There have been several warnings concerning the use of 
compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs in garage door openers. Most garage door openers use electronic switching similar to a dimmer switch to operate the light bulbs and it is not compatible with CFLs, even CFLs that are supposed to be "ruggedized" or dimmable. This switching incompatibility coupled with the inherent vibration of a garage door opener can damage the electronic circuits and can cause the electric motor to overheat to a potentially dangerous level. Neither the Genie Company, a company which makes door openers (call them at 800-354-3643), nor the General Electric Company, a CFL manufacturer, recommend the use of CFLs in garage door openers.
Consensus from Robert Nogan, Inside Out Home Inspections 10/2009 Home Hints Newsletter
This summer the Cook County Board passed new assessment levels on the entire county. Residential went from 16% to 10%; Commercial from 38% to 25%; and Industrial from 36% to 25%. Every property in Cook county will receive an assessment notice this year regarding the new assessment levels. Schaumburg Township should expect to received the new assessment information by late 2009.
When you receive your new assessment, please review it and if you do not think it is fair or in error contact the Assessor to file an appeal.
Don't forget that we have not received our 2nd and final installment of the 2008 taxes as of this posting. This notice is for your future assessed value for 2009 payable in 2010.
All data and information provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. Lyn Sims makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from it’s display or use.
Schaumburg Township Assessment Information ©2009 Lyn Sims - www.RealEstateConsumerInfo.com - www.RealEstateBuyMe.com
The ugliest exterior paint color that you can put on a home exterior goes to Sherwin Williams Blueblood #6966. I've gone over it again and again and I'm absolutely sure of it. All the votes have been tallied, officiated and certified. In fact, I'm so sure that I've renamed Blueblood #6966 to 'Butt Ugly Blue' in my Sherwin Williams Visualizer for paint colors.
Yes, yes, it's true. Here's a sample of a house in Elgin with the offending 'Blueblood slash Butt Ugly Blue' glaring in the afternoon sun. Need your shades? You bet! Without even giving out the address I'm sure that people know where this house is at!
I bet that NASA knows where this house is located!
Google Earth the words 'Butt Ugly Blue' and this house comes into view!
Guard your retinas!
Did you ever have one of those days when you knew something bad was going to happen for your client and you had no control? 
Couldn't help them thru the situation? Your hands were tied because of the 'rules'?
My intuition was correct one day last week! $33,000 under appraisal recently on a townhome listing that I have. The appraiser said he was stuck because the only recent sales were those of short sales right in that subdivision. This is playing out that way all over my area and let me tell you I'm sick of it!
The people that lost their homes to foreclosure or short sales are setting a market price that is undervalued and the appraisal industry is complacent and are being pressured by the banking industry.
Now according to appraisal industry standards:
"Appraisers technically shouldn’t consider neighborhood foreclosures when valuing a home, since foreclosures don’t meet the Appraisal Institute’s definition of a property reasonably exposed in a competitive market."
Marketing 101 made simple: short sales and foreclosures are always priced at or less than the 30 day price.
Why must all appraisals suddenly come out low? Why are 2nd rate underwriters in Utah reviewing appraisals and asking appraisers to clarify issues on a home 1000 miles away? The banks are now pressuring the appraisers under the guise of the new HVCC regulations and no one is standing up to them.
How can the market get any better in my area if I can't sell anything and get it to close? So even sellers that are transferred and not in financial duress are held hostage and financially bloodied by foreclosures and short sales. There were other traditional sales in the area within the 1 mile radius but they were dismissed and not considered.
The seller has already threw in her pound of flesh with the deal because she paid $305,000 for this house and sold it for $280,000. This was all her equity gone just so that she could be competitive in the market place and take a transfer. She wasn't unreasonable! She priced the home to be competitive! In fact, she was the largest model with the lowest price and still she couldn't win.
Houses in our area do not drop $50,000 in price in less than a year!
I see a problem coming on the horizon and I don't have to be a clairvoyant to know that it's going to be bad. In fact, I've started to see little bits and pieces of the problem over the last 6 months or so. Some problems were created a long time ago, others created more recently. Did you know that what your Association decides with your FHA approval and required submission can impact the sale of your home?
Most sellers don't know this has a HUGE IMPACT.
With all the new lending guidelines and restrictions just laid out this year, more and more people will be using FHA financing. It is normally more lenient with credit dings and dents. No major crashes or penalties, but a few minor bumps in the road. Also, you only need a small down payment of 3.5%.
What if your condo management decided not to renew their FHA approval to save a few dollars?
What if your condo management just said 'Nawww, we don't need no stinkin' FHA! That's for losers isn't it?' Well, no it's not. You being a homeowner in that complex is going to make you the big looser. Here's how!
If 60% of people looking for homes are going FHA financing and your complex isn't approved that means that 60% of the buyers won't see your house! Got that?
So that leaves conventional financing and cash - good luck with that cash buyer, not many of those hanging around in the bushes these days! You've got a better chance of winning the lotto, getting a hole in one or getting struck by lightning than someone buying your home with cash!
So while I'm at it, let's talk about other association blunders that I've recently come across:
This is just another reason to get involved and stay involved with your association. Keeping and eye on your investment (your home) shouldn't be looked at as a problem or a hassle. Just like you lock your car and protect your valuables, attend a homeowners meeting to see what's going on with your budget and management.
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