Rich Quigley ABR, CRS, GRI

I’m writing this post on Labor Day, and thinking back on my various past jobs. I started in real estate in 2001, beginning in the South Loop area of Chicago. I worked with a lot of buyers and some sellers. My market was condos, lofts and townhouses. I did a few multifamily homes, (two and three flats) and a very small number of single family homes. When I moved to Huntley in 2006 my market changed and the primary “product” became single family homes.

However, as with many people in real estate, I had another earlier career. For twenty seven years I worked for what was “the phone company”, in its various incarnations. In looking back over those years my favorite job was major projects implementation. I think the skills learned in one career help in the next.

As an independent real estate broker, I find that I prefer to work with with buyers and I’m moving my focus to exclusive buyer agency. I find that, in helping the buyer with the purchase, I use many of the same skills and approaches that I used in implementing telephone systems. Whether phone systems, condos or houses, having a system makes things go more smoothly. This is a simplified outline of both processes.

1. Determine the need.
   In implementing a telephone system, the goal is to design the best system possible for both internal and external communication needs. For a real estate purchase, the need is to find the best home for the buyer(s) at a fair price. In both cases, the process must be as smooth as possible, minimizing disruption.
2. Define the parameters.
   In this step, two way communication is the most critical. In implementation, it was to meet with a representative of the company buying the system and get a clear understanding of how the system would be used. For a real estate buyer, it is important for the agent and the buyer to communicate the needs. Size of the house, location, features. Equally important, it is necessary to know of any restrictions, such as price, distance to work, schools, shopping and other objective and subjective factors that may narrow the home search.
3. Organizing and coordinating.
   In implementation, I prepared forms and order sheets which clearly defined the the exact parameters of the system and the specific features of each phone based upon the individual needs. Now, with a buyer, I still use a systematic approach. When I’m showing homes, I create a spreadsheet of all the houses we will see that day and what we have seen before. I give a copy to my buyer client and I use one myself. During and after the showings, my clients and I review each home and determine what they liked and didn’t like and why. This approach helps me to eliminate houses that would not fit my client’s requirements.
4. Coordinate a team of experts.
   In the phone company, I worked closely with a team of sales people, engineers and foremen and installers to properly coordinate the installation. In the real estate purchase process, the team consists of the buyers, mortgage broker, inspector and the attorney. The key here is to let the experts do their job, while I do mine and not to cross into their area of expertise. Communication within the team is essential.
5. Getting to the final product.
   In telephone system implementation, the final step was called “cutover”. My job entailed lots of nights and weekends. The cutover, or switch from the old system to the new typically took place on a Friday night and often extended into Saturday and sometimes Sunday. This was to ensure minimal business disruption for the customer. The final product the real estate purchase is, of course, the closing. Although I’ve been to some closings that seemed to take an entire day, they usually go smoothly if the team has all done its job well. This is the best part of both projects because we get to see all our efforts come together for a satisfying conclusion.
6. Follow up.
   Although not a part of the process, the follow up lets you know how well things have worked out. In my implementation job, I was usually at my customer’s business at the beginning of the day on Monday. Yes, even after spending most of the weekend there. This was the final piece of the puzzle where we saw how things worked in a real life situation. With the home purchase, follow up lets me know how the house worked out for my clients. In both situations, the better the process is from beginning to end, the better it works out for everyone.
   

Richard J. Quigley

Independent Real Estate Broker

Huntley, IL
www.richquigley.com

Chicago has one of the most beautiful waterfronts that I have seen. Here are some photos to illustrate.

The Shedd Aquarium, night view.

This is Downtown Chicago as viewed from the museum campus

I didn't really realize how magical this picture was when I took it. I call it "Celestial Chicago".

It was taken from Montrose Harbor and the sun hit the skyline and the plane just right.

The water birds add to the sense of magic for me.

(Just a lucky picture, I have a pretty cheap camera, and I'm not a professional)

After having nearly two feet of snow dumped on the Chicago area, it is hard to remember that the first snow of the season is a beautiful and somewhat magical sight. We got our first appreciable snowfall in December and I took some photographs in Huntley and Palos Hills.

This is the pond at The Timbers in Palos after a snowfall.

The same pond in warmer weather.

First snowfalls at Sun City, Huntley:

While there are many great things about Illinois, the weather is not one of them. We get long, cold winters, frequently with lots of snow as well as hot, humid Summers. I’ve read that global climate change is a contributing factor to the snowier winters in North America. The biggest snowfall in my lifetime, however, came in 1967. This year was the third largest accumulation since snowfall has been recorded, with the second largest snowfall in 1999. The last five years have been very snowy.

Even with the snow and cold weather, Chicagoans are a hardy group of people used to dealing with the elements. There are lots of stories of people being stranded this time, along with stories of the total strangers who helped them. The Midwest has a well deserved reputation for being friendly.

With the winter there are opportunities for activities such as sledding, tobogganing, and snowmobiling. Palos Hills, where some of these pictures were taken has a large toboggan slide, as well as forest preserves for cross country skiing. Cross country and snowmobiling are popular in the Huntley area as well.

The Chicago area is a vital area and a place to enjoy a variety of year around activities.

I live in Sun City, Huntley, in Kane County, Illinois. Huntley is unusual in that it resides in two counties, Kane and McHenry County. Like most people, I look at the scenery when I'm traveling, but often don't focus on the natural beauty of the area in which I live. Recently I went through some photos on my computer and found a lot of really nice shots, so I thought I would share some.

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Winter scene of the Kishwaukee River, Northern Illinois

Winter Sunset at the Sun City Fountain

A couple of warmer scenes

It is not always cold in the Chicago area

Marengo Ridge Forest Preserve

Tree Frog on the Burning Bush in front of my house.

I'm glad I could share and hope that some of you enjoy the pictures.

I am an independent real estate broker and a resident of Sun City Huntley in Huntley, Illinois. Sun City is a Del Webb development, now being marketed by Pulte as a community for adults age 55 and older. The development is nearing completion and there are a number of resales in Sun City.

The following information is a snapshot of activity as of August, 2010.

Sun City Huntley,
Recent Real Estate Activity

Active Listings-Detached Homes
(as of August 19, 2010)

Active (on Market): 126
Average List Price: $284,027
Minimum List Price: $155,000
Maximum List Price: $699,000
Average Market Time:
201 days

Active Listings-Attached Homes
(as of August 19, 2010)

Active (on Market): 44
Average List Price: $146,099
Minimum List Price: $102,000
Maximum List Price: $191,000
Average Market Time:
232 Days

Closed Sales, Detached
(January through August):

84 Homes,
Average Sales Price: $226,576
Average Market Time: 176 days

Closed Sales, Attached

(January through August):
23 Homes
Average Sales Price: $139,063
Average Market Time: 257 days

(Information gathered from Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC on August 19, 2010, includes only listings from Multiple Listing Service.)