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Debra Kukulski-GRI;ABR;RECS;e-PRO Real Estate Expert Northern Illinois

My October Real Estate Update

October 2008
Real
"The highest compliment a client can give me is to trust me with a referral, this is how I build my business!"
If you have a friend or family member looking to buy or sell a home please pass their name and number along to me and I will give them the same great service I give to all of my clients! I can also help
people find a Realtor nationwide!

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All Rights Reserved.





Five Key Areas to Pay Attention to When Buying a Home

Looking for a new home can be exciting and frustrating. You can help alleviate the frustration by paying close attention to five key areas of the homes you're considering buying; it may save you money in the long run.
Don Walker is an inspector and owner of Ace Home Inspections. He says there are five areas in homes that he frequently reports problems with. They are electrical, foundation, plumbing, the attic, and landscaping.
Electrical. Walker says sometimes homeowners assume with newer homes that all will work just fine but that's often

Mortgage Rates
U.S. averages as of September 25, 2008:

30 yr. fixed: 6.09%
15 yr. fixed: 5.77%
1 yr. adj: 5.16%
<!-- <B>30 yr. jumbo: 6.98%</B>-->



View current rates





not the case. "I inspected a brand new house-four years old but the electrical was all done incorrectly," says Walker.
Having a complete home inspection will help to rule out any problems and
CONTINUED >>>



Wondering What Your Home Is Worth?

Let me show you.





Deploy A Strategic Assault On Your Mortgage Application

Today's volatile housing market demands that home buyers take an exacting, almost surgical approach to completing a mortgage application in order to speed the paperwork through the narrowed arteries of the home loan pipeline.
Profusely sweating the details of a mortgage application gives lenders fewer reasons to reject your quest for the American Dream. And the need for speed is crucial if you want to beat today's realty market clock which frequently resets itself.
The real estate market's mortgage credit squeeze tightens one day then eases the next. So there's no room for vagueness or foot dragging when completing a mortgage application.
Here are your marching orders.
Tighter underwriting regulations, fewer mortgage options, appraisers trying to keep tabs on value changes, and several recent federal interventions to help cure the housing hangover this year alone, are all conditions that reflect the CONTINUED >>>




Too Much To Store And
Too Little Space


Do you have too much to store and too little space? If you're like many homeowners, finding enough storage space can be a challenge. Thankfully, remodeling professionals can help you create new ways to tuck away your family's treasures in a resourceful and sophisticated way, according to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).
Finding storage solutions doesn't always mean undertaking a major remodel. Sometimes it's about using the square footage you already have. Remodelers can help you plan and reallocate storage to accommodate your family's changing lifestyle. Getting creative with storage can improve daily living and boost the resale value of your home.
Look in Unusual Spaces
Veteran remodeler Don Van Cura, CR, CLC, CKBR, and owner of Chicago-based Don Van Cura Construction, recently won a regional CotY Award for a clever storage solution he designed for stashing canned goods under a kitchen staircase. "I'm a space freak and I don't believe that any part of the house should be wasted," he explains. "Almost every section of home has a void in it that can be made into storage -- and the older the house, the more nooks and crannies you CONTINUED >>>



Thinking of Selling? Contact me!

If you are thinking of selling, please contact me for a professional opinion on the current market value of your home and to learn about my very successful marketing plan for sellers! I understand the value of the internet in selling a home!




How Can Debra Kukulski Help You?
If you are seeking a top, experienced professional who will listen, coach and help you work through your transaction so that you can relax and enjoy the fun and rewarding part of buying/selling, call Debra directly at 847-516-6760 or visit her excellent website for real estate, area, community, and school information. You can also search over 120,000 listings from her website: http://www.McHenryCountyProperties.com.
Ask her about her exclusive 'Sellers Marketing Plan' which includes extensive internet exposure for your home, or her 'Preferred Buyers Program', where you will recieve daily notifications of new listings from ALL of the offices that match YOUR criteria and a private, password protected, interactive web site that is updated daily for you AND has all of the details and pictures! (Trust me, you will LOVE this!)



View Recent Market Conditions!




Daily News and Advice
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Read about the events shaping the Real Estate market today, find current interest rates, or browse the extensive library of advice and how-to articles written by some of the top experts in Real Estate. Updated each weekday.



More Articles


September Round Up: Mortgage Rates Up

Finding Discounted Homes For Sale

Ten Fall Maintenance Tips

Understanding Your Electrical System Can Help You Spot Problem Areas

We are still experiencing a Real Estate Buyer's Market in beautiful Northern Illinois.

It is a GREAT time to buy, especially for first time buyers, investors and move-up buyers!!

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

Debra Kukulski

By the way, if you know of someone that could benefit from my high level of personal service and success in the current market, please call or email me with their name and daytime phone number and I will be sure to follow up and take great care of them. Thanks to you and your referrals, my business keeps growing:-)

I can be reached at my direct number at the office: 847.516.6760. I look forward to hearing from you!

Information deemed accurate and reliable but not guaranteed. Source MRED MLS.Disclaimer: Information herein may come from various sources, some of which may not be reliable and may change without any notice. Debra Kukulski does not guarantee or is any way responsible for the accuracy of the information in this blog and information provided is without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Information on this blog represents the opinions and ideas of the author; comments by others may not express the views of the author. Copyright © 2008 By Debra Kukulski, all rights reserved.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS BARRINGTON AREA REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE

How is the current real estate market in the Barrington areas of Northern Illinois?

(The Barrington Areas are located in McHenry County, Cook County and Lake Countiesin Northern Illinois. The "Barrington Area" in MRED MLS includes: Tower Lakes, Barrington Village, South Barrington, Port Barrington, North Barrington, Deer Park, Lake Barrington, Barrington Hills)

Estate Home Autumn Colors

As of today, per MRED MLS, for the past 3 months:

We currently have 606 Single Family homes on the market in Barrington that are active and available.

•· They have been on the market for an average of 250 days. The average list price is $1,118,489.

•· During the past 3 months, 105 Single Family homes have successfully closed with the help of their Realtors. They took an average of 199 days on the market to get SOLD.

•· The average list price of the SOLD Single Family homes was $831,385 and the average SOLD price was $765,164.

With the help of their REALTORS, successful sellers in

Barrington have been getting 92% of their asking prices!

We are still experiencing a Buyer's Market in the Barrington areas of Northern Illinois.

It is a GREAT TIME TO BUY REAL ESTATE, *especially for first time buyers,

investors and move up buyers.*

We are having a "HUGE sale" on our large inventory of VERY well priced HOMES! ;-)

Barrington Harbour on the Fox River

We currently have 133 Attached homes on the market in Barrington that are active and available.

•· They have been on the market for an average of 211 days.

•· The average list price is $336,403.

•· During the past 3 months, 17 Attached homes have successfully closed in Barrington with the help of their Realtors. They took an average of 140 days on the market to get SOLD.

•· The average list price of the SOLD Attached homes in Barrington is $340,217 and the average SOLD price is $315,382.

So, on the average over the past 3 months, Attached homes in Barrington have been getting an average of 93% of their list prices, with the help of their Realtors.

We are still experiencing a Real Estate Buyer's Market in beautiful areas of Barrington, Illinois.

It is a GREAT time to buy!!

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

Debra Kukulski

By the way, if you know of someone that could benefit from my high level of personal service and success in the current market, please call or email me with their name and daytime phone number and I will be sure to follow up and take great care of them. Thanks to you and your referrals, my business keeps growing:-)

I can be reached at my direct number at the office: 847.516.6760. I look forward to hearing from you!

Information deemed accurate and reliable but not guaranteed. Source MRED MLS.Disclaimer: Information herein may come from various sources, some of which may not be reliable and may change without any notice. Debra Kukulski does not guarantee or is any way responsible for the accuracy of the information in this blog and information provided is without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Information on this blog represents the opinions and ideas of the author; comments by others may not express the views of the author. Copyright © 2008 By Debra Kukulski, all rights reserved.

ILLINOIS-MCHENRY COUNTY-ISLAND LAKE REAL ESTATE ACTIVITY UPDATE

How is the current market in Island Lake, IL?

We are still experiencing a Buyer's Market in ISLAND LAKE, IL.

It is a GREAT TIME TO BUY, *especially for first time buyers, investors and move up buyers.*

We are having a HUGE sale ON HOMES! :-)

SOLD

Island Lake IL Market Conditions:

As of today, per MRED MLS, for the past 3 months:

We currently have 105 Single Family homes on the market in Island Lake that are active and available.

•· They have been on the market for an average of 221 days.

•· The average list price is $261,549.

•· During the past 3 months, 13 Single Family homes in Island Lake have successfully closed with the help of their Realtors. They took an average of 152 days on the market to get SOLD.

•· The average list price of the SOLD Single Family homes in Island Lake was $212,300 and the average SOLD price was $202,769.

•· The successfully closed Single Family sales in Island Lake took an average of 174 days on the market.

•· With the help of their REALTORS, successful sellers in Island Lake have been getting 96% of their asking prices! 48% of the listed Single Family homes in Island Lake the past 3 months went OFF the market without selling.

We are still experiencing a Buyer's Market in Island Lake. It is a GREAT time to buy...many good choices AND prices!!

Townhome Community Newberry Village in Island Lake IL McHenry County

We currently have 43 Attached homes on the market in Island Lake that are active and available.

•· They have been on the market for an average of 155 days.

•· The average list price is $166,260.

•· During the past 3 months, 13 Attached homes have successfully closed in Island Lake with the help of their Realtors. They took an average of 100 days on the market to get SOLD.

•· The average list price of the SOLD Attached homes in Island Lake is $148,095 and the average SOLD price is $141,031.

So, on the average over the past 3 months, Attached homes in Island Lake have been getting an average of just under 95% of their list prices, with the help of their Realtors.

We are still experiencing a Buyer's Market in Island Lake. It is a GREAT time to buy!!

3023 Ilene, Island Lake KitchenWOW-A granite kitchen for only 153,000!

TheresNoPlaceLikeYourPlace.com

By the way, if you know of someone that could benefit from my high level of service, please do not hesitate to 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.

I appreciate YOU and your referrals!

Information deemed accurate and reliable but not guaranteed. Source MRED MLS.Disclaimer: Information herein may come from various sources, some of which may not be reliable and may change without any notice. Debra Kukulski does not guarantee or is any way responsible for the accuracy of the information in this blog and information provided is without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Information on this blog represents the opinions and ideas of the author; comments by others may not express the views of the author. Copyright © 2008 By Debra Kukulski, all rights reserved.

Illinois-McHenry County, Lake County-CARY IL Real Estate Market Conditions

Illinois-McHenry County, Lake County-CARY IL Real Estate Market Conditions

How is the current market in Cary, IL?

Welcome to Cary IL

Cary, IL Market Conditions: Cary is located in both McHenry and Lake Counties in Northern Illinois

Cary IL Metra train station

As of this afternoon, per MRED MLS, for the past 3 months:

We currently have 251 Single Family homes on the market in Cary that are active and available.

•· They have been on the market for an average of 198 days.

•· The average list price is $359,071.

•· During the past 3 months, 60 Single Family homes have successfully closed with the help of their Realtors. This represents approximately 68% of the market that have had success. They took an average of 170 days on the market to be SOLD. (Market time for closed sales has decreased since last month!)

•· The average list price of the SOLD Single Family homes is $317,900 and the average SOLD price is $301,395.

Cary IL River Front Waterfront Home

(Stunning Home on the Fox River in Cary)

With the help of their REALTORS, successful sellers in Cary have been getting

95% of their asking prices!

We currently have 64 Attached homes on the market in Cary that are active and available.

Carriage Hill Townhome Community in Cary, IL

(Carriage Hill Townhome Community in Cary, IL Pictured Above)

•· They have been on the market for an average of 195 days.

•· The average list price is $202,351.

•· During the past 3 months, 13 Attached homes have successfully closed in Cary with the help of their Realtors. This only represents approximately 57% of the market that have had success. They took an average of 176 days on the market to be SOLD.

•· The average list price of the SOLD Attached homes in Cary is $181,038 and the average SOLD price is $171,950.

So, on the average Attached homes in Cary have been getting an average of 95% of their list prices, with the help of their Realtors.

We are still experiencing a Buyer's Market in Cary, IL.

It is a GREAT TIME TO BUY, especially for first time buyers, investors and move up buyers.

We are having a HUGE sale! :-)

Debra Kukulski Real Estate Consultant

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.

I appreciate YOU and your referrals!

I can be reached at my direct number at the office: 847.516.6760. I look forward to hearing from you!

Information deemed accurate and reliable but not guaranteed. Source MRED MLS.

Disclaimer: Information herein may come from various sources, some of which may not be reliable and may change without any notice. Debra Kukulski does not guarantee or is any way responsible for the accuracy of the information in this blog and information provided is without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Information on this blog represents the opinions and ideas of the author; comments by others may not express the views of the author.


Copyright © 2008 By Debra Kukulski, all rights reserved.

MOVING/STORAGE Discounts for my valued clients!

Moving or just de-cluttering?

Girl with moving boxes and clutter

I know this part of moving is NOT the fun part!

So many of my clients have just loved PODS. Instead of getting a storage unit, PODS will drop off a POD at your home for you to fill up with all of your treasures, take it away and store it for you, and then they will drop it off again at the location you want when you are ready.

I think it is a great service and one of my past sellers even decided to clear more out after being on the market, called them and had them drop it back up to pack up more stuff so the house would show even bigger and better.

Of course there are charges for their services, but if you follow the links below, you can get some great discounts.....for example...up to a 10% discount for local moves and 5% off long distance moves for being a Re/Max client:


* Visit www.PODS.com/REMAX
* Call 1-866-556-9595 and mention promo code RMAX



Whether you need to declutter your home to get ready for the market, need temporary storage between moves or are looking for a local or long-distance moving solution, these services can really help get the job done!

Pods Container

HERE'S A VIDEO ON THE PODS STORAGE FACILITY<----Click here

I also was recently made aware of a new service that seems to be very similar to PODS and is also offering discounts to our clients. I do not know anyone who has used them yet, but I just love the name!

1-800-PACK-RAT (Code: Remax)

Pack Rat

I would suggest checking them both out and comparing them. Please come back to let me know your thoughts and experiences once you do. I and my other valued clients would appreciate any feedback you can give on these moving/storage services.

AND FOR ALL OF YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS, CLICK HERE:-)

I hope this does not sound like a commercial....because it is NOT....but I have had so many people just love this type of service and I just wanted to share the information and discounts with my wonderful clients and customers! I hope you find this helpful:-)

Debra Kukulski

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.

I appreciate YOU and your referrals!

I can be reached at my direct number at the office: 847.516.6760. I look forward to hearing from you!

Disclaimers:
Please call suggested services directly or see their websites for all of the rules, details, current offers and restrictions. Debra Kukulski and RE/MAX International, Inc nor its affiliated companies warrant any product or service delivered under these programs.