90% of Buyers

The most recent report from the National Association of REALTORS profile of home buyers said that 90% of ALL buyers used the internet to search for homes and to find a real estate agent to work with.

The buyers wanted to see lots of pictures of potential homes...make that lots of good, clear pictures of properties (and exclude the bathrooms, please).

They also wanted an agent to help them find a home! Interesting, huh? They're expecting an agent to know the area, the good and the bad. And, they're expecting their agent to tell them the truth.

In fact, the top skills that buyers wanted in their agent: honest and integrity.

Most buyers obtained a fixed-rate mortgage using either conventional loans or FHA loans which have become much more prevalent in the past year.

So, if you'd like to look over the area, just sign-in at: MoveUPtoNaperville.com

C 2009 Move Up to Naperville Blog, Eileen Landau
Realty Executives Pro/Team
Downers Grove Illinois
Serving Downers Grove, Lisle and Naperville
630-297-7550

Chicago Area School Rankings

For the past several years the Chicago Tribune has reported on the local school systems. And, it makes for interesting reading.

The paper today (10-30-09) had a list of the top 50 schools and where they ranked. It's nice to know that Naperville District 203 and 204 appeared in the top 6 times. Quite an achievement.

Even more interesting is Kennedy Junior High, located in Lisle, but part of District 203. The school scored a 97.3 on all 2009 tests, putting it way up on the list. The school has achieved this by doing a lot of things. (My daughter went there and has now taught there too.)

To check out the schools go to ChicagoTribune.com and search for 2009 Illinois School Report Card Database.

It's worth the extra expense to purchase a home in a good, solid school district. Your kids will thank you when they're old enough to appreciate their education!


C 2009 Move Up to Naperville Blog, Eileen Landau
Realty Executives Pro/Team
Downers Grove Illinois
Serving Downers Grove, Lisle and Naperville
630-297-7550

How Do You Learn?

I consider that most of my real estate business involves educating my clients. And, remember as a former teacher, that's something I know and understand.

So, let's look at the three major mechanics of learning:

Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic

Generally people fall into one category. And, the majority of people are visuals. They have to SEE it. It has to be "crystal clear", "focused", "clear cut" and "looks like." These are all terms that visuals use.

People who learn by hearing are auditory. Obviously, a sightless person depends upon audio. And, some of us are "all ears", "tuned in", "describe in detail" and "rings a bell". These terms are what auditory people use.

The smallest group of people are the kinesthetics. They learn by doing, by getting "in there", "sensing", "perceiving", "touch base" and "come to grips with it." Touch is very important to them.

And, if you know what type you are, it will make it easier to both sell and buy real estate. Why?

Because you will recognize what "turns you on" and also know that not all buyers or sellers learn the same way you do.

Accountants and engineers need to see the numbers, in black and white. That's how they decide things.

Most of this approach comes under the aegis of NLP (Neural Linguist Programming). A fascinating area that has become more available than when it was first posited back in my college days. There are many books available that explain and show more in depth situations. And, always interesting.

C 2009 Move Up to Naperville Blog, Eileen Landau
Realty Executives Pro/Team
Downers Grove Illinois
Serving Downers Grove, Lisle and Naperville
630-297-7550

Don't Over Price Your Property

I'm cleaning out "stuff", meaning old articles from various sources. And, I just found an article titled "Don't Over Price a Seller's House" which appeared in one of our real estate journals from 1996!

Amazing! The “experts” were telling us then the importance of pricing properties correctly so that they could sell.

In fact, my earliest training at Rich Port REALTORS, emphasized that the single most important factor in getting a home sold was its list price.

Too high a list price (which is the most common error) meant that the property just sat, unsold for months and buyers would pass it up.

Then the seller had to start a process of reducing, and reducing the price, until the property sold. And, all the studies that I’ve seen over the years talk about the right price gets the property sold faster and for a higher price.

Information from 1996, 1976 or 2006 regarding price in selling a property doesn’t change, no matter what type of market we’re in.

So for 2009-2010 selling season, price your property correctly. And, that probably means a price that’s lower than you thought.

But do you want to sell? Or would you rather be an expired, unsold listing?


C2009 Move Up to Naperville Blog, Eileen Landau
Realty Executives Pro/Team
Downers Grove Illinois
Serving Downers Grove, Lisle and Naperville

Interesting Lunch

I had lunch with a client last week and she said something that I thought was very insightful.

She had purchased stocks in 1999 and lost most of her money between 2000 and 20001. And, she decided that she had no control over the "market." But, she could buy rental property and have control over that.

So, she saved her money and purchased a small condo, which she rented out. She tells me that she will have it paid off in five years! And, she also purchased a larger condo and has that rented out as well.

She feels that when she retires that both units will be paid in full, and the monthly rental income will give her some peace of mind and freedom.

Smart lady! You might also consider doing this as prices are down and interest rates are very, very low today.

C2009 Move Up to Naperville Blog, Eileen Landau
Realty Executives Pro/Team
Downers Grove Illinois
Serving Downers Grove, Lisle and Naperville