes and paint the deck. But don’t
forget the lawn. It’s important to get it in shape before showing
your home.
Consistent
care is key. Failure to invest in long-term turf care can cause a
number of problems with your lawn. Give your grass the
fertilizing and seasonal treatments it deserves:
·
In the spring, keep
the grass high—removing more than a third of the total blade
height when mowing can remove the food-producing parts of the
blades resulting in a brown lawn.
·
Leave clippings on
the lawn to help recycle important nutrients.
·
Water deeply (down
to a depth of 6 inches) and less frequently, than lightly and
more often.
·
If your lawn dulls
in color or begins to wilt, then your lawn needs water.
Grass
also acts like a natural air conditioner that cools the air as it
releases water vapor through its blades. Lawns are a safer
surface for children to play on and provide the cool comfort we
desire on hot days. Those are selling points that can help any
home sale.
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HOME IMPROVEMENT TIPS
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Don’t Drench Your Home Sale by
Ignoring Plumbing Issues.
A
plumbing checkup should be among your top priorities when
preparing your home for sale. Potential buyers will flush
toilets, turn on faucets and inspect showerheads. More seasoned
“experts” will look under the cabinets for leaks and check for
water spots. The last thing you want is to drench a buyer’s
enthusiasm because you didn’t fix a simple plumbing issue.
Major
plumbing renovations may be huge selling points, but many homeowners
can get as much credit by simply fixing leaks and changing out a
few faucets. If you can’t make repairs yourself invest in a
reputable plumber.
There
are some simple things you can do before allowing prospective
buyers into your home:
·
Make sure you have
adequate water pressure.
·
Hire a local
housecleaning company to remove difficult stains on porcelain.
·
Check as much of
your plumbing as possible for corrosion or rust.
·
If you do nothing
else, fix any leaks—they will surely be an instant deterrent for
buyers. If your house has more than one story, a smart buyer will
look at ceilings for water stains from leaking pipes. And of
course, paint the ceiling following repairs.
·
Make sure that all
faucet knobs are easy to turn and that sinks and tubs drain
easily.
·
Updated fixtures
catch the eye of prospective buyers. A relatively small
investment for new faucets can really pay off.
No
buyer wants problems. So take care of a few simple plumbing
issues and prevent your sale from going down the drain.
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If
the listing for your home hasn’t been attracting buyers for a few
weeks in a fast-paced real estate market, or for a few months in
a slower one, you certainly have good reason to be worried.
A
home doesn’t sell due to a variety of factors, some of which you
can control and some of which you can’t.
Let’s start
with the things you can control, which also happen to be the most
important elements of any home’s appeal to buyers: price and
condition.
Price
Your Home Right, From the Start
As I tell my clients in the beginning, the correct price for your
home is based on a thorough comparative market analysis (CMA).
The reason it’s so important to price your home appropriately
from the beginning is that a home that’s priced too high will
languish on the market without any offers.
Even if you lower the price later, you will have lost the
momentum of the initial listing period and buyers will assume
there’s something wrong with the home. Eventually you may sell
it, but more than likely the final sales price will be lower than
your correct initial price would have been. Price your home too
low and you have lost out on potential profit. Buyers today don’t
care what you paid for your house when you bought it. They don’t
care if you make a healthy profit when you sell. They only care
about paying a fair price in today’s market.
Your price should be based on current local market conditions,
not on what you need to pay off your mortgage, what your neighbor
sold her place for a year ago, nor your guesstimate of what your
home is worth. The comparative market analysis (CMA) will look at
recent sales, homes that didn’t sell and were pulled off the
market, and current listings to guide your price decision. If
there aren’t any buyers making offers on your property, it might
be time to lower your asking price.
Condition
of Your Home- DeClutter and Curb Appeal
Regardless of your local market conditions, buyers have high
expectations for your home, beginning with the exterior. While
you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money, you do need
to raise the level of your home’s curb appeal with some sweat
equity. Pull weeds, trim the grass, plant a few flowers and
perhaps paint your front door to make sure prospective buyers
don’t decide to drive away.
Inside, your home needs to be consistently clean, neat,
decluttered and depersonalized so that buyers can visualize
themselves living there. Your Broker
should be able to suggest ways to prepare your home for a sale,
which, by the way, is nothing like the way you live in it. Your
kitchen counters should be cleared, your bed always made and your
dishes always put away in case a buyer wants to visit.
Marketing
Your Home
When you choose a REALTOR®
to list your home, make sure you ask about photos
and a marketing plan. 98% of buyers look online first at
properties so it’s crucial that your home has multiple
professional-quality photos that make it look as enticing as
possible, and that your home appears on multiple websites so
buyers can see it. A listing without a photo or with one badly lit
photo isn’t likely to generate many offers.
Make
Your Home Available
One of the more challenging aspects of listing your home for sale
is that you must make it available to buyers as easily as
possible. Buyers prefer to see a home without the owner there, so
make sure there’s a lockbox at your property and that you allow
nearly unlimited access to prospective buyers.
Overcome Challenges
Sometimes market conditions or a specific flaw in your home make
it tougher to sell as quickly as you would like. I can help you
evaluate the market and let you know if you need to offer
particular incentives, such
as closing-cost help. If your home has an awkward floorplan or is
located on a busy street, allow me the opportunity to come up
with ways to emphasize its positive aspects and deemphasize any
negative aspects, such as by staging the backyard or highlighting
the renovated kitchen.
#chicagoluxuryrealty.com #stpeteluxuryrealty.com
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980 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 900 Chicago, IL 60611
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© 2015 BHH Affiliates, LLC. Real Estate Brokerage
Services are offered through the network member franchisees of BHH
Affiliates, LLC. Most franchisees are independently owned and operated.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.®
Information not verified or guaranteed. If your property is currently
listed with a Broker, this is not intended as a solicitation. Equal
Housing Opportunity. 
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