Kelly Sibilsky

When Brian and I were in Italy last September, we fell in love with the charming, intimate restaurants in Rome, Florence, Tuscany and Venice (not to mention the delicious food). Luckily we can now get a little bit of Italy locally - at ZaZa's Tavola Italiana in Lake Barrington.

The decor of ZaZa's and the small size of the restaurant are what charmed us initially. I, personally, love the mixture of dark wood, white tablecloths, venetian plaster and black and white vintage photography. It's not stuffy or pretentious but it is classy...the perfect place for a romantic dinner for two...but families with small children are also welcome. It is not what you expect being tucked into a strip mall near Lake Barrington Shores, that's for sure.

The Northern Italian food is simply delicious. Last night I had the Penne con Pollo, which is penne pasta with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, peas and broccoli in a white wine garlic sauce topped with fresh-shaved parmesan cheese. It was absolutely delicious and I even had enough left over for lunch today (i.e the portions are huge). We've been there several times now and we've tried several different meals and they've all been delicious. The menu changes occasionally to feature different items at different times of the year and there are nightly specials, which is a nice touch. The bread is crusty and fresh and there is always olive oil on the table for dipping.

ZaZa's has a cozy bar and live entertainment on Thursday evenings. If you go early, you probably don't need to make a reservation, but if you want to arrive a little later in the evening you might want to call ahead. Of course, you can always quench your thirst a the well-stocked bar while you wait.

If you crave a delicious meal in a fantastic Italian atmosphere, try ZaZa's today! ZaZa's Tavola Italiana is located near Lake Barrington Shores at 5047 Shoreline Road; call (847)381-1333 for reservations or visit their website here for more information, to view the menu and see photos of the interior!

Buying a house is a lot like finding a life partner. You search and search for "the one" and you only know it when you get that special feeling inside.

Just like when dating, many people get impatient and settle. While no person or house is perfect (in fact the right house may be downright UGLY, but more about that later) one should never settle. If you do, you will regret it!

This I learned from personal experience. Not on the relationship front, for my husband and I have been happily married for 21 years and counting, but we once settled for a "not-quite-right" house simply because we felt pressured into making a decision.

Let me tell you about our big mistake, in the hopes that you can avoid making a similar mistake when you purchase your next home.

When my family and I relocated to Illinois from Michigan, we quickly discovered that houses in Illinois were much more expensive than comparable houses in Michigan. We were paired with a real estate agent who was nice enough, but who we could tell quickly grew tired of spending weekend after weekend looking at homes with us. Brian was already here in Illinois living in an apartment provided by Motorola, and I was back in Michigan with the kids and would drive to Illinois nearly every weekend to look at house after house. The housing market at that time was a strong sellers market and the best houses would already be sold prior to my weekend house-hunting trip. On top of that, it was the middle of winter.

So December then January and February came and went. The pressure to get the family back together and get the kids enrolled in school was mounting; it was stressful. We decided to concentrate on a particular community known for its popularity and good school system. We eventually found a "not-quite-right" house that met most of our criteria in terms of bedrooms, bathrooms and school district scores. There was no excitement about the house, no emotional connection, but the pressure to buy (both from the agent who was tired of driving us around and our own desire to get settled) pushed us into making a decision.

We bought that house despite our reservations (we settled) and spent the next several months gutting it and updating it throughout, trying to make the best of it. It was an attractive enough house, but it just wasn't home. Try as we might, the house, the neighborhood, even the good school system just wasn't the right fit for us. I think we moved into that house in March, and by October (when Halloween failed to illicit even a single trick-or-treater!) we knew it was time to move on.

We started our search for a new home by December of that year, with a new real estate agent (who eventually became one of my very good friends) who understood exactly what we were looking for and didn't pressure us. We did a lot of research, looked at a few houses in different neighborhoods, and eventually discovered the perfect neighborhood for us: Chestnut Corners in Lake Zurich.

At that time, we were still in a strong sellers market so we listed our "not-quite-right" home for sale, got pre-approved to purchase an new house without having to sell our current one (just in case) and looked at every house that came on the market in our target neighborhood. One house in particular caught our eye but needed a lot of work so we passed it over and kept looking (we were understandably a little gun-shy). It took several months but we finally found ourselves going back to the house we had passed over previously. It simply felt right. It was far from perfect (read Go Ahead...Buy that UGLY House!) and we would spend several years updating it from top to bottom. But we did get that feeling that it was home. The neighborhood, school district, floor plan, square footage, etc. all combined to make it "the one" and we were really excited about moving in and making it our home.

On the surface, it seems like a nice happy ending, after all, we did eventually find the right house and it has appreciated quite a bit throughout the years. But in reality, this was an expensive lesson in many ways. First of all, although we were lucky enough to sell our "not-quite-right" house in only 3 weeks and for a reasonable price (remember multiple offers?), we barely broke even because we had spent so much time, energy and money updating that house from top to bottom. We then had to pay the moving costs themselves, and we also had to transfer the kids to a new school district, which is always traumatic at best. Did we learn a valuable lesson? You bet. One I want YOU to avoid.

Now, you could search forever and never find the "perfect" house. This is not about finding the "perfect" house. This is about finding "the one", the "right" house. There is a difference. If you have champagne taste but a beer budget, you may not get everything you want in a house, particularly in your first house. I don't consider that to be settling, as you have to be realistic about what you can afford and pick "the one" from what is available all things considered. The bottom line is that you'll know it when you find it.

I admit it. I love watching real estate related reality shows on TV. The decorating, remodeling and gardening shows never fail to give me plenty of ideas for my own house. The house hunting shows, on the other hand, usually just amuse me, because I've found that many times things aren't quite like they appear on TV.

I would love to see a reality house hunting show based on finding and purchasing a short sale or foreclosure property!

Imagine this scenario:

Agent and buyer walk up to the property, sidestepping weeds and broken concrete. Agent comments on the gorgeous peonies (the only nice thing visible) while opening door for buyer, after first removing notices from the authorities that the water is being turned off, and that the home is in violation for having an un-mowed lawn. When the door opens, buyer hesitates, then wrinkles nose as smell wafts out. Gathering deep breaths, agent and buyer enter the property. The camera pans around to highlight discarded furniture, garbage and other debris. Ever determined, buyer and agent press on (maybe it's just dirty?) and discover that the house is, in fact, a total gut job. Buyer refuses to go in the basement, afraid of what might be down there. Agent and buyer leave, with buyer rooting around in her purse for her Purell hand sanitizer. Agent and buyer chuckle...on to the next one!

Now, some of these properties are truly a diamond in the rough (albeit very rough). It might make for interesting reality TV to show the distressed property search, the offer/acceptance process (imagine the drama produced by buyers nervously awaiting the acceptance or rejection by the bank!) and the home inspection (egads!). Then, finally, showing the buyers several weeks months after closing when all the improvements have been made and the house is actually habitable again (you know, the happy ending).

Now there's some reality for you! Hmmm, I wonder what they would call the show?

After 250 days, one of my listings finally closed today. At first glance, 250 days on the market seems like nothing to cheer about. However, to put it in perspective, the average market time for currently listed 4 bedroom homes in Hawthorn Woods priced between $450,000 and $550,000 (for the same time frame we were listed) is 283 days right now. The average closed market time is 271 days. Therefore, my sellers feel lucky. I feel lucky too!

When I first listed the house back in October, the market was entirely different than the market we are in today. The closed comparables supported a higher list price at that time. The broker open house and number of showings (over 55 showings in all) supported that price as well. My sellers did not want to do expensive updates prior to selling, but they painted, removed wallpaper, and the house showed beautifully every time. Feedback was almost always positive, but time after time, the buyer's agent would say that the buyers simply weren't ready to buy yet. They weren't buying a different house; they simply weren't buying at all. It was frustrating, to say the least, for all concerned.

Thanksgiving, then Christmas, came and went. My marketing efforts brought a steady stream of potential buyers. Every Monday morning I sent reports to my sellers showing them the current market statistics. Our market prices were declining, and a particularly harsh winter didn't help either. We were forced to reposition the home in the market several times. My sellers (bless them) continually told me that they trusted me and my expertise. I, in turn, promised I would do everything I could to retain as much of their equity as possible. They listened and followed my suggestions. Truthfully, this has been one of the most pleasant listing experiences I've ever had, because of the sellers I was working with.

When the offer (and later, the home inspection results) came in, my sellers did everything in their power to make it work for both parties. It was to be a quick closing, so the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of packing, finding temporary housing, searching for their next house, writing an offer, negotiating, attending the home inspection, etc., all the while trying to maintain some semblance of family and work life. But through it all, they kept their positive outlook and just worked through it. They moved out yesterday in 90 degree heat and oppressive humidity, then went back and spent 3 hours cleaning the house to make it perfect for the new buyers. Amazing.

At the closing a few hours ago, I got to meet the wonderful new owners of the home. I couldn't be happier for them, as they are getting a fantastic "forever" home with a huge park-like lot and lots of space for their family. With a few updates and within a few years, they will most certainly reap big rewards. I think they feel lucky, too.

A while back I wrote an article entitled, The 4, no 5 P's of Marketing Your Lake Zurich Area Home. My 5^th P was Perseverance. Well, that perseverance paid off today, on Friday the 13^th no less. It was an occasion where agents, sellers, buyers, attorneys and the lender all worked together to make it happen, and everyone is happy as a result. It's been a lucky day, indeed.

There are lots of foreclosure, pre-foreclosure and short sale properties on the market. Despite the abnormally low list prices, these properties sit, and sit, and sit on the market. Ever wonder why? I'm sure all the agents out there know the reasons already, but apparently the banks are completely clueless!

This past weekend I showed several of these properties. Here is some of what I noticed on this particular outing. Banks, please take note!

1. It's nearly impossible to make a showing appointment. I need to call Agent Missing-in-Action that you hired (for some unknown reason since the home is not being marketed) and leave a message. Then I must wait for a return phone call confirming my showing. Sometimes that call is returned, sometimes it's not. Sometimes I get the privilege of calling a remote showing service. Instead of asking my agent ID number first (too easy), they ask me to spell my last name 100 times. Then they ask my agent ID number <sigh>. I picture them sitting in a cubby in Timbuktu with headphones on like telemarketers filing their nails.

2. Banks may or may not pay the commission offered in the MLS as evidenced by these 5 little words: "commission subject to bank approval." And they wonder why any of us want to show their properties, let alone sell them. Trust me, you need us. Pay up.

3. Dirty, smelly, broken doors, missing appliances, un-mowed grass, and worse. Much, much, worse. Of course, the remarks say, "move-in ready!" Honestly, has anyone from the bank ever visited one of their properties? Apparently Agent Missing-in-Action hasn't either, at least not recently.

4. I show up for my scheduled appointment and even though I was told that the "owner-tenant" would be there to let me in, nobody is home. Yeah, I can imagine the soon-to-be-homeless "owner-tenant" is going to be super cooperative and help get the home sold lickety-split. What are you thinking? <eye roll>

5. Four or five families living in a 3 bedroom, 1 bath home. Enough said.

6. "Allow time for bank approval" which happens to be 4.5 weeks on average according to the Illinois Association of REALTORS. I could build a whole new house in 4.5 weeks with my own two hands and a little pink hammer. It's not War and Peace, it's an offer. It should take about 4.5 minutes to accept or reject. Just do it.

Your foreclosures are clogging up the market with unsold inventory. You, the bank, are losing money by the minute. You've already made bad lending decisions, now you are compounding the problem by making them difficult to sell. The first thing you should do is hire a professional REALTOR who will market it properly and (shocking, I know) guarantee to pay the full commission. Make sure the home is at least clean. Make it easy to show, easy to sell, easy to get a response.

Oops, you just lost another dollar...better act quick...there goes another one...