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

Spechless Sunday-"Easter Sky on Pistakee Lake"

"Easter Sky Over Pistakee Lake" Photo taken by Debra Kukulski, Realtor

Photo taken by Debra Kukulski, ABR, RECS, GRI, EPRO, Realtor with RE/MAX Unlimited Northwest Cary-Crystal Lake IL, provides highly professional levels of real estate services to home buyers and sellers in McHenry, Lake, Kane or Cook Counties in Northern Illinois. Visit my www.FoxRiverProperties.com to search for homes for sale in Northern Illinois. "Easter Sky on Pistakee Lake" Fox Lake, Chain of Lakes, IL"" ©2009. Property of Debra Kukulski, All Rights Reserved. Photo may not be used or reproduced in any way without express written permission from Debra Kukulski.

Debra Kukulski Cary IL Real Estate

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. My business is over 87% referral and repeat clients and I am so grateful it keeps growing from your loyalty and referrals:-)

My Direct Number at the Office is 847.516.6760

Out of Money and Facing Foreclosure? Help to Prevent Foreclosure in IL

out of money?

One of the most important things I learned in the Certified Distressed Property Expert course I took last week (CDPE) were ways to help troubled homeowners stay in their homes and to try to help get the word out that there ARE options for many people.

A very shocking statistic I learned was that 7 out of 10 homeowners whose homes actually get foreclosed upon get to that point without any visible help. There are so many good people that are experiencing financial difficulties at this time in our present economy, but many of the people who need help the most feel too ashamed or embarrassed to reach out for help. As a CDPE, I am now trained to help do what I can to help people prevent foreclosure. For some people that qualify, a short sale may be the answer but I would advise not only talking to your tax and legal professionals, but also looking over the resources listed below. If you would like to talk to me, I would welcome that opportunity to see if I can help you personally.

Here are some very useful and some NEW links to check out:

*US Treasury-Loans as low as 2%

*Obama administration's MHA, visit Making Home Affordable

*Find out if you are eligable for a re-finance or loan modification here

*Find a HUD counselor (for FHA loans) or talk directly to your mortgage company

*Find out if you have a Fannie Mae mortgage here

*Find out if you have a Freddie Mac mortgage here

*Freddie Mac- more help to avoid foreclosure

*Freddie Mac-tips on working with YOUR lender to avaoid foreclosure

*Foreclosure prevention workshops

*Mortgage Bankers Association Home Loan Learning Center and Foreclosure Prevention Resource Center

Please keep in mind that the information available is changing constantly with new programs and updates. And don't be too embarrassed to reach out for help. You are not alone and you owe it to yourself and your family and your credit rating to do all you can to see if you are qualified for any of the available options before letting a foreclosure happen to you.



I hope you find this information useful. I am only a phone call or email away if you need real estate help:-)

Debra Kukulski Crystal lake Real Estate

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.

My business is over 87% referral and repeat clients and I am so grateful it keeps growing from your loyalty and referrals:-)

My Direct Number at the Office is 847.516.6760

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

Debra Kukulski's April Real Estate Update

Your REALTOR:

Debra Kukulski
April 2009
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!

Copyright © 2009 Realty Times
All Rights Reserved.





Five Ways to Wow Buyers

These days, tax credits and high housing inventory make it a buyers' market. If you're a seller, don't despair. There are a variety of renovations that can help make your home stand out. Many buyers look at numerous homes when shopping for a house; so enhancing your home to make it more memorable is vital and increases the chances of a successful sale.
Clearing clutter, taking down personal photos, applying a fresh coat of paint, making minor repairs, and keeping a pleasant aroma are all basic techniques to make your home more appealing. But there are a few other

Mortgage Rates
U.S. averages as of March 26, 2009:

30 yr. fixed: 4.85%
15 yr. fixed: 4.58%
1 yr. adj: 4.85%
<!-- <B>30 yr. jumbo: 6.98%</B>-->



View current rates





creative enhancements that you can do to wow buyers without emptying your wallet. The results not only attract more attention, but also paint a picture of a well-cared-for home.
CONTINUED >>>



Thinking of Making a Move?

Let me help you to be successful in the current market....





Where Housing is Headed

We received an important indicator of where housing is headed last month, when new mortgage applications for home purchases and refinances suddenly surged as they hadn't in months.
Applications for FHA loans to buy houses were up by 10.4 percent. And overall home purchase applications jumped by 7.1 percent.
Meanwhile mortgage interest rates dropped to their second lowest level in nearly two decades, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Thirty year fixed rates averaged 4.96 percent and fifteen year rated dropped to just 4.5 percent.
Why's this important? New financing applications to buy homes obviously point to rising purchase contracts and closed sales in the months ahead. They also suggest that prices have hit a level in many markets that is attracting once-hesitant buyers off the sidelines.
There's still another factor that's likely at work here as well: Congress's CONTINUED >>>




What You Need to Know
to Buy a Home Today


Don't let a sluggish economy get you down. There are reasons to shop for personal items-including a new home. I recently saw an advertisement for a new car that said you could return the car in the first year if you lose your job. While there may not be that incentive for homes yet, some other perks might give you reason to start your housing search.
If you can afford to buy, consider making homeownership a goal this year, especially if you haven't owned a principal residence in three years prior to buying. The new stimulus package sweetens the deal for homebuyers who purchase a residence on or after January 1, 2009, and before December 1, 2009. The incentive is for first-time homebuyers who remain in their home for at least three years. It provides a credit for 10 percent of the home purchase price, up to an $8,000 limit. The credit can be taken on your 2008 or 2009 tax return.
If you close on a home after the April 15 tax deadline, you can apply for an extension provided that you close on your home before the extension deadline of October 15. If you're extra speedy and have already filed your 2008 return, don't worry - you can file an amendment to claim the credit. You have three years to 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 WORKS in this market! I understand the value of the internet in selling a home and the keys to getting top dollar in today's buyer's market.




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.TheresNoPLaceLikeYourPlace.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!)



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More Articles


March Round Up: Rates Hit Another New Low

Investor Report: Refinancings

Seller's Home Appeal for Today's Market

U.S. Treasury: Mortgage rates As Low As 2 Percent



Debra Kukulski, ABR,GRI,RECS,e-PRO
E-mail: deb@debrakukulski.com
Web: http://www.debrakukulski.com/
Direct: 847-516-6760

RE/MAX Unlimited Northwest Cary Grove Crystal Lake
847-639-6600
7107 Pingree Road (Corner of Pingree at 14)
Crystal Lake, IL 60014


Equal Housing Opportunity

RE/MAX Times Article

Earth Hour Chicago Debra Kukulski

I just wanted to post this article since it will not be on the Re/Max International site any longer after today and I posted a link here to the Earth Hour atrticle the other day. Re/Max is re-vamping the entire Re/Max site this weekend and I was told the link I posted earlier will not longer be working.

So, here goes, with gratitude and express written permission from the author, Deborah Ball, RE/MAX Times Associate Editor, of course:-)

RE/MAX Times Online
Global Initiative

Affiliates Looking Forward to Earth Hour on March 28

By Deborah Ball, RE/MAX Times Associate Editor

It's only one hour, but it's also a worldwide show of unity.

On March 28, many RE/MAX Affiliates will join millions of people around the world for Earth Hour. Everyone involved will turn off their lights at 8:30 p.m. in the local time zone.

Learn about Earth Hour and participate.

To date, 1,760 cities, towns and municipalities in 80 countries have pledged participation.

RE/MAX of Southern Africa, a corporate supporter of the initiative in South Africa, launched a public relations campaign on its Web site to educate Associates and consumers about Earth Hour.

"It's part of our corporate duty to promote something like this and educate our agents about it," says Assistant Regional Director Adrian Goslett. "In South Africa, we have numerous athletes, celebrities and politicians involved in the awareness campaign. It helps draw attention to the global climate."

Goslett adds that the average monthly utility bill in South Africa equates to more than $350 (U.S.).

Organizers of the event hope to get 1 billion people involved and are asking participants to mark their involvement by registering online with a "Vote Earth." Those tallies will then be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen later this year. The meeting determines official government policies for combating global warming.

Individual RE/MAX Associates are also participating and spreading the word to clients and colleagues. Debra Kukulski, a Sales Associate with RE/MAX Unlimited Northwest in Crystal Lake, Ill., wrote about Earth Hour on her ActiveRain blog and encouraged others to take part.

"Last year, I received a positive response to the e-mails and blogs," Kukulski says. "It's an easy way to make an impact, even if it's a small one.

"Something is better than nothing. People are becoming more eco-conscious, and they're attracted to agents and businesses that share their views."

Visit the RE/MAX Times Online to read new feature articles, top-producer profiles, stories about valuable resources and more.

Comment on this story
E-mail your comments to editor@remax.net. Please include your full name, RE/MAX office, city and state or province. Comments, slightly edited for length, flow and punctuation, will appear below.

Comments

I was very excited to see this article on Mainstreet. Most New Zealanders are huge supporters of helping to make our world a safer place for future generations and Earth Hour is being widely publicised through the media here. Good on you RE/MAX for taking up such an important message - just another example of the quality of the RE/MAX brand/family. I shall be thinking of my international colleagues as I sit in the dark sipping a glass of local pinot noir at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night.
- Lynette Gordon, RE/MAX Wanaka, Wanaka, New Zealand

Copyright © 2009 RE/MAX International Inc. 3/24/09





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

I hope you find this information useful. I am only a phone call or email away of you need real estate help:-)

Debra Kukulski Crystal lake Real Estate

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.

My business is over 87% referral and repeat clients and I am so grateful it keeps growing from your loyalty and referrals:-)

My Direct Number at the Office is 847.516.6760

The Earth Thanks You!

Earth Hour 2009 was fun and such an easy thing to do to. Thanks to all who particapated!

The event was BIG.

I even got interviewed by RE/MAX international and the article was on page ONE of the RE/MAX site!

Click Here to READ Earth Hour Article including Debra Kukulski Interview

From Earth Hour:


"ON BEHALF OF THE PLANET, WE THANK YOU!

Earth Hour 2009 was an amazing success and we wanted to thank you for your support.

Lights went out in 4,085 cities in 88 countries in what is being described as the largest demonstration of public concern about climate change in history.

Check out this amazing view of the world going dark at:
www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/03/earth_hour_2009.html

Earth Hour

Thanks for turning out for Earth Hour 2009!
The Earth Hour Team
EarthHourUS.org"

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

I hope you find this information useful. I am only a phone call or email away of you need real estate help:-)

Debra Kukulski Crystal lake Real Estate

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.

My business is over 87% referral and repeat clients and I am so grateful it keeps growing from your loyalty and referrals:-)

My Direct Number at the Office is 847.516.6760