About Naperville's Carrolwood

Carrolwood Townhome Market Report: Naperville Illinois Real Estate

-a home in Carrolwood on a sunny day...

The Carrolwood subdivision is conveniently located just east of the Route 59 shopping corridor in Naperville, Illinois. Only a few minutes from downtown Naperville, this subdivision has a lot to offer at a very reasonable price.

The subdivision has 170 homes. The homes all have two nicely sized bedrooms, and they all come with attached one car garages. The upgrades vary greatly from unit to unit, and some homes are located in preferred areas...

-a view of Lake Carrolwood, which backs to certain homes in Carrolwood...

Homes Sold in 2009: 6

Average Sales Price in 2009: $178,750

Homes Currently for sale: 3

Average Asking Price: $189,929

Are you interested in buying or selling a home in Naperville? Call me anytime at 630-697-0536, or go to my website at www.KensFeaturedHomes.com.

The thermometer read 17 degrees as I pulled into Carrolwood last Friday...

In spite of the cold temperatures, I was excited. It was the first of two stops I would be making that day, delivering my newsletter...

-Carrolwood Subdivision on a bright and sunny day.

I was dressed in several layers. It would be important for warmth as well as padding...

My primary concern wasn't the temperature, but the icy conditions resulting from the wet snow we had two nights prior...

Had the associations shoveled?

Along with Carrolwood in Naperville, I would also be visiting River Bend in Lisle...

-I was the lone "walker" in River Bend on this day...

River Bend and Carrolwood are my two primary "farm" areas. I would be personally delivering my "View" to over three hundred doors...

-More than 1000 icy and slick steps awaited me in River Bend...

I knew the going would be cold and hazardous. But I also knew it would be my last marketing "blitz" of the year...

A long day.

But an important one. Well worth it...

Marketing always is...

Ken

-Ice spreads over Lake Carrolwood...

-You can almost feel the cold...

-Lake River Bend on a cold December day...

DOES THE REAL ESTATE MARKET NEED SAVING?

This morning I was reading Richard Weisser's featured post, "A completely new proposal to save the real estate market. It's not as crazy as you might think!"...

In the post Richard writes of his new idea to save the real estate market. His plan involves "A dollar for dollar tax deduction for down payments". Seems like a pretty good idea...

But I am struggling with the premise...

Why does the real estate market need saving? Is it really that bad?

I thought it was a great time to buy a home...

Interest rates low. Prices down. Lot's of inventory to choose from.

So what gives?

Does the real estate market really need saving?

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

-It was a sunny day at the Carrolwood townhomes in Naperville. Is the real estate market's future just as bright?

It's not like I have been on vacation...

On the contrary. I have had several buyer appointments, a listing appointment (which I did get), and two closings in the last two weeks.

Oddly busy, especially for late December.

All that activity is only a byproduct of what I really do for a living...

MARKETING.

And I was back marketing this morning delivering 165 newsletters to Carrolwood in Naperville and 140 newsletters to River Bend in Lisle.

It was 23 degrees today and overcast. Nice weather for my deliveries, although I was a bit under dressed.

My hands were pretty cold!

Although I was dragging a bit from one too many holiday parties, it felt good to be pounding the pavement.

These two neighborhoods have been getting my newsletter for over a year, so the neighbors are familiar with me.

The effects of marketing are cumulative. Not much response from this sort of "farming" right away, but over time, you become the "neighborhood expert".

I am "the expert" in both River Bend and Carrolwood.

There are many neighbors wanting to sell. The real estate market scared them off last year. That fear delays the moving decision, but only for so long, and then...

A rush of real estate activity.

I am marketing in front of that activity.

So I deliver my newsletters.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

The weather this morning was damp. 51 degrees and breezy. Very raw.

A chicken noodle soup type of day...

It was also a perfect morning for delivering my newsletters.

Today's target was Carrolwood, a subdivision of about 160 townhomes in Naperville Illinois. The homes are nice and modestly priced. Most sales occur between $170,000 and $200,000.

-Picture of Carrolwood Townhome on a sunny day

I love working in townhome communities.

As a Realtor, the benefits are many:
1. The turnover is higher than in a single family neighborhood.
2. They are generally lower priced, and low priced housing will always be in demand.
3. There are generally only a few models, so it is fairly simple to develop some level of "expertise."
4. Pricing is easier. Easier pricing makes for easier selling. Townhomes sell quickly when priced right.

And for door hanging, it doesn't get any better!

I am able to hang 160 of my newsletters in about 50 minutes. That's a lot of exposure in under an hour.

Probably the most productive 50 minutes of my month.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.