Ken Tracy Naperville Illinois Real Estate

I can feel it. Can you? It's almost imperceptible.

The market is starting to change...

Home prices are starting to become affordable. Buyers are just beginning to get interested.

Buyers are starting to smell value.

There are values out there. Not across the board. But some homes are becoming very well priced.

Affordable...

That is what we need. What the economy needs.

Homes becoming affordable again.

Ken

A REALTOR you can trust.

So the stock market has got you down? Here are five big opportunities in real estate.

1. Real estate investor?

Where have you gone, Mr. Investor? Lots of REOs (real estate owned) to choose from. Now is the time to invest. Not three years ago.

Contact a mortgage broker quickly. Financing is challenging, yet attainable.

2. First time home buyer?

You should be smiling ear to ear. Today's market is perfect for you.

Homes in most communities are priced 20% below their peak.

Preapproval should be your first step.

3. Renting but looking to buy?

Same as with the first time buyer. Huge opportunity.

The entire process could take as little as 30 days but often up to 6 months.

So make sure you get started early.

Plan plenty of time to make sure you find the right home.

4. Looking to upgrade?

Perfect.

Let's say you owned a nice 3 bedroom house worth $300,000 in 2006. You were considering upgrading to a larger 4 bedroom home in the next subdivision priced at $500,000.

At the time, you couldn't pull the trigger.

Today, your house might be worth $240,000.

Ouch. $60,000 from the top. But hold on...

The home that you wanted for a half million? It's still on the market. You can buy it today for $400,000. That saved you $100,000.

Make the switch today and you have $40,000 in net savings.

5. Vacation home?

The vacation home market has opportunities as well.

A Lake Geneva Condo in Wisconsin? A cabin in Michigan? A beachfront condo in Florida? A desert getaway on a golf course in Arizona?

You can own these homes at prices 25% below the highs.

OPPORTUNITY

Prices on homes have come down. Prices will go up again.

There are opportunities out there.

Will you take advantage of them?

Ken

A REALTOR you can trust.

My family had a lovely morning.

Nicole (my wife), Erin (my two year old), and I took the pleasant 45 minute drive from our home in Naperville to the small town of Maple Park Illinois.

We were looking to do some apple picking.

We chose Kuiper's Family Farm.

I was skeptical at first. I don't really like apples, after all.

My spirits were high just the same.

The day was beautiful. A perfect early fall day. Totally clear. No humidity. Highs in the low 60's. Great day for jeans and sweatshirt (I wore Illini!).

The drive was beautiful. It's nice to live close to the country. Naperville is a fairly large city (population 136,000).

The leaves were just changing. The corn was almost ready for harvest.

We arrived at the apple orchard around 10:00 am. Parking was easy and free. The admission for the orchard was $7.50. Kids 2 and under were free (Erin is two!:))

With paid admission you get a bag to put your apples, a short hay ride, and a whole lot of family fun.

Erin was very excited. I think she still is.

The Golden Delicious (sweet) and the Ida Red (tart) were in season.

After filling our bags and eating our fill, we walked back to the Country store.

The highlight of the trip (for me) were the freshly baked donuts and coffee we bought at the store. Mmmm. Now that was delicious.

The whole trip was wonderful, easy, wholesome, and extremely reasonable!

Ken

To buy or sell a home in Naperville, call me anytime.

A home I know quite well just came on the market in my farm area, River Bend. I met with the homeowners last spring.

At that time, the homeowners were interested in selling their townhome and buying a bigger home in nearby Naperville.

They asked me about pricing. I explained to them where there home would stand in the market.

They were hoping to sell their townhome for about $350K. At the time, it would have sold for around $310K. They were disappointed and chose not to put their home on the market.

I showed them a few homes last spring just the same...

And a few more this spring...

A few months back, they put a FSBO sign on their home. I have no problem with someone trying to sell their home by themselves. Everyone wants to save a buck, and if they want to try it, more power to them. However...

Last night while doing a little research on the MLS, I discovered their home had been put on the market by another agent. (I had to do a little extra searching. It wasn't listed in River Bend.)

The asking price, $329,900. I pause even writing that...

This is a home that will sell for no more than $280K in todays market. I am sure of that.

It makes me wonder, what the heck is the agent thinking? Do they even care if the home sells? Are they just hoping for a sign in the neighborhood??

When I read about the 11 month supply of homes on the market, I think it completely misrepresents what is going on.

Homes are selling. Selling quickly. Don't believe the statistics.

Overpriced homes don't sell.

Take it to the bank.

Ken

To buy or sell a home, call me anytime at 630-697-0536.

Divide and conquer.

After delivering 362 of my newsletters in one day last week, I thought it better to break up the work a little.

I decided to deliver 100 per day in my next subdivison, Lakewood Crossing here in Naperville Illinois. Tonight was the first night out.

I felt much better today. It was a nice early autumn evening. Warm for late September. Probably high 70's.

The sky was beautiful. Orange and purple. Thunderstorms way in the distance.

A great evening to be working.

Ken

To buy or sell a home in Naperville, call me anytime at 630-697-0536.