Kelly Sibilsky

The Lake Zurich neighborhoods of Chestnut Corners and Hunter's Creek will be holding a joint neighborhood garage sale on September 18, 19, 20 and 21 from 9 am - 4 pm (Thursday - Sunday). Chestnut Corners and Hunter's Creek are located near the intersection of Cuba Road and Quentin Road in Lake Zurich, Illinois.

There will be a variety of items for sale: clothing, furniture, decorative items, toys, sports equipment, etc. If you are looking for some inexpensive items for that first apartment or college dorm room, garage sales are a gold mine! If you are a parent or grandparent looking for baby items or toys, this is the place! Need books for that home-based day care? Look here first! Garage sales can be a wonderful place to get a great deal on a variety of household items.

My garage will be open for business too. I'm selling a few TV's, an electronic keyboard, miscellaneous household decorative items, books, a small desk chair and plenty of other GOOD STUFF that I need out of my basement! Mention my blog and I'll give you a discount!

Here's a little secret for you...Thursday is the most popular day, so come EARLY to get the best stuff!

If you bought your new home without the assistance of a real estate agent, how will you know if you made a good decision? Consider the following scenarios:

Scenario #1: You stopped into a new construction neighborhood on your own and were wowed by the fully decorated models. The builder's sales agent informed you of all the incentives the builder is offering, such as free upgrades or $$$ off the base price. You sign on the bottom line, confident you got a great deal on your new home.

Scenario #2: While driving around on the weekend you notice a property with a For Sale by Owner sign in the front yard. The seller shows you around the house and tells you all the wonderful things about the house and neighborhood. You love it. The seller tells you that he won't allow you to bring your real estate agent since he doesn't want to pay a commission, and tells you that he's giving you a great deal on the home.

Now let's examine each of the above scenarios:

In Scenario #1, did the builder show you what the other new construction homes sold for (and when) and what upgrades were added to those homes? Do you understand the difference in resale value and desirability of a 3 bedroom vs. a 4 bedroom house? What are the pros and cons of this new neighborhood that could affect your future resale value, such as the four lane road and lack of a traffic light at the entrance? How long will it take for the builder to complete all of the homes and how will that affect you if you need to move before the builder is done building? Is the discount you received based on you having to use the builder's lender for your loan? Will there be additional lender charges on your settlement statement that may negate the discount you just received? What will your taxes and assessments be when the property is fully improved?

In Scenario #2, if you use a home valuation site or real estate website to pull up comparable properties on your own, do you know how to select the properties that are the most similar to the home you are interested in? Have you seen the comparable properties in person and do you understand the valuation differences based on location, age, amenities and condition? Are you aware if the comparables are closed (sold) or list prices (wish prices)? Has the seller provided the legally required disclosures to you and will he agree to make any necessary repairs? Is the property in a special service area or are there any pending or proposed special assessments that may affect your tax bill down the road?

For both Scenario #1 and Scenario #2, do you know the proposed future use of that beautiful vacant land behind your new home? Do you know if it is zoned commercial or owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), for example? Are you aware of how many distressed (short sale/foreclosure) properties are in the area and how this may affect your property value? Did you hire a home inspector to find any defects prior to purchasing the property, even if it is new construction? Do you know how many homes are for sale in the area and how long they have remained on the market? Did you double check the school district information to make sure the home is in the school district you desire?

Real estate agents help you do your homework so when you finally make your home buying decision, you can be fully comfortable with your choice. That's why we ask you a lot of questions about your bank pre-approval, your wants, your must-haves and your time frame for moving. We do this to help keep you focused so that you aren't swayed by fancy decorating or aren't lured by what appears to be a low price. We also point out potential problems with the property that may affect resale, whether that is a busy street, proposed construction nearby, strict homeowner association rules or a funky floor plan. And when you are finally ready to make an offer, we pull the comparable sales, tax records and plat maps and help you arrive at what would be a fair price to pay for the property.

A great deal is not simply getting a certain amount off the purchase price. When you are ready to buy a home, call a real estate agent. We'll help you make the best decision possible!

On my way driving home from my office today I noticed 5 for sale by owner signs…all within approximately a one mile radius. This is a sudden increase in for sale by owner signs in the area, making me wonder if this is a sign of the times or of the times to come in our troubled real estate market.

There had been a noticeable decline in for sale by owner signs in the area over the past few years. Sure, there were still a few optimistic sellers who would put out a for sale by owner sign and hold a few weekend open houses, but by and large those signs would be replaced within two or three weeks by a local real estate company sign. Frustrated sellers discovered firsthand the true value of hiring a real estate agent to properly price, prepare and market their homes for sale. To be quite honest, they found that they needed us more than ever before.

So why the sudden increase in for sale by owner signs? I have a hunch that it has to with desperation. The decline in property values over the past few years has left many sellers cash strapped and with no other choice but to attempt to sell their homes themselves because they simply can’t afford to pay the real estate marketing fee and other costs to close. With little or no equity left, they are making the unfortunate decision to try to sell it themselves at what I feel is the worst possible time to go it alone.

It is even harder to sell a home for sale by owner in today’s buyer’s market and all the drawbacks to doing so still apply. On average, sellers who sell their homes themselves are on the market longer and net less than sellers who entrust the home sale process to a qualified real estate agent. Most sellers are unaware of what it takes to sell a home and are woefully unprepared to market their home appropriately.

Heck, it’s hard for real estate agents to get a home sold in today’s market…and we know every possible trick in the book!

If you are a seller who is considering placing a for sale by owner sign in your yard, read my article entitled, Let’s Play 20 Questions, by clicking here. Then give me a call. I’m here to help.

Some of you may know that St. Francis Parish in Lake Zurich feeds those in need with a food pantry every Thursday afternoon.

A friend of mine recently emailed me to let me know that the pantry shelves are literally bare. They have been experiencing a significant increase in families that are in need of the basics: a bag of food to get through the week.

The need is so great that they may not be able to open their doors this week due to lack of food.

The pantry usually serves around 60 families a week. Two weeks ago they had 85 families come and last week they served 100 families. The need however is even greater than that. The pantry relies on donations from people like you and me, and from local food stores.

In the hectic days of summer, it is usually not on the top of our minds to donate food, but I am requesting it now. If there is any way that any of you can donate food to the pantry, please drop off the food to the Ministry Center of St. Francis (the FORMER library on Buesching, directly south of the church which is at 135 S. Buesching in Lake Zurich).

Thank you in advance for your help and donations! And thanks, Barb Lane, for bringing this to my attention!

If you live in Lake Zurich or the surrounding communities, it's time to get blogging with Kelly!

Since ActiveRain launched the new Localism, I've noticed an increase in posts with purely local content. Market reports, restaurants, subdivisions, local events...you name it and it's making it's way into posts all over ActiveRain.

This is all well and good (and valuable of course), but I miss the posts about buying and selling! Staging! Pricing! Listing presentations! Mortgage information! Coping with the market! I even miss the posts about nothing in particular!

So as for me and my readers, I intend to keep writing about my take on the local real estate market as well as tidbits about my favorite people, places and things to do in Lake Zurich and the surrounding communities. After all, I'm a real estate agent, not a travel agent or member of the local Chamber of Commerce. I don't work for the Lake Zurich Alpine Lions Club or the Lake Zurich Community School District 95. They all do a fine job promoting our wonderful community. While I am happy and pleased to be able to share information about my community from time to time, my main objective is to provide real estate related information to my readers.

The name of my blog may have changed from http://activerain.com/blogs/getmovingwithkelly to the much simpler and easier to remember www.getbloggingwithkelly.com but my blog itself remains essentially the same. After all, when readers mention my blog they most often remark on my posts that showcase my real estate expertise...not my ability to pick a good restaurant.

If it isn't broken, I don't plan to fix it. What do you think?