“World's Most Complete Neighborpedia”
Sponsor a Community — What is Localism? | Register or Sign In
Explore:   What's happening in your neck of the woods?
HomeIllinois

Illinois

Blog_tag

I Felt the Earth, Move, Under my feet. I survived an Earthquake in Illinois

02-10-10
Larry Bettag Illinois FHA Specialist
Larry Bettag Illinois FHA Specialist: Mortgage Company in Saint Charles, IL
  • view my blog
  • Office: (630) 524-9677
  • Mobile: (630) 417-7172
  • Secondary: (630) 524-9677

OK....this for sure ain't Haiti. I survived one when I was a kid living in California. It was 6.0 on the Richter Scale. This mroning I was awoken at 4;00 am in the morning to a loud, loud, loud rumbling. I mean it was really loud. Our house shook for about 4 or 5 seconds. I jumped out of bed and got by a wall. I felt like it was the end of times for a quite a while. My wife and I didn't know if it was a tornado, sonic boom of a low flying jet or whatever. We both agreed it was an earthquake.

I brought all 5 children into our bedroom and had them in their sleeping bags in case there was going to be an aftershock and I needed to act quickly. We prayed together for God's protection and went back to sleep. Just so wild.

Needless to say, there was some anxiousness after the quiet came back. WBBM news, the Today Show and Good Morning America said that the epicenter was 8 miles west of us.....8 miles deep. It was 4.3 on the Richter Scale. It was felt as far as Iowa and Michigan.

Truthfully, I look as on 20/20 hindsight and think of the fear during those few moments last night. I can only imagine what it would have been like to be in Haiti. It would have been terrifying. Very terrifying. I don't claim to understand what they've gone through or what they're going through. However, I will say that it must have been magnificent in magnitude.

We have a story to tell....In Haiti, many people have lost family members, friends and families altogether. We're happy we can move on.

4 Comments
Blog_tag

Earthquake

02-10-10
Tom Rasmussen
Tom Rasmussen: Real Estate Agent in Saint Charles, IL
  • view my blog
  • Office: (630) 430-4271
  • Mobile: (630) 762-3912
  • Secondary: (630) 205-0152

This morning at about 4:00 am my daughter (Jessiac), my wife (Juli) and I were awaken by an earthquake. We lived in California for about 9 years and had gotten pretty used to them. I knew what it was instantly but started to doubt myself because of where we lived. We tried thinking of other things it could have been, i.e. someone running into house, an explosion, etc..... I tried googling from my phone but didn't find anything, we turned on the radio and no one was talking about it.

I went to my computer and googled (earthquake illinois) and was sent to the following link

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010snay.php

Here's the details I found at this link:

Earthquake Details

MagnitudeDate-TimeLocationDepthRegionDistances
4.3
  • Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 09:59:34 UTC
  • Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 03:59:34 AM at epicenter
41.978°N, 88.597°W
5 km (3.1 miles) set by location program
ILLINOIS
  • 6 km (4 miles) WNW (292°) from Virgil, IL
  • 8 km (5 miles) E (94°) from Sycamore, IL
  • 8 km (5 miles) N (1°) from Maple Park, IL
  • 35 km (22 miles) NW (315°) from Aurora, IL
  • 77 km (48 miles) WNW (282°) from Chicago, IL
4 Comments
Blog_tag

When in Glenview, Visit the Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago

02-09-10
Marla Schneider - Move with Marla
Marla Schneider - Move with Marla: Real Estate Agent in Glenview, IL
  • view my blog
  • Office: (847) 657-3790
  • Mobile: (847) 682-9750

The Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago can be found in the Chicago suburb of Glenview in the middle of The Glen on 8.8 acres. Opened in 2005, the museum is located at 2100 Patriot Blvd., Glenview. It's the perfect place for every child 8 years old and under to learn all about the world around them.

The Kohl Children's Museum offers 17 hands-on learning exhibits geared to kids from birth to age 8. The many available programs and exhibits all meet the Illinois State Learning Standards. All generations of families will enjoy learning together with their children, and all children will find the exhibits equally accessible, despite differences they may have in their physical, visual, social or other abilities.

Monarch ButterflyTwo of the 17 Available Exhibits

While the Habitat Park area of the museum is located outdoors and dependent on the weather, at least parts of it are available almost all year, weather permitting. Such things as special climbing and spinning structures teach kids how animals move, there is an underground tunnel to explore, a prairie grass maze and small animals, birds and bugs who live in the Habitat. During the spring, summer and fall months, visitors can even learn about the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly.

In the Powered by Nature exhibit, kids will learn about turning wind and sunshine into energy. Youngsters will be able to push buttons that make wind which turns turbines to make energy to create lights.

A Great Reason to Move to the Glenview Area

If you already live in Glenview or Wilmette, you're probably familiar with the Kohl Children's Museum. If not, and you have young children, what are you waiting for? If you're just thinking about moving to the Glenview area, the Kohl Museum is just another great reason, on a list of great reasons, why this area is a wonderful place to raise a family.

Let the Marla Schneider Team help you find the perfect home in Glenview, Wilmette or Northbrook so you and your family can take advantage of the wonderful experiences available in the area. Marla has lots of homes suitable for families of all sizes and ages, so contact her today and find what you've been looking for.

0 Comments
Blog_tag

Buffalo Grove Real Estate Appraisal Information

02-09-10
Sharron Kelley, CRS, ABR,CDPE
Sharron Kelley, CRS, ABR,CDPE: Real Estate Sales Person in Buffalo Grove, IL
  • view my blog
  • Office: (847) 465-3638
  • Mobile: (847) 980-0426

Here is some great infomation that will help out buyers when looking in Buffalo Grove or any Lake County Illinois Area. I was featured in Chicago Agent Magazine this month and was lucky enough to get some great answers about appraisals in the Buffalo Grove and Lake County Illinois Market and wanted to share it with everyone.

buffalo grove real estate appraisal information

Q: SHARRON KELLEY CRS, CDPE, The Sharron Kelley Team, Coldwell Banker Buffalo Grove, 847.465.3638, sharron@northernillinoshomes.com

Q. How has the appraisal process changed and why are appraisals coming in low?

A: SHERYL ACKERSON, Vice President of Mortgage Lending, Guaranteed Rate, Inc., Skokie Branch, 847.972.5707, Sheryl.Ackerson@guaranteedrate.com

The prevalence of foreclosures in the current market is the major reason for the decline in appraised values. In the past 18 years, when there was a foreclosure an appraiser would typically be able to explain that this property was an uncommon exception to the market. In other words, both appraisers and lenders ignored this comparable. Now, nothing can be ignored and short sales and foreclosures are dominating the marketplace. Not only are appraisers using three sold comparables, but typically most also will show three current listings. If one of the new, current listings is a REO bank-owned property, it is there to serve as an indication of where the market is going.

In addition, in the past, upgrades or improvements to a home such as a finished basement or a new state-of-the art kitchen could easily add $35,000 to $50,000 to a home. Now upgrades seldom matter. In this manner, every house is affected.

Q. How do we get buyers to understand the appraisal process in today’s market?

When working with a potential buyer, we educate them that an appraisal is an independent, impartial evaluation. Only facts and figures matter; square footage and above grade bathroom counts have more to do with determining the appraised value than if there is a finished basement, new carpet and custom paint. Additionally — the timeliness of the sale — the closing date — is a principal, controlling factor. In today’s market, a comparable sale over 90 days is old news. In the past, lenders would allow comparables up to a six month period.

Another issue is the concept of “declining market.” An appraiser states that a house is in a declining market or in a market with an oversupply of inventory. In these instances, some investors are requiring an additional 5 percent down payment. This is happening more in the high-end market.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Buffalo Grove, Vernon Hills, Long Grove or anywhere else in the Lake County Illinois area please contact me, I would love to help you out.

0 Comments
Blog_tag

Rental property can have very stable, respectful and reliable tenants. Chicago, IL

02-09-10
Alf Gizzo
Alf Gizzo: Real Estate Trainer in Evergreen, CO
  • view my blog
  • Office: (303) 679-0634
  • Mobile: (303) 350-9488

Rental property can have very stable, respectful and reliable tenants. Chicago, IL

Yes, that’s right! It all depends on product, location and first rate tenant screening. If you don’t have all three, your vacancy rate will be too high. Let’s discuss product first. We advise our students that they furnish their properties with clean serviceable items, new linens and art work on the walls. What you are creating is an environment that is very agreeable to the tenant, one that not only the tenant will look forward to coming home to, but also one, through pictures on flyers, web sites and word of mouth, will draw new inquires. We are all for building and keeping a pipeline.

Lots of furnished rooms for rent are not clean and be full of old, thread bear chairs, sofas, and soiled mattresses. Would you want to stay any longer than you had to in a place that does not support a healthy sense of self-esteem? Nicely furnished rooms engender good paying tenants, who stay for long periods.

Our preferred tenant populations generally do not have their own transportation so proximity to public transportation is necessity.

Key to this equation within our program is good tenant screening, which oddly enough does not include credit or traditional background checks. Our tenants are referred to us, so we learn about them and their history though direct questioning of people who are familiar with each possible tenant individually. We discover personal background information and work experience. This type of screening done systematically will produce good paying renters who stay for long periods creating a stable house.

To discover more about setting up transitional housing, please download our free Ebook from the side bar on our main blog site.

Don't hesitate to contact us with questions. Learn about us. Learn our system. Learn what others have to say about us and our system.

0 Comments