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Thought leadership on everything..Real Estate.. Carpe Diem..For the ongoing collection of Life! Sotheby's International Realty
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Holiday Shores Resort Motel. 1+ acre of opportunities on the Mississippi River
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Stay-Sane Tips for Having Your Home on Market
Stay-Sane Tips for Having Your Home on Market
Everyone
has seen the beautifully staged listing photos of on-market homes, with
everything so neat and tidy and put-together. That’s easy enough to do
for a 1-hour photo shoot – here are some tips for keeping your home in
“showable” condition and being ready for the stream of buyers who will
come through your home.- Declutter your home. Everyone accumulates a lot of stuff over the years. When your home is on the market, you really do want to simplify and make your home as clutter-free as possible. This makes your home feel bigger, and allows a new buyer to picture themselves living in the space. One benefit is that it actually gives you a headstart on packing, and can make your home feel refreshed. It also gives you less to tidy-up at the end of the day.
- Deep clean once, then stay on top of it. A home buyer will be able to tell the difference between a squeaky clean home and one that has seen better days. Before you go on market, it’s a good idea to spend a weekend deep-cleaning your home, or hire a service to do a top-to-bottom job. This will make it much easier to keep clean and tidy, and will likely inspire you to get out the counter wipes. Get some good smelling cleaning products and make it a habit to wipe down countertops, give the shower a once-over, run a vacuum over the high-traffic areas, and straiten the towels at the beginning of each day.
- Kitchen and Bathrooms. Most buyers really care about the condition of kitchen and bathrooms. If you have to prioritize where you spend your time prepping, make sure these areas are very show-worthy.
- Minimize meal prep. Consider making a bunch of freezer meals or having easy-to-prep food on hand. No one likes to be caught mid-dinner with a showing request, and to be honest, cooking smells can be overwhelming for home visitors.
- Keep a “To-Go” bag at the door. More than likely, you will get last-minute calls from agents asking to see your home. Keep your bags prepped and ready to dash out the door. If you have kids – have your bags stocked with toys, books and snacks. Same with pet owners. It helps to have your wallet, keys, and phone all pulled together to make a quick exit.
- Be proactive. Plan chunks of time to be out of your home. Plan a weekend away or make dinner plans. Work with your agent to encourage visits during those times that you will be out.
- Set up a showing schedule that works for you. If you have a set dinner time, or kids that nap during a certain hour, don’t be afraid to restrict showings during those times. Your agent can instruct agents not to show during those times.
- Be flexible. Try to go with the flow and remain flexible. Remember that the more people that see your home, the quicker you will get an offer. by
Monday, February 17, 2014
Gold Coast..4000 sqft urban oasis and compl.renovated classic Chicago rowhome. Open Sun 1-4 for private viewing..Carpe Diem.This is living!
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865 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60610
3 BR/ 3.5 Ba
$1,398,887
        
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As featured on WGN..Jobs & Homes Guru..Base of our Economy! Check out the catalyst of change in Employment 2.0 and Ride the "silver wave"..Top 10 careers for 2014+
Your Jobs & Homes Guru presents..
Jobs & Homes..Base of our Economy! Top 10 careers for 2014+
Home ownership expands personal liberty, builds communities,and helps Americans create wealth. “The American Dream” is not a stale slogan. It is the lived reality that expresses the aspirations of all our people. It means a decent place to live, a safe place to raise kids, a welcoming place to retire. It bespeaks the quiet pride of thosewho work hard to shelter their family and, in the process, create caring neighborhoods. Home ownership is best fostered by a growing economy with low interest rates, as well as prudent regulation,financial education, and targeted assistance to responsible borrowers.
The S&P Case-Shiller index, which tracks the 20 largest markets in the nation, showed the biggest year-over-year gain in prices since June 2006.
"This marks the highest increase since the housing bubble burst," said David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices.
"The market still has a long way to go nationally, but the healing process -- and a return to a normalized housing market -- is definitely well underway," said Jim Baird, chief investment officer for Plante Moran Financial Advisors.
Home prices have been helped in recent months by a number of factors, including tight inventory of homes available for sale, near record-low mortgage rates and a drop in homes in foreclosure. A decline in unemployment is also helping the housing recovery.
The housing recovery itself is helping support overall economic growth, as builders scramble to hire workers to meet the renewed demand. The lift goes beyond the impact of increased construction on the economy, as the rise in home prices lifts household wealth.
Rising home prices also reduce the number of people owing more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. That, in turn, can help them to refinance those loans at a lower rate, freeing up money to spend on other goods and services.
Carpe Diem... Today is your day!
My motto in life and business. As an exclusive senior broker representing buyers, sellers, investors, developers and financial institutions, Iam 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 specialize in residential and commercial properties of distinction.
I am a certified Eco-Broker and offer an educational based approach to my clients by delivering information on green products, services and market issues. I will educate them on energy, environmental, financial and green market issues.
Practicing the art of uniting extraordinary properties with extraordinary lives, I am ready to devote my attention to your particular real estate needs. I have the TRC designation which affords me the opportunity to conduct and facilitate transactions on an international level.
Over the last 15 years, I have professionally sold in the real estate,banking, legal and corporate environments throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Utilizing the latest in marketing strategies,information technologies and business acumen, I welcome the opportunity to be a thought leader and trusted advisor throughout your real estate acquisition and disposition process.
I understand that real estate, regardless of its price range, reflects the incalculable value of the life lived within.
Chicagoluxuryrealty.com
TOP 10 HOT CAREERS for 2014+
1. Information technology. When career site Indeed.com recently analyzed millions of job postingson its web site, researchers found that the fastest-growing categoryof keywords — including HTML5, Android, mobile app, and social media —were in IT, and a new survey by tech job site Dice.com bears that out:About 65% of hiring managers said they hope to add tech staff in the first half of 2014. Roughly a quarter of those (27%) said they want to expand their IT headcount by more than 20%. Openings for software developers who specialize in applications will rise by more than one-third (34%) by 2018, says Best Jobs for the 21st Century,a new book by job market analyst Laurence Shatkin, while companies will hire 20% more computer systems analysts. Rising pay in these fields reflects the surge in demand: The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that developers of systems software, for instance, earn an averageof $94,180 per year. Reinvigorate your ROI! Check out Silver Professionals IT offerings@ a fraction of the old school cost..
2. Health care professionals. Partly due to the aging of the U.S. population, health care has been hot for a while now, and the trend shows no sign of slowing. Shatkin's research says the U.S. will need 103,900 more registered nurses every year (average salary: $64,690) well into the next decade, along with 7,860 new physical therapists per annum (average pay: $76,310). Demandfor dental hygienists is up too, with a projected 36.1% growth in job openings between now and 2018 (average pay: $68,250). One of Silver Professionals fastest growing verticals..RN,NP,PA,Physician and Executive Professional Medical Hiring
3. Health care management and support staff.Don't have the training or experience to work directly with patients?No worries. "People often overlook the fact that business people runhealth care companies," says Ron Goldstein , principal of recruitingfirm Silver Professionals . "With all the change happening in the system now, thereis churn as well as growth. We're constantly seeing new openings ingeneral management, finance, marketing, human resources, you name it."...
4. Engineers.Note to college students who want their pick of job offers when they graduate: Consider majoring in engineering. A whopping 88% of employers in a new poll by the Society for Human Resource Management bemoaned the difficulty of finding enough engineers to hire. Civil engineers are in demand too: Shatkin's analysis of BLS data shows a 24.3% spike ahead in jobs for people who design roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects (average annual pay: $77,560).
5. Industrial skills.Think U.S. manufacturing is moribund? Think again. More than two-thirds (68%) of employers in the SHRM survey pointed to a shortage of qualified new hires to replace people retiring from the skilled trades: electricians, carpenters, welders. Moreover, says JustinHirsch, "We're seeing an increase in industrial hiring in logistics,supply-chain management, and plant management." As more companies go global, demand for expertise in logistics -- the art and science ofmoving stuff efficiently from one place to another -- will continue to heat up.
6. Life sciences and biotech. Medical innovators ranging in size from Big Pharma down to biotech startups are on a hiring binge: Shatkin sees a 40% jump in job openings for research scientists between now and 2018 (average salary: $76,700). As with health care companies in general, these employers will also need managers and support staff (see No. 3).
7. Salespeople. Selling has historically been the closest thing there is to a recession-proof career, and this economic downturn is no exception. Since they're the ones bringing the dough in the door, salespeople are often the first to be hired and last to get laid off. Almost three-quarters (72%) of employers in the SHRM survey said they can't get enough salespeople now.
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8. Accounting and finance. Demand for accountants and finance mavens (particularly forensic accountants and compliance specialists) has been climbing steadily for the past several years, and U.S. colleges are still not turning out enough grads in these fields to fill the available openings. The SHRM survey found that more than half (54%) of employers would hire more accountants and finance experts if they could find them. Silver Professionals just launched a new service offering..CFOgurus.com. Blend the tactical approach of a controller +The strategic thinking of a CFO + The Benefits of a CPA outsourced partner
9. Discount retailers. "Not to mention any specific company names -- everyone knows who they are, anyway -- but the big national discount store companies have flourished during this recession," notes Justin Hirsch. "And most of them are hiring managers as well as in-store personnel."
10. Private equity firms. Recruiters report that private equity firms are actively seeking management talent for their portfolio companies "across all industries and all functional areas," says Hirsch. "They're poaching already-employed, seasoned managers from big companies -- people who can step into either a turnaround situation or a pre-IPO company and make it work. These are challenging jobs, and could be a real feather in a manager's cap if he or she can bring it off successfully."
Silver Professionals.. Employment power and opportunities for dependable and loyal professional job seekers. Employers..We have a reliable and repeatable process in the hiring of candidates from our pool of professional talent. We offer a flat fee schedule of permanent PT/FT (975/4995) employment and several business service offerings to make your human resource capital as efficient as possible. We offer a comprehensive background/interview check, leveraging behavioral questioning to facilitate mutual success.We have recruiting available with our global reach .90 day guarantees..amazing talent from Interim Surgical RN,LPN,PhysicianAssistant, outside/inside sales/biz dev. gurus..Enterprise ITarchitects.IOS/Android/
Check out our latest Jobs for Winter..
http://www.ziprecruiter.com/
Our deepest satisfaction comes from finding other companies
to embrace our professional salespeople, scientists,health
care,manufacturing, energy/green, legal, tax , financial, HR,
IT professionals and veterans and help them put to work some of
the greatest
minds, while increasing their ROI.
Check out our media links@ http://silverprofessionals.
Check out our media links@ http://silverprofessionals.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Understanding the Closing Process
Once your offer on a home has been accepted,
your inspections are complete and your financing is in order, you’ll
likely breathe a sigh of relief and get focused on packing for the move.
But before you’re handed the keys to your new home you’ll need to
attend the settlement or closing. The more you understand about the closing process, the easier it should be.
Preparing for Settlement
If your team of professionals —
particularly your REALTOR® and your lender — have been providing you
with good service throughout your home search, you should be
well-prepared for settlement. Essentially, settlement day involves the
formal, legal requirement of transferring ownership from the seller to
you.
Settlement regulations vary from one
jurisdiction to another, but two aspects of the process are usually the
same no matter where you buy a home.
· Your
contract should allow you to schedule a walk-through of the property 24
hours before the closing. At this walk-through, you need to make sure
the seller has completely vacated the property (unless you’ve arranged
to rent back the property after closing) and that the home is in the
condition described in the contract. Look to make sure any required
repairs have been made and that items that are contractually supposed to
convey to you are in place. If the walk-through reveals any problems,
you can delay the closing or ask for money from the seller to address
the issues.
· You have the right to receive the HUD-1 settlement statement
for review 24 hours before your closing. Compare the HUD-1 statement to
the Good Faith Estimate that your lender provided to make sure they’re
similar, and to ask your lender to explain any discrepancies between the
two documents.
What You Need at the Closing
Throughout the home search you’ve likely
accumulated a lot of paperwork. Bring these documents with you to the
closing in case an issue arises and you need to produce one of them,
particularly your proof of homeowner’s insurance and your copy of the
contract.
Bring your identification and discuss
with your lender how you’ll make the down payment and closing costs that
aren’t rolled into your loan. You may be able to transfer these funds
electronically based on an estimate before the closing, but you could
also be required to provide a cashier’s check or certified funds. You
should bring your checkbook, too, for the difference between the
estimated balance owed and the final amount.
What Happens at the Closing?
As a buyer, you’ll sign a stack of legal
documents including paperwork related to your mortgage and paperwork
related to the transfer of ownership of the property.
You’ll also pay closing costs and fees
and the initially required escrow payments for your homeowner’s
insurance and property taxes.
Traditions vary by location, but at
closing there’s usually a representative from a title company or an
attorney. In some cases, both the seller and buyer will have an attorney
present. Typically your REALTOR® will attend your closing and usually
the seller’s REALTOR® and the seller will attend as well. Some lenders
attend the closing, but others simply provide the loan documents to the
title company.
When your closing is finished, you should
not only have your keys to your new home, but also a stack of documents
that you’ll need for future tax returns and when you eventually sell
the property. These documents include your final HUD-1 statement, your
Truth-in-Lending statement that outlines your mortgage terms, your
mortgage note and your deed of trust.
Congratulations — you’re a homeowner!
By:
By:
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Just saw this..Kitchen of Tomorrow..thoughts?
\Check out for more info: http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/kitchen-nano-garden-hydroponic-hyundai.html
Monday, February 3, 2014
Spring market! Clean, Declutter, Discard: Make a House Shine for Resale
Clean, Declutter, Discard: Make a House Shine for Resale
Purging belongings can be an arduous
task for sellers. Share these 13 decluttering tips with your clients to
help them prepare their home for sale.
Most home owners avoid those tough decisions and schlep possessions from house-to-house. But it’s far smarter to shed before moving. Not only does it clear out space to make a listing look its best, it also saves on moving costs to transport less stuff.
Are your sellers clinging to keepsakes? Share with clients these 13 steps to help make the task of decluttering less daunting.
Tip: Taking photos may help your clients look objectively at their house, suggests Amy Trager, certified professional organizer and president of the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers.1. Study the entire house. Sellers shouldn’t tackle every room in one fell swoop. Advise them to go room-by-room, starting at the front door. Sellers should pretend they’re seeing each room for the first time, says Kammie Lisenby, CEO of The Organizing Experts in Seattle. The goal is to make rooms resemble those in a hotel, says professional organizer Katrina Teeple, owner of Operation Organization in Los Angeles.
2. Make piles. Sellers should organize piles as they clear each room — for example, stack items to keep, give to family or friends, donate to a charity, sell online, get hauled away, and consign. They should bear in mind the size of the home they’re moving to, their degree of sentimental attachment, and the financial value of each item. It’s best to put highly personal items aside in the keep pile, such as family photos they don’t want buyers to see during showings, says Lisenby.
Tip: Sellers could offer a buyers’ allowance to do their own decorating, says Barry Izsak, owner of Arranging It All in Austin, Texas, and former NAPO president.3. Create a spreadsheet. A master list of what rooms will require organizing tasks can be helpful. This will also aid in prioritizing expenses, such as home improvements, paint, and staging elements. To play it safe with finicky buyers, sellers should go neutral in paint and decor, says Teeple.
4. Empty closets. Often becoming a graveyard for all the belongings home owners don’t know what to do with, clean, spacious closets are a coveted feature among buyers. Izsak suggests eliminating anything not worn or used in the last two years. Aim to dispose of 50 percent of wardrobes since most people only wear 20 percent of their clothes 80 percent of the time, he says. The remaining items should be stored on uniform rods, or in labeled, see-through bins, says Teeple.
5. Clear off counters and bookcases. Get rid of books that won’t be reread, particularly now that so many people read online. Add a few home decor items for sparkle. When in doubt, follow the “rule of three,” a mantra among home stagers, by clustering items into threes to create visual appeal. The final effect should reflect a neutral style.
6. Inspect the home’s exterior. Depending on the time of year, sellers may need to hire a professional to clear leaves, snow, or ice, so that they don’t hide a home’s features. Messiness and wear and tear on the outside indicates to buyers that the inside hasn’t been cared for well.
7. Check curb appeal all around. While the front yard is key to making a good first impression, more home owners spend time out back, so sellers should be sure lawns, shrubs, trees, and amenities like a fence and air conditioning condensers are maintained.
8. Spruce up the kitchen. This is the home’s most popular gathering spot and another place where everything gets dumped—backpacks, car keys, cell phones, etc. The rule of three applies here, too. Tell sellers not to stuff anything into a pantry or cabinets; get rid of it if it hasn’t been used in a few years. Also, clean out the refrigerator and freezer.
9. Make bathrooms spotless. Not every seller has a spa bathroom to unwind in, but clean grout, tiles, shower door, and vanity can make a big difference in an average bathroom. Clear out the prime real estate of a medicine cabinet, add crisp white or other neutral towels, fresh soaps, and a plant, Teeple suggests.
10. Purge basements, attics, and garages. These are a home’s purgatories—where stuff goes to never see the bright light of day, says Izsak. Anything that’s been moved at least twice and not opened needs to be reassessed, says Chris Seman, president of Caring Transitions in Cincinnati, a relocation service. Separate the items to be stored in see-through bins to reveal their contents; do so by categories, such as holiday decorations; and be sure bins are labeled clearly and have lids to keep out pests.
11. Professionalize an office. With more home owners working from home, a separate room or corner for an office can boost sales appeal. Have sellers clear up paper piles and file documents—but remember, most home owners only reference 5 percent of their files, says Seman. The work area should include good illumination, a comfortable chair, and clean equipment, says Izsak.
12. Get rid of belongings. Now it’s time for your sellers to rethink what to do with everything in piles. Here are some upsides and downsides to these decisions:
- Sell or auction through an online vendor like Craigslist or eBay or at a flea market. Downside: It may take time to get the desired price.
- Leave at a consignment shop to get stuff out of a house now. Downside: Proceeds get shared, and it may take a while to sell.
- Give away to family, friends, or a nonprofit such as freecycle.org. Some communities let residents leave stuff outside their house with a sign, “Take it!” Upside: It gets rid of things fast.
- Have a group haul it away such as 1-800-Got-Junk? Upside: This avoids driving it to a dumpster.
- Donate to a charity. Upside: It gets out of a house, helps someone in need, and provides a deduction. Fill out IRS Form 8283 if total exceeds $500.
- Organize a yard sale. If time is of the essence, the seller could hire a professional who sets up tables, takes money, and gets rid of what doesn’t sell. Downside: Proceeds get shared.
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