Margaret Goss, Realtor Winnetka & North Shore Real Estate

This Saturday, December 6 - I will be hosting an open house and holiday sale at my listing at:

874 Sheridan Road, Winnetka

This beautiful home has 4 bedrooms and 4 full baths and is located across the street from Tower Road Beach. Great new kitchen, updated baths, full basement and large bedrooms provide room for everyone!

Visit me from 11-2 on Saturday. I will have a variety of unique items for sale plus a raffle for a $25 gift certificate.

Come see this great house, sip a little hot cider, sample some cookies and treats and get a head start on your holiday shopping!

See you there!

Some Kenilworth residents had hoped to register the entire town as a National Register of Historic Places district. That referendum, as well as two in Winnetka, were defeated in the November elections (see my previous posts: Kenilworth & Winnetka Consider Preservation and Kenilworth Rejects Preservation Referendum

In Kenilworth, residents rejected the proposal by a landslide of 950 to 553 and achieved this dramatic result with a grassroots appeal to residents worried about property rights, sliding home sale prices and the tax implications of historic homes.

You could hardly get through the grocery aisles without encountering someone passionate about the subject. For the preservations, Kenilworth is unique in its large stock of Prairie and Arts and Crafts homes designed by well-known turn-of-the-century architects such as George Maher and Daniel Burnham. The village was a planned community and built on a grid with gracious homes and large lots designed to resemble a bucolic English country village. These homes are worth saving, no?

Not necessary so! said the cons who came out and voted the measure down. Although almost everybody agrees that these lovely old homes deserve to be restored, not everybody can or wants to do that. The biggest fear: property rights and property values. Kenilworth already has a restrictive 12-month waiting period for all tear-down requests and I can attest that that has hurt some homesellers with older homes that are not notable. For a listing I had on Leicester Road, one potential buyer/builder declined after hearing that the waiting period had been increased from 9 months to 12.

This devisive issue has torn the village apart and pitted neighbors against neighbors. Although this proposal was meant as a compromise ". . .which would call attention to local history without imposing restrictions. . .opponents saw it as a stepping stone to future control on private property." (Pioneer Press, Winnetka Talk -11/27)

And therein lies the dilemma: how to protect both the houses and the pocketbooks of the wary homeowners.

A lease option basically means that you are renting a property with the option to buy it at a later date. Back in the late 70s and early 80s the lease-option was a fairly popular financing instrument. When the housing market is slow, it's something that can benefit and buyer and seller. Now that we are in a downturn, this option might become popular again.

Lease-options are state-specific so always check with your real estate attorney first. There are actually several different types of options: 1) Lease Option or 2) Lease Purchase. These instruments vary in the specifics and many points are completely negotiable, but the basics are as follows:

• The buyer pays the seller an agreed upon amount (option) to purchase the property at a later date.
• In a lease option, the buyer is not obligated to buy the property but is with the lease purchase.
• A purchase price is agreed upon, either when the lease is signed or when the lease is up.
• During the term of the option, the buyer pays a predetermined rental amount that is higher than normal (the idea is that the excess amount would go toward the price.)
• The amount of money that goes toward the purchase price is negotiable (see above point.)
• Option money is rarely (usually never) refundable.
• Taxes and repairs must also be considered

How do these options benefit you as a buyer or seller? For buyers, it allows time to get financing while paying rent and knowing that some amount will go toward the purchase price. For sellers, the benefits are many: works well in a slow market; gives the seller a monthly income that would generally be larger than a normal lease; will get some up-front money and are protected if the buyer doesn't purchase because the money is not refundable.

When considering these options remember that:

No two deals are alike

Everything is negotiable

While scrolling around the net I came across the most interesting article about houses made of dirt. Take a look and see that I'm not talking about your average mud hut!

This type of construction is know as "cob" and has been around since the 11th century. It has recently seen a surge in popularity and considering costs for lumber and other construction materials, I can see why.

To read more about these interesting homes, please visit: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/buildings-dirt-and-straw/3739 and read the article by Kelly Taylor.

Older homes, which are abundant in the North Shore, constantly need upkeep and ongoing maintenance. If your home is older than 10 years, you may need to invest in some weatherproofing maintenance.

Finally going "green" is a popular thing - not just something to be joked about. And it's also popular right now to be more frugal, which is itself a form of environmentalism. So with those two things in mind, I offer some suggestions for warming up the house and saving some money:

1. Maintain your HVAC System - To keep it running at peak efficiency, it should be serviced at least once a year by a qualified technician. And open your curtains on south facing windows of your home to let the sun warm naturally.
2. Install a programmable thermostat - How often have you heard this? As a realtor, I go into many homes with the old fashioned round dial thermostat - set at whatever temp for the entire day. Programming allows for instant personalization set to your needs and schedule.
3. Check all around your windows for crumbling or graying caulk. You can easily buy exterior caulk and line them yourself and hire a pro. Also check around your dryer and other exterior vents.
4. Unplug all unused appliances such as toasters, televisions, hot rollers, fax machines, printers, etc. They all drain power when turned off but plugged in. They really do.
5. Clean your dishwasher drains and filters regularly. I found this out the hard way - yuck! It won't drain properly with all that gunk in there.
6. Wash your clothes in cold water. I've just started doing it and can't tell a difference!
7. Fix leaky faucests - wasted water costs money
8. Dispose of that old refrigerator in the basement. Unless you have teenagers or entertain
9. frequently, its inefficiency will just cost you.
10. Close doors and shut off registers to unused rooms. Lay a towel or special rope at the bottom of the door. Why pay to heat or cool empty or unused rooms. The redirected air will then travel to rooms that are more used.
11. Turn off the lightbulbs! Leaving lights on in rooms or areas where you intend to return, but never do, is an energy waster. Get in the habit of turning it off if you're not going to be in there. And while you're at it, replace with new energy-efficient ones. You can get them free at the Winnetka Village Hall for free while supplies last.

None of the above listed tips are revolutionary. In fact, you've probably read them somewhere else before. But times are changing and these are just baby steps to help us get jump started and living more GREEN.

For more great information on energy and savings, visit: www.TheDollarStretcher.com .