New building exploded during the housing boom. So did lazy construction practices. In early 2009 homeowners in Florida, Virginia and Louisiana began noticing odd things. Bathroom mirrors and pipes turned black. Computers and televisions stopped functioning, their circuit boards inexplicably fried. A foul smell plagued some houses. They reported health concerns too, from respiratory problems and bloody noses to insomnia. In Depth: How To Detect Dream-Home Dupes Research revealed that their homes ... Full Article...

  Re-blogged by 0 agents Chicago IL, How to tell when the recession is over, Realtor Mary Jo Daly (edit/delete) There are two kinds of recessions: the one that economists measure, and the one that ordinary people feel. The official recession is over. That's because the economy is growing again after a sharp decline, with GDP back to the levels of mid-2008. For people who have kept their jobs, suffered no loss of income and enjoyed a rebound in their investments thanks to the year-long stock m ... Full Article...

Purchasing a homeis one of the biggest decisions that a person makes. Because of the serious financial commitment involved, most buyers are interested in securing the best deal possible when purchasing a home. As the economy continues to wreak havoc on our jobs and plans for retirement, many people are wondering when will be the best time to purchase a house. Much like timing a move in the stock market, potential home buyers are waiting for the time when they can maximize their investment. Lowe ... Full Article...

Where Homes Prices Are Rising  The drama is nearly over. After a decade of extremes—the ebullient highs of the real estate boom, then the devastating lows of the bust—calmer forces are beginning to prevail in the housing market. The big fall-off in home values, which has taken the median price of a house down almost 30% since 2006, looks to be in its final stages in most places: Three-quarters of the nation’s 384 metropolitan areas will see prices down less than 5% a year fr ... Full Article...

March is usually the month when people in the real estate business start getting hopeful. Spring usually brings out both buyers and sellers and, along with them, higher values for most homes. In Depth: The 5 Most Troubled Real Estate Markets But for some of the biggest housing markets in the country, those hopes look to be in vain this year. The problem is the glut of homes that have been repossessed by banks or that seem headed in that direction. The glut is far bigger than it was a year ago. ... Full Article...

Prospecting expired listings can be the core of anyone's business in the real estate field. You can create a system that will give you repeatable results for your effort. Let's look at these three very positive characteristics in prospecting expired listings.     They are easy to find: Expired listings come up everyday, so you will always have a handful that you can work with on a daily basis. They provide a steady stream of new leads to contact for listing appointments. There are also usually ... Full Article...

 As spring approaches, many homeowners grow eager to start remodeling projects to update and refresh their surroundings. Before getting started, it’s a good idea to hire a professional remodeler for a workable plan and better results, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).“A professional remodeler knows how to translate a homeowner’s dreams and budget into a beautiful reality,” said Donna Shirey, CGR, CAPS, CGP, president of Shirey Contracting in ... Full Article...

Part 2 If short sales are about to have their moment, it has been a long time coming. At the beginning of the foreclosure crisis, lenders shunned short sales. They were not equipped to deal with the labor-intensive process and were suspicious of it. The lenders' thinking, said the economist Thomas Lawler, went like this: "I lend someone $200,000 to buy a house. Then he says, 'Look, I have someone willing to pay $150,000 for it; otherwise I think I'm going to default.' Do I really believe the ... Full Article...

Part 1 In an effort to end the foreclosure crisis, the Obama administration has been trying to keep defaulting owners in their homes. Now it will take a new approach: paying some of them to leave.  This latest program, which will allow owners to sell for less than they owe and will give them a little cash to speed them on their way, is one of the administration's most aggressive attempts to grapple with a problem that has defied solutions. More than five million households are behind on their ... Full Article...

When looking for a new home in the great world of real estate some of the best credits and money available are on the wonderful City of Chicago's Bungalows   Bungalow TaxSmart NOTE: The TaxSmart program is currently on hiatus and will resume in the 2nd quarter of 2010. Please check back for updated program information and details. TaxSmart is a mortgage program that provides a federal income tax credit to qualified homebuyers. A tax credit is a direct reduction of taxes due. Under the pr ... Full Article...

Low foreclosures, rising home prices and affordability make these parts of the country good bets for home buyers. Families in the market for a house are shopping at the right time: Nationally, homes are near the most affordable they've been in 18 years. In the fourth quarter of 2009 housing was 62.4% more affordable than the same time a year earlier, according to the Housing Opportunity Index, published quarterly by the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo. In Depth: America's ... Full Article...

The short sale of real estate is not a questionable practice in today's softening real estate market, it may be a necessity. The short sale transaction is a legal and much more beneficial alternative to foreclosure or even bankruptcy. Lenders are motivated to accept short sale offers to for a number of good reasons. The short sale of your home can result in a win-win-win situation for all parties involved: Win #1: You win by getting out of a financial predicament a clean transaction and a ... Full Article...

  The median price of homes sold in Illinois last month eked out an increase for the first time in almost 2 1/2 years but the Chicago area did not share in the good news because foreclosures continue to pressure the market. Still, year-over-year home sales in the Chicago area in January rose for the seventh consecutive month, up 29.2 percent to 3,922 single-family homes and condominiums sold during the month, the Illinois Association of Realtors reported Friday. The median price for a home ... Full Article...

Illinois Home Sales Increase 14 Percent in January from a Year Ago Statewide Median Price Up 0.2 Percent to $145,300 SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Buyer market conditions remain in most Illinois housing markets as January marked the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year home sales increases while the statewide median price logged its first uptick since September 2007. According to the Illinois Association of REALTORS® latest report, statewide total home sales (which include single-family and c ... Full Article...

Arlington Park Race Track will be having a free Home Show this weekend for more information check out this web site: http://www.freehomeshow.com/visitors.html    

First, research online which appliances are available for rebates in Illinois. The first phase of the program offers rebates for any ENERGY STAR qualified appliance such as water heaters, gas boilers, heat pumps, etc. This phase started on January of 2010. Step 2 Next, research details about the second phase of the Cash For Appliances program. In Illinois, the second phase will begin on April 22, 2010 and include rebates on appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, air con ... Full Article...

Doing your homework on where to buy? Don't know the city very well ? If you have the time you can have some fun and watch these videos from around the city, showing off what each Chicago Il neighborhood has to offer. All in one web site. They show you location and some of the great amenites with in there community.  http://www.maryjodaly.com/page_content-0.html If you have any question or would like more information please don't hesitate to contact me: Mary Jo Daly Sudler Sothebys Internation ... Full Article...

Here’s the scoop! We had wonderful weather and some great quality family time this past weekend! This past week I have had two new listing contracts sign up. The one is a condo in the Albany Park Il area and the other is in Irving Park IL which is two vacant lots ready for development. I am still working on a huge listing in the Near North Old Town area. We finalized two purchasing contract deals for separate clients which should be closing by the end of the month. So I would like to say ... Full Article...