Lori Gilmore - Will County Illinois Realtor

I am a bargain shopper at heart, so I know where to find the discounted merchandise. Floor models and slightly scratched inventory can offer huge savings. I buy appliances for my rental properties at a local store that carries discontinued models and stuff that might be slightly dented. If the fridge works fine, who cares if there is a ding in the side.

But as a real estate professional, I am noticing a disturbing trend among agents who are billing themselves as "short sale experts". There are a few who are becoming very adept at listing short sale homes. However, a quick perusal of their closed stats and bingo. . . there aren't many. Lots and lots of expired and canceled listings instead.

Inevitably there is a commonality about the way the homes are being presented in the MLS and online. Usually, there is one crooked and slightly blurry exterior picture. . . or worse yet, one that must have been taken in the dead of night, from a moving vehicle!

The horrific photo is usually accompanied by verbiage in the comments that is something like this. . ."Short sale, third party approval required" and that's it. These are the public comments, mind you, those that are fed via IDX from the MLS system.

I often wonder if the homeowners know how their home is being presented. As a Joliet and Shorewood short sale listing agent, I approach the marketing of a short sale property the same way I would any other home I have been hired to represent.

I take the time to take multiple high quality photos, I write a detailed description of the home, I create a single property website, I syndicate the listing across the web, I use a text messaging mobile flier system. . . You get the idea. My short sale listings get the same excellent marketing that any other home would get.

What about you, do your short sale listings shine. . . or do they scream distressed? Why relegate them to the scratch and dent aisle, don't they deserve your best marketing efforts?

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If you are a Joliet, Shorewood, Plainfield or New Lenox IL homeowner who is struggling to make your mortgage payment, or facing foreclosure, a short sale may be right for you. Don't wait, call 815-207-9703, I promise to create an excellent marketing plan for your home. I don't just list short sales, I sell them.

Who doesn't like to be on the inside track, right??? For the serious investor, knowledge is key. Knowing about properties before the regular guy gives you an inside track to the best deals.

So, I have an offer. . . I will soon be listing an investor grade property.

Does it need work? You bet!

Is it going to be priced to move? You bet!

Is there a margin for big profit? You bet!

If you want to be alerted immediately and have access to the home before I put it in the MLS and it is broadcast to other agents and the general public, click below and sign up!

I'll notify you the minute the home is ready for viewing!

Welcome to the inside track!

We've waited since February, we've driven buy, we've watched, we've wondered when it will be finished, but finally the wait is ending. Tomorrow at two o'clock my wonderful first time buyers will close on their newly rehabbed Romeoville home. And by purchasing through the Will County Neighborhood Stabilization Program, they will be getting $39,900 in down payment assistance at the closing table!

This nice chunk of change is from an allocation of $1.56 Million that Will County received as a part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. With these monies, the county purchases, rehabilitates and resells homes to buyers who qualify to participate in the program.

The goal is to help clear the glut of Will County bank owned homes in targeted areas and to increase the affordability of homes for Will County home buyers whose adjusted gross household income falls below 120% of the average median income for the area. The buyer need not be a "first-timer" to qualify, however, additional funds are available to first time buyers who fall below 80% of the average median income.

The homes are resold for the cost of acquisition plus the actual cost of rehabbing the home, there is no profit for the county and the funds are recycled back into the program to purchase additional homes.

My buyers who are closing tomorrow selected a home that the county had purchased and had started to rehab, however, I am working with another NSP buyer who is not interested in anything the county already owns. As a part of the program, we can go shopping for a Will County bank owned home that suits her needs. Will County will then buy the home, rehab it and resell it to her.

As I drive to the closing tomorrow, I know that my buyers are thrilled to be closing on their first home, they feel fortunate to be getting down payment assistance and the neighborhood will be enhanced by two terrific new homeowners who will lovingly care for a home that was once sitting vacant and neglected. I'd say it is a win for all involved!

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If you are a Will County homebuyer and would like more information about the Will County Neighborhood Stabilization Program, give me a call at 815-207-9703 or shoot me an email at lorigilmore(at)comcast.net and I will send you the particulars of the program and well as the map of eligible areas.

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Lori Gilmore is a full time agent with Realty Executives Success and provides professional real estate services in Joliet, Plainfield, Crest Hill, Shorewood, Lockport, New Lenox and througout Will County, Illinios.

If you are looking for something to do in Joliet, IL this weekend, there are some great events to choose from.

The Taste of Joliet is happening and is going to be bigger and better than ever. It's happening Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Memorial Stadium. Come hungry. . .there are going to be 32 food vendors there ready to satisfy the pickiest eaters.

Big name entertainment includes Pat Benetar performing at 9:00pm on Sunday and Jo Dee Messina hitting the stage at 7:30pm on Saturday. Sprinkled throughout the three days will be some great local bands and performers.

Hours: Friday, June 27 5pm to Midnight

Saturday, June 28 12pm to Midnight

Sunday, June 30 1pm to 10:30pm

Admission: $3.00 Friday

$3.00 12pm to 3pm Saturday

$10.00 3pm to 11pm Saturday

$3.00 1pm to 3pm Sunday

$10.00 3pm to 9pm Sunday

If you happen to be there Sunday night, yours truly will be pouring beer at the Park Foundation Tent near the stage. . .stop by and say hello.

Saturday and Sunday in downtown Joliet the Joliet Fine Arts Festival will be open from 10am to 5pm each day. The admission is free and will feature highly talented artists from around the country. Last year's festival was amazing! Booths will line Chicago Street from Jefferson to Clinton and food and wine vendors will be on hand to provide a bit of sustinence to patrons.

In conjunction with the Festival, the Friends of Community Public Art will host and open house and sale from 10am and 4pm Saturday at the gallery located at 310 N. Ottawa street. Over 15 artist will be working in the studio painting, sculpting and creating mosaics. Those who visit will have the opportunity to learn abou the ore than 150 outdoor Joliet artworks than have been created by Friends of Community Public Art in partnership with the City of Joliet.

Set aside some time this weekend to get out and enjoy all the city of Joliet has to offer!

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Contact Lori Gilmore, Realtor®, Radcliffe Realty at 815-207-9703 to list your property for sale or to buy a home, condo or investment property in Joliet, Plainfield, Crest Hill, Shorewood, Lockport, New Lenox or elsewhere in Will County, Illinios.

Please visit my profile or visit JolietHomesOnline.com to find out more about the services I offer. . . or give me a jingle. . . I'd love to chat about your real estate needs.

Copyright(c) 2008 by Lori Gilmore. All Rights Reserved.

One of the things I love about living in Joliet, IL is that for a mere $11.30 ($5 on the weekends) I can jump on the Metra and enjoy the delights of Chicago and come right back home again. There are benefits to living so close to the third largest city in the nation!

A particularly delightful excursion includes a trip to Briar Street Theater to see the Blue Man Group. Tonight, I'm not taking the Metra, instead I will pile on a bus and accompany an excited group of high school students to a show that never fails to entertain, provoke and provide laughs galore.

As a former high school teacher, I love this annual adventure. The students who have been to the show try to explain the performance to the others, with mixed results. If you have never experienced the Blue Man Group live, it is a hard show to describe.

So for an evening, I will not think about real estate, but instead be transported to another world. . .one where a plastic poncho just might be necessary! (If you have been in the front row during a performance, you will understand this reality!)

However, tomorrow, if you are searching for a dream home that is merely a train ride away from the fabulous city of Chicago, consider the Joliet area. . . it is convenient, affordable and offers some terrific real estate choices!

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Contact Lori Gilmore, Realtor®, Radcliffe Realty at 815-207-9703 to list your property for sale or to buy a home, condo or investment property in Joliet, Plainfield, Crest Hill, Shorewood, Lockport, New Lenox or elsewhere in Will County, Illinios.

Please visit my profile or visit JolietHomesOnline.com to find out more about the services I offer. . . or give me a jingle. . . I'd love to chat about your real estate needs.

Copyright(c) 2008 by Lori Gilmore. All Rights Reserved.