Ken Tracy Realtor Naperville Illinois Real Estate

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.

Almost half way through my plan...

It was cool and windy today. Typical for late October.

I was delvering more newsletters today.

My target was River Bend, one of the best little subdivisions in the suburbs, located in Lisle Illinois. Just off Route 53 and 59th Street, these homes are an easy 5 mile drive from downtown Naperville. The townhomes, very attractive with brick fronts, sell in the mid to high 200's.

I have good memories of River Bend. I proposed to my wife Nicole here. We lived in our home (pictured below) for 5 years before we had Erin. It's a great neighborhood...

I had 140 copies of the Ken's View in my bag. Daughter Erin was with me...

She is my little Realtor in training. We are currently in negotiations for her purchase of Team Tracy in 2030. :)

Sometimes she didn't work so hard...

As we walked, we ran into a few old neighbors. It was nice touching base.

The real estate market is clearly on everyones mind. A very different feel than two years ago...

People scared. People speaking of waiting 3 to 5 years before moving.

But feelings will change.

This too shall pass.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

I took the day off yesterday. Very nice.

I never truly get the day off. I always have some work to do. But this was close.

Kevin Schoeck, Rich Bianco (two lifelong friends) and I decided to enjoy a day of golf as the 2008 season winds down.

We decided to play at Bolingbrook Golf Club, one of my favorite courses in the western suburbs. The club is located only minutes from my home in south Naperville.

The temperatures were in the low 50's and very windy. Cold.

The golf course is beautiful. Links style with very tricky greens.

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

A few pictures from the day.

-Entrance to the club. Gorgeous clubhouse. Huge. Notice the flags. Brrr.

-Kevin and Ken stay warm before the round in the clubhouse bar.

-Ken's phone had the day off too!

-The practice green is dwarfed by the clubhouse.

-Kevin, Rich and Ken at the first tee. We started on the blue tees (6800 yards) but due to the weather, moved up to the white tees (6450 yards) on the second hole.

-Ken posing in front of the par 3 15th hole, the island green. We all actually shot pars!

-The par four 18th hole. The end to a great day on the course with friends.

I was out again this morning. My partner (my daughter Erin) decided not to join me. She left me for another man (she decided to stay home and play with her cousin Ethan).

I had 100 more newsletters to deliver. This time my target was the subdivision of High Meadow, located in south Naperville.

This is one of my favorite neighborhoods here in Naperville. Great schools (they all are in Naperville). Nice homes. The grammar school located conveniently in the middle of the subdivision.

The homes are priced on the higher end of my target market. Most sales in High Meadow are from the low 400's to the low 500's.

Some people do some rather extravegant things to their homes. Tennis courts, basketball courts, fancy swimming pool/recreation areas...

One of the nice things about delivering my newsletter at this time of the year are all the fancy decorations set up for Halloween. At one home, as I was hanging my newsletter, I nearly jumped out of my skin when a creepy voice started talking to me...

I felt rather foolish when I realized the voice was coming from a rather scary looking witch designed to frighten trick or treaters.

The one real danger came on my second to last home. I was relieved to be almost finished, so I probably had my guard down. As I walked up the walkway, I rounded a bush and found myself face to face with a snarling dog. Not huge. Maybe 50-60 pounds. What it lacked in stature, it made up in ferocity.

Fight or flight! My primal instincts kicked in. With adrenaline pumping, I retreated with the beast chomping at my heals.

"I didn't want to sell your home anyway," I yelled at the dog. I am sure that got him.:)

Needless to say, that home did not get my newsletter.

Poor folks. They didn't get the chance to meet one heck of a good agent.:)

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.

I had a partner this morning. My daughter Erin and I set out a little after 10:00 AM with 100 newsletters to deliver.

Our target this morning was the Crestview Knolls subdivision in south Naperville.

It was another gorgeous day. Probably high 50's. Sunny. A gentle breeze.

Crestview Knolls is a subdivision of middle priced homes (for Naperville). In today's market, a typical home will sell in the low to mid 400's.

I selected this neighborhood because my family walks through it several times a week. There is a park where my daughter likes to play on the swings. It is probably not a great neighborhood for my newsletters, being that the real estate activity is minimal. People that buy in this subdivision tend to stay for many years.

There is currently only one home for sale. Real nice. Backing up to a tree farm. Priced at $434,900.

My daughter was a trooper. She rode in the stroller and only complained a little. I had to promise her we would play on the swings when our deliveries were finished.:)

It was a lovely day to be out. I enjoyed having a partner. Especially one so cute!

Ken

A Realtor you can trust.