Crystal Lake, IL

Today I had the priviledge of spending most of my day today with an outstanding guy. I have heard him say "Give me a nail gun and a saw and I can do anything". Well, I believe it!

Marshal Gibson of Marshal Construction comes highly recommended by some pretty impressive folks. He has done work for some pretty big name people that anyone reading this blog would recognize in an instant. His quality is outstanding.

Take a moment to read the testimonials on his website at www.MarshalConstruction.weebly.com and you too will be calling him for your next project.

Below are some pictures of his work. And, thanks Marshal, for the job you did for me today!

Are you uninsured because you don't know how much health insurance would cost you or your family? It may not be as expensive as you may think. Below are some examples of costs in IL for a quality health insurance Major Medical PPO plan. Going without health insurance could cost you and your family $100's of $1,000's in medical expenses and wipe you out financially.

Age 43, Non-tobacco user, healthy

$160.10 - High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)

Qualified for use with a Tax-Favored HSA (Health Savings Account)

$5,250 Annual Deductible

$250 Wellness Benefit (includes routine physicals, colorectal screening, prostate cancer screening and flu shots)

100% Co-insurance after deductible is met

$204.82 - Premier Plan (low exposure to high deductibles - covered charges that exceed the daily deductible amount on any given day are covered at 100%)

$500 Daily Deductible

$4,000 Annual Deductible

$250 Wellness Benefit (includes routine physicals, colorectal screening, prostate cancer screening and flu shots)

100% Co-insurance after daily deductible is met, and after annual deductible is met (very unique and smart plan)

Age 43, male, Age 43 female, with 2 dependent children, Non-tobacco users, healthy

$438.46 - High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)

Qualified for use with a Tax-Favored HSA (Health Savings Account)

$5,250 Annual Family Deductible

$250 Wellness Benefit (includes routine physicals, colorectal screening, prostate cancer screening and flu shots)

100% Co-insurance after deductible is met

$541.18 - Premier Plan ((low exposure to high deductibles - covered charges that exceed the daily deductible amount on any given day are covered at 100%)

$500 Daily Deductible

$4,000 Annual Deductible

$250 Wellness Benefit (includes routine physicals, colorectal screening, prostate cancer screening, well child care and flu shots)

100% Co-insurance after daily deductible is met, and after annual deductible is met (very unique and smart plan)

These plans also offer many value-added services that include:

• $1,000,000 Annual Maximum per insured
• $5,000,000 Lifetime Maximum per insured
• Discount Card for Prescriptions
• On-Demand access to health care 24/7 through Tele-Doc Medical Services
• 24 Hour Nurseline
• Personal Wellness Profile
• MyHealthCompass - provides pricing and quality-of-care comparisons for medical services
• LabOne Select for significant savings over other labs
• Access to Chiropractors and Alternative Medicine at a 25% discount on provider services through the American Specialty Health alternative health care network of nearly 20,000 credentialed providers

Before you purchase health insurance, research your options to ensure you choose a company you can count on-one that cares about helping you select the best plan for your situation, and one that will provide you with exceptional service after the sale.

If you are interested in a personal and confidential quote for you or you and your family, contact me for help. As a real estate professional who has had to deal with researching his own private health insurance since 1998, I'd be happy to help you investigate your options.

I hope you've found the above information useful and encouraging if you simply didn't believe you could afford a quality Major Medical PPO Health Insurance plan.

Bathroom renovations offer one of the biggest return on your investment because they are used by everyone in the home. This includes guests.

If a bathroom is outdated or in disrepair homeowners feel as if this reflects who they are and are embarrassed when guests are over. My friend Marshal can help save you from embarrassment!

It can also be difficult to sell a home with a dated bathroom. However with a small investment with the help of Marshal Construction, you can revitalize your bathroom and raise the value of your home. You may even be able to sell it faster.

Another reason for rehabbing your bathroom might just be because you can't stand that particular shade of greenish/yellowish (what color is it?!?!) tile you've been looking at for 20 years!

If you're in the McHenry, Kane or Lake County areas of Chicagoland, you should contact my good friend, Marshal Gibson at Marshal Construction. He may be reached at 847-217-6782. Or take a look at some of the work on his newly created website: www.MarshalConstruction.weebly.com. He is the real deal!

Here's an example of his work on a basement, that added a really nice full bathroom, and thus increased the value of this home:

And as always, contact me for all your real estate, mortgage or insurance needs.

Attention Homeowners:

If your home is not currently listed and you hope to get your home sold this Spring, NOW is the time to put your home on the market. Traditionally in our area homesellers have waited until AFTER the Superbowl to list for the Spring market. But this year is different.

Why?

1. Homebuyers have a great incentive to LOOK EARLY this year.

Perhaps you've heard of the $8,000 tax credit for 1st time homebuyers. This credit expires at midnight on April 30, 2010. For any 1st time homebuyer who has NOT Contracted to buy a home by this date, THEIR TIME IS UP!

2. Homesellers have a great incentive to LIST EARLY this year.

Perhaps you've heard of the $6,500 tax credit incentive for long-time Homeowners. This credit also expires at midnight on April 30, 2010. This means that for any home seller who chooses to take advantage of this tax credit, they must also contract to buy a home by the April 30 deadline. I have found that many sellers do not want to take a home sale contingency in this market. That means that you better get a head start on the competition in order to have a chance at this once in a lifetime opportunity!

3. Banks have been holding onto properties.

Banks appear to be holding onto foreclosed properties rather than rush to list them. This means that at any moment a FLOOD OF PROPERTIES could ENTER your marketplace and become YOUR COMPETITION. That's right, BANKS may become one of your biggest competitors. We all know the prices that foreclosed homes get on the open market. Do you really want to compete against these homes?

4. More home sellers are trying to save their home from foreclosure by negotiating a Short Sale.

It is anticipated that the market will be flooded with more Short Sale homes as many homeowners can't continue to pay their mortgage obligation. This will probably place another Flood of Properties on the market very soon for three reasons:

a. Unemployment Continues to Rise

1. Causes a loss of income

2. Inablility to pay the mortgage

b. Adjustable Mortgage Resets

1. Rates Rise on homeowners loans

2. Payment Shock causes an inability to make the new mortgage payment

3. Homeowner has to sell

c. Loan Modifications Fail

1. Many homeowners have tried to take advantage of the Making Homes Affordable initiatives out of Washington DC

2. Many of the same owners are attempting to modify their mortgage

3. Statistically most of the modifications are failing to work. Many homeowners have already extended beyond the three month trial period and yet the banks are still not modifying the loans.

For these reasons IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT SELLING YOUR HOME THIS SPRING . . . NOW is the time to GET A JUMP START on the COMPETITION!

Contact me at the number below if you would like an idea of how quickly we can get your home sold in this market. We have great marketing strategies that continue to work.

A recent home of ours in a competitive neighborhood had two good competing offers within 2 1/2 weeks of listing the home. Our seller sold the home for more than appraised value with a buyer who put 45% down and closed EARLY. There were two competing homes on the same street that backed to the same pond that were listed at the same time. Ours sold. Theirs didn't.

Experience a Welcomed Difference in Real Estate, Mortgage and Insurance Services

Just two quick updates!

GREAT NEWS FOR HOME BUYERS AND HOME SELLERS!!:

The Tax Credit Has Been Extended and Expanded-NO LONGER FOR FIRST TIME BUYERS ONLY!

What the past first-time buyer credit did was significantly positively impact the entry-level end of the real estate market. By expanding it, we're going to see some move-up buyers take action since there is now an up to 6500. credit for qualified buyers that are not first time buyers, too.

We hope this helps the move up and middle market as well. If you need details or help with this, please give me a call at 847-516-6760.

The expiration date for the new home buyers tax credit was extended to April 30, 2010. Home buyers wishing to take advantage of this great incentive to purchase a home must be under contract on their home purchase by the end of April and close by the end of June.

For more information, visit my website or just give me a call at 847-516-6760:

http://www.TheresNoPlaceLikeYourPlace.com or

http://www.YourIllinoisHome.com

There are still many people having trouble making their mortgage payments. If I may help you or someone you know facing this very difficult situation, please contact me so we can confidentially go over some options.

Letting your home go all the way to foreclosure is not always necessary, so please reach out for some help. I'd be happy to talk with you...my direct number is 847-516-6760.

Two excellent sites to check into for foreclosure options are:
https://www.hopenow.com/
http://makinghomeaffordable.gov/:

To Search Homes For Sale, Please Contact Me Directly Or Feel Free To Search On My Website!

If I can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to call or email me. It will be my pleasure!

By the way, if you know of someone that could benefit from my high level of service, please call or email me with their name and daytime phone number and I will make sure to follow up and take great care of them. The majority of my business is from referrals and repeat clients. I am so grateful it keeps growing from your loyalty and referrals:-)

My Direct Number at the Office is 847.516.6760