About Cook County, IL

Back in the day the best reads in the Chicago papers came on Thursdays or Fridays when Roger Ebert was presented with a really bad movie. One of the finest of film reviewers in America, Ebert was at his best (and funniest) when he had a chance to sharpen his pencil and scribble notes about the whys and wherefores of some particularly smelly film he had witnessed that week.

I thought of Roger earlier today as I read a review in the New York Times about Sandra Bullock's latest cinematic expression.

Since The Times doesn't give its readers a head start by using stars in reviews you have to muck through the prose to gain a sense of what the reviewer thinks. And even then sometimes you are left with a blank look, unaware of the plus or minus of a particular movie. Trust me, today's review of "The Blind Side" leaves no doubt.

While reviewer A.O. Scott doesn't seem to have an ink pot at his disposal that lends itself to the scalding words that Ebert might use, there is no doubt what his sentiments are after being subjected to the "two hour holiday greeting card" that he finds "The Blind Side" to be.

But what really struck me in his review was a single line that may have broader application when he said the movie was guilty of

shedding nuance and complication in favor of maximum uplift.

So it's a case of the energizer bunny being bright-eyed and bushy tailed over and over and over and over, pushing us and cajoling us to look on the bright side. No matter what.

Heck, it's something most of us are guilty of doing occasionally. Jeez, some might say the real estate industry as a whole suffered from the collective amnesia of pursuing "maximum uplift" all the way up to the start of our current economic downswing.

The question, though, is in the face of revised information, what is the next choice.

In the "The Blind Side" the movie's title was perfect because Bullock's character never moved out of the darkness of her blindness. She continuing to saunter forth, blithely and daftly. The good news is that such daftness is not permeating the Chicago real estate market as I see more and more of a shift away from the darkness.

In other words more and more realtors and their selling clients are taking constructive steps to, as Dr. Phil would admonish us, "get real."

An important question that has yet to be fully and completely answered relates to whether lenders are going to step up to the plate to constructively assist prospective buyers get funding to take advantage of the shift toward more realistic and pragmatic pricing.

Stay tuned.

FHA Appraisals and the Rules

Lately in my area there has been a tremendous amount of miscommunication and misinformation with FHA appraisals. It is so rampant in our area that I've decided to post the drama.

Schaumburg IL - Townhouse listing of mine does not appraise out and is $5000 under contract price. Seller does not want to sell at the appraisal price and the buyer doesn't want to pay the contract price. Deal dead which is easy enough. Buyer #2 comes along with their overzealous buyers agent, let's call her 'Gloria Go-Getter'. She's overcaffinated, overconfident, never listens to what is being said and is constantly on her 'crack berry' answering those important emails. Buzz, buzz, buzz, there she goes.

After negotiating this new offer at the appraisal price (I surprised her with that BTW) she said, sure I guess we'll use it. You guess? Sorry Gloria, the appraisal is good for 6 months on the property so yeah, we're gonna use it. Then the contract goes to the also overcaffinated loan officer, 'Busy Bruce', who begins the conversation with - "You don't know what you're talking about, I want a new appraisal done". So now we have Gloria Go-Getter and the loan officer telling me I am blocking the contract by not letting a new appraiser into my listing.

Now I'm thinking to myself, this can't be happening right? This FHA appraisal guideline is as old as dirt, how can they not know about it? Well it turns out that the loan officer wanted me to manipulate the FHA system that assigns the appraisals and case numbers. The loan officer is telling me that the appraisal no longer has a case number and they don't want to use it. Well I get the original appraisal from the original loan officer and indeed there's that case number and all the appropriate information necessary to make it valid. Hmmmm.

Did the buyers agent and the loan officer plan this? I think that having the appraisal already done was not in their collective game plan. I think what they expected was that the townhome would not appraise out and the price would be adjusted downward. Their only option was to fight the current appraisal. Problem is, we can't just get another new FHA appraisal on a property and I wasn't going to do anything funny with the FHA assignment system.

Besides, I've heard that the federal penitentiary accommodations would not be adequate enough for little 'ole me.

I've uncovered some interesting things from the FHA Help Line (FHA Connection) and they were very courteous and answered all my procedural questions. I wasn't loosing my mind and indeed the appraisal was still valid and in the system. Why all the drama? Was I just supposed to forget about the 1st appraisal? Why would I just ignore it?

What would the penalty be if I did turn a blind eye? So the deal finally closed and I can honestly say I'm not sure what this agent was trying to accomplish. All the way to the end, she was adamant that we didn't have to honor the appraisal.

I'm not gonna miss Gloria Go-Getter.

Homes in Palatine Illinois.

The market statistics for home sales in Palatine IL for the month of October 2009.

The current inventory of homes for sale in Palatine Illinois Zip Code 60067 is down vs last month and sales this month over last month down for single family homes and up for attached single family homes. Our average LP of sold homes is up for single family homes and down for attached single family homes. Average Sale Price of homes sold is down for single family homes and for attached single family homes, and our LP/SP ratio is down for single family homes and up for attached homes. The average market time for homes sold in Palatine IL 60067 zip code has gone down for single family homes in Palatine and up for attached single family homes in Palatine in the last month over September 09 market times.

The homes that are selling in Palatine area are lower in price this year over last for single family detached homes and attached homes.

If you would like clarification of these figures or if you want to take advantage of this once in our lifetime market great for first time home buyers, investors or anyone moving up, look at our website http://www.homesbyjulieanne.com/ and search for homes available in the Barrington, Deer Park, Lake Zurich, Palatine and surrounding areas. We also list many foreclosure, REO and Short Sale listings. Or contact us and we will help you find the best home for the money or sell your home in the Barrington, Deer Park, Lake Zurich, Palatine and surrounding areas at the highest price possible in this market.

Posted By: Julie Anne - The Julie Anne Real Estate Team at Keller Williams Success Realty

Northern Illinois Real Estate Agent - Barrington - Deer Park Real Estate Expert and surrounding areas

847-620-5815 julie@homesbyjulieanne.com

What is my homes value? Homes for sale in Northern Illinois, Barrington Homes for Sale - Deer Park Homes for Sale

CDPE Certified for Short Sales and REO

Homes For Rent in Barrington IL - Townhomes and Single Family Homes

Search for homes for rent  in Barrington IL  at my Property Search Web Site

There are always a variety of homes for rent in Barrington IL from condos and townhomes to single family homes and even luxury homes. If you are coming to live in Barrington Illinois you might want to consider looking at rentals. Then you can spend up to a year learning more about our beautiful area before you start looking for a home to buy. It will give you plenty of time to find the right home in the right part of Barrington.

Here are some ideas when searching homes for rent in Barrington:

• Condos of which there is a reasonable supply. There may be availability in the village or in Lake Barrington Shores a gated community.
• Townhomes. Again there will be availability in the village, Lake Barrington Shores and perhaps limited units in Deer Park.
• Single Family Homes. Here is where the widest choice will be and over all parts of the Barrington area. Find homes with as little as 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. $2500 per month will afford you a sizeable home on an acre lot. More and the quality and size of the home will increase.
• Luxury Homes. There are a few executive homes for rent in Barrington IL. Some provide large acreage, others large homes in gated communties.

Whatever your needs in Barrington, Deer Park, Tower Lakes and Inverness, there are plenty of homes for rent. Before looking for rentals, here are a few pointers.

1. Do you have pets? This will reduce the amount of homes available to you. Many owners are more flexible these days but some just do not want to offer homes when pets are involved. Be prepared to pay a larger deposit and maybe some additional rent for eah pet. Also bear in mind that each part of Barrington is different and whilst an owner may allow you to have 4 daogs, the village of the Barrington in which the home is located may have household limits.
2. What is your credit report and score like? In todays economy we have seen many families lose homes and then need new places to live. Again some owners may be amenable, but others will want perfect redit scores and no delinquencies.
3. Schools. If excellent schools are important to you, then finding homes for rent in Barrington with consideration to buying in the future is an excellent move. We do have award winning schools. However not every home in Barrington has Barrington schools. Some may go to Palatine, Lake Zurich, Wauconda. If this is crtitcal ask your Realtor to find out, or go to the school and ask.
4. Location for children. I only mention this from the perspective of subdivisions which are more likely to have other children to play with, rather than a singlle home standing alone on a street.
5. Location for commuting. Easy access to Metra Line for commuting to Chicago, or lose proximity to Freeways and Interstates.

The slide show below is featuring many of the homes for rent in the zip ode 60010 which covers all the Barrington areas. If you have something specific you are looking for, just let me know, I would be happy to find the perfect home for you to rent. Email me with your requirements.

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Contact Corinne Guest Broker & Owner Royal Advocate Realty Licensed Realtor® in Illinois, for real estate in Barrington, Lake Barrington, North Barrington, South Barrington, Barrington Hills, Inverness and Deer Park, as well as Lake Zurich, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer and Long Grove in Lake County Illinois.

Call me 847-363-3686 for assistance.

Copyright © 2009 By Corinne Guest, All Rights Reserved. Homes For Rent in Barrington IL - Townhomes and Single Family Homes

Kenilworth Now Accepting Items for Recycling - The Village Hall in Kenilworth is now accepting certain items for recycling. Old cell phones, digital cameras, DVDs, MP3 players, print cartridges and laptop computers can all be brought in to the Village Hall at 419 Richmond Road in Kenilworth. Items NOT accepted: computer monitors, printers, personal computers and toner cartridges.

There is a disposal container by the front desk and items can be brought in any time during the day, which in this case means 24 hours because the bins are in the lobby and can be accessed any time.

The program is being sponsored by Recycling Avenue, which is a non-profit started and run by a group of physically handicapped young adults. Their website has some startling statistics about how grossly polluting these items are.

If you a drawer or box full of old phones or any other items listed above, be sure to drop them off at the Kenilworth Village Hall.