365 Things to Do in Naperville – #159 Will County Area Halloween Activities

NAPERVILLE 365 – #159 Will County Area Halloween Activities

Other local sites to get your fright on in Will County include the following.

KORNOW’S CORN MAZE

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK! September 24 – October 30 • 10am – 7pm

Address:  16849 S Cedar Rd Homer Glen, IL 60441

The Corn Maze: Konow’s offer two mazes – one for the serious maze player who enjoys finding their way through approx. 3.5 miles of twists and turns and a smaller maze for those who want the excitement of walking through the tall corn or those with small children and only wish to walk a short distance (approx. 0.9 mile). Please wear the proper shoes and c

lothing.

Other activities include a Corn Pit, Hayrides, Straw Playground and more. Visit their site for more details.

BENGSTON’S PUMPKIN FEST

Open October 1st thru 30th, 2011, EVERYDAY from 10am-8pm.

Address: 13341 W. 151st in Homer Glen, IL.

You’ll experience hours of enjoyment including a relaxing Tractor pulled Hayrack ride, pumpkins…of course, a completely animated Haunted Barn, a giggling animated Fun Barn, the “famous” action-packed Pig Races(running 10x a day on the 1/2 hour), an adorable Petting & Feeding Zoo,The 3 Acre Crazy Corn Maizey & Pony Rides.The All NEW 90′ Mega Fun Slide included with admission. NEW Playground for the kids; for kicks and giggles!

If you know of any more, please feel free to add them in comments or shoot me an email and I will update. Be safe, have fun, and beware of Zombies!

Naperville Foreclosure Report – August 2011

Is Foreclosure Activity in Naperville About to Accelerate?

If you have been listening to the housing news the last few days, there has been a number of reports on increasing activity in the foreclosure market. According to RealtyTrac, “nationally, 228,098 homes received a foreclosure notice in August, up 7 percent from July but down 33 percent from August 2010.” In the Chicago metropolitan area 11,226 homes received a foreclosure filing during the month of August. That’s a 19.5 percent increase from July. But it’s also a 28.2 percent drop from August 2010.” If you remember last summer, banks across the country where being taken to task for “robo-signing” of mortgage documents and other questionable practices in the handling of loans. Judicial involvement in many states also put a damper on foreclosure activity. As a result we saw a sharp decrease in the number of foreclosed homes on the market. Now that processes have been reviewed and revamped, lenders seem to be renewing their efforts.

First Business Network interviewed Mabel Guzman, past President Chicago Association of Realtors, and Eric Westberg, Mortgage Banker, on their views of this trend.

August numbers for foreclosed homes in Naperville looked like this:

Foreclosed single family homes in Naperville are down from a year ago, as are prices for those under contract and available for sale. Months Supply of Inventory is down again to under 4 months after an upturn the last 2 months. Our experience lately has shown that the banks are negotiating harder and tighter in holding out for a higher List/Sale ratio. Couple that with currently lower inventory and you have essentially a sellers market. Should inventory increase we would expect to see a little for flexibility in their prices.

House Prices Through 2015

Everyone seems to have an opinion on where home prices are headed. Housing bulls are saying prices may start rebounding as early as later this year. Some housing bears are saying that prices may still drop another 10-15%. What actually is going to happen? No one knows for sure.

However, Macro Markets, a financial technology company, actually surveyed 108 economists, real estate experts, and investment and market strategists for their June 2011 Home Price Expectations Survey. They then averaged all 108 opinions. Here is what the report says about house prices over the next five years:

• 2011: prices will depreciate 3.52%
• 2012: prices will appreciate .46%
• 2013: prices will appreciate 2.18%
• 2014: prices will appreciate 2.92%
• 2015: prices will appreciate 3.47%

Accumulative appreciation (including this year’s projected depreciation) will stand at 5.71% in 2015.

Bottom Line

The experts say home prices will begin to see appreciation next year and return to historic levels of annual appreciation by 2015.

A New Look

Forty some years ago I learned a version of Fortran programming language with the idea that I wanted to be an engineer and get into computers. (Think IBM 360′s, keypunched card decks…you get the picture). Never made it into engineering but have always had an interest in computers and technology.  Ask my son, he will tell you I can destroy any computer I start messing around with. And I have had to rebuild a few over the years…..but I digress….

I still enjoy technology and tweaking. I love this webhub* I have built for my real estate business. I enjoy tweaking it and revamping it and fine tuning it. Sometimes going deeper into the code I have broken it. Why, because I want a real estate webhub that is informative, easy to use, and delivers appropriate information. I try to provide the latest in search tools and  timely statistical information on what is happening in real estate in our local markets. I try to provide local perspective and insight that you won’t get anywhere else. And finally, I provide some local color and exposure for people places and things Naperville in 365 Naperville.

This latest revamp delivers a new gateway to the deeper pages. Information and similar pages are in clusters, easily accessed. It’s cleaner, and hopefully simpler, without sacrificing depth and quality. There is an new Home Page (up there in the left corner of the menu bar), and a separate page for this blog. Take it for a spin, let me know your thoughts. Let me know if you can find what you are looking for quickly and easily.

*Webhub combines the features of a static website with a blog and other dynamic content. It feeds and links other sites and platforms to deliver a uniform message and maximize exposure for content.

Goodbye to Google Real Estate Search

Google Real Estate Search to End

A little more than a year after its much heralded entry into real estate search has pulled back. Google says the feature, which let people find available homes and rentals in Google Maps and filter results by square footage and price, saw “low usage.” In a webinar earlier today another factor cited was Google’s comments that the existence of excellent property search tools on real estate websites.

From a Realtor’s perspective, Google was one more option for gaining exposure for a client’s listing. However, it was an entirely manual process to enter the listing data and keep it updated.  They also crawled and collected from published sites. On the other hand, the Realtor.com’s, Zillow’s, Trulia’s and others of the world collect and present the data to the public. Agents have the ability to claim their listings and enhance the presentation. Much of this is from auto feeds from the MLS’s.

From a consumer’s perspective, I have not had any clients who talked about using Google as a primary search vehicle. Many have talked about how they Google addresses when out driving around to find information on homes. Many Realtor search sites, including this one, are Google friendly so that listings can be found when this type of search occurs.

I would be curious to hear your thoughts on this: No big deal? A crying shame? Meh…Enter a comment and let us know. (Psst, if you need to you can search the full mls from here…)

Naperville Luxury Homes

Welcome to Naperville Real Estate’s Luxury Home Finder. These distinctive properties start at $1,000,000 and represent the high end of the Naperville real estate market. The selection tools allow you to customize the presentation so you can filter the results to show only those homes that meet your specific requirements. To arrange a showing for any of these properties, please contact your agent. If you are not represented by a a buyers agent, click on the “Contact Agent” link or give me a call. Enjoy your search!

Navigation Tips

Scroll to below the map for tips and tricks on how to view or customize the property selection and  presentation.

The dynamic charts below reflect current market data for the top quartile of homes in Naperville. These charts update weekly so be sure to check back if you are tracking this segment of the market.

Navigation Tips

Left hand Column: The initial presentation is a scrollable list of property panels. This list can be sorted by selecting the preferred method at the top of the column. Clicking on a property address will take you to a Detail page that will appear in the right hand section. Selecting the Search tab at the top allows you to apply filters to narrow the homes presented so that your preferences are more accurately reflected in the results. You also have the options in this column to save the search, subscribe to an RSS feed so properties are delivered to your mailbox, or subscribe to alerts.

Right Hand Column: A mapped layout of all properties that meet the search criteria. The view of the map can be changed to satellite or hybrid in the upper right corner. It can be zoomed and/or dragged to change the view area. As the view changes, so does the results list. The Map Statistics tab on the right is exactly that – a pop out panel with key data. The Details tab will show the available information on the listing selected including pictures, virtual tours, mapping, schools, and Walk Score data.

Walk Score: Walk Score can help you find a walkable place to live by measuring how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle, not how pretty the area is for walking. The score ranges from 0 (completely car-dependent) to 100 (walker’s paradise).

Naperville Home Search

Welcome to our Naperville Home Search. You have the capability to search virtually any type of property that is listed in the MLS. If you would like to chat about any of these or want more information, call Tony @ 630-542.7732.

Search Tip – When filtering your search by School/District, you will need to start typing the name of the School, not the District.

Registration

* Why Register?

• All of your searches are automatically saved, and you can go back and review them later!
• You can choose to receive daily or weekly email updates of your searches (or none).
• You can subscribe to an RSS feed for any of your searches.
• You can receive email or RSS updates of the changes to a single property by searching on its MLS number.
• You can add any property to your favorites so you can quickly find it later.

For registration all we need is your name and email.  I will respect your privacy and will not spam you.  I may drop you an email or give you a call if you have provided your phone number. I am always curious as to whether this tool is meeting the needs of searchers, so feedback is welcome. Good luck, good searching, and if we can help, give us a call.

Naperville single family homes show signs of leveling

Washington is on the verge of passing legislation extending and expanding the Housing Tax Credit. Key dates to remember are purchase agreement signed by the end of April 2010 and closing by the end of June 2010. All indicators are that the credit so far has provided the sought after stimulus it was designed for and this extension and expansion is expected to drive further activity. There are other factors that continue to play and at a recent economic forecast breakfast hosted by the Naperville Chamber of Commerce, key indicators seem to point to a recovery more so in the 2^nd quarter of 2010 and beyond. Continued higher unemployment and tight lending for small business are slowing everything down.

This month’s market statistics report will focus on single family homes in all of Naperville. If you want zip code specific breakdowns fill in your info in the table to the right to have a report emailed to you. Or select the community of interest from the menu bar above. Look for a follow up post on condos/townhomes.

Last 12 Weeks vs Previous 12 Weeks: (Source -Terradatum/MRED, LLC). Numbers shown are based on single family data. Contact me for further individual breakdowns.

Homes Under Contract, 29 vs 24, down 17.2%. We have seen a bit of a slowdown in homes going under contract. This is typical of the seasonal nature of real estate. This is the first down month after 7 consecutive months on the uptick. Homes Sold went from 29 12 weeks ago to 26 or a decrease of 10.3%. Again, this is not unusual give the time of year.

Continuing the trend started last month, Homes For Sale decreased almost 14% from 1,134 to 976. With fewer homes on the market, we should begin to see some stabilization in pricing.

Median Price for Homes Sold in October 09 is down 1.6% from $409,038 to $402,418 – an insignificant change. The median for Homes Under Contract however, dropped from $429,466 to $414,412 – a decrease of 3.5%. Median List Price remained flat: $491,859 vs $492,067.

The Market Action Index is broken out by market quartiles this month and reflects different activity levels for each market segment. The lower priced homes have seen the most stability in activity, tier two the second most, and so on. the high end luxury market continues to move at the slowest pace. For more detailed information, send an email request with your specifics or complete the Report Request and it will be emailed to you shortly. And, as always, feel free to share this information with others.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Housing Inventory Fell in October (online.wsj.com)
• Economic growth expected, but can it be sustained? (sfgate.com)

Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension Update

First of all, the credit has not been extended yet despite all the rumors floating around. Here is the latest information from Washington as well as a projected timeline for further action from www.FixHousingFirst.com.

The Status – From www.TheHill.com “…Under the agreement struck by Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), the credit will last until the end of April and can be applied to homes worth up to $800,000. Dodd and Isakson said that as many as 70 percent of Americans will be eligible for it.

The home credit’s backers, which include Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), have said that it can help the economy recover and has already led to the jump in home sales seen around the country in recent months.

Isakson called the provision a “once-in-a-lifetime” credit that can “bring the housing market back to some sense of vitality and values.”

Though the previous provision could only be used by individuals making up to $75,000 and couples making up to $150,000, the extended credit can be used by individuals with incomes of up to $125,000 and couples of up to $225,000.

The deal also provides a new $6,500 credit to homebuyers looking to move out of their current homes into more expensive ones….”

The Timeline: From an email from www. FixHousingFirst.com comes this projected schedule:

As you may know, last night the Senate reached a deal on extending and expanding the home buyer tax credit, and they plan on attaching it to the unemployment insurance bill. You can see a copy of the bill here. The tax credit provisions begin on p. 14.

Near as we can tell at this moment, the process from here will go like this:

1. There will be a cloture vote at 5 pm on Monday in the Senate on the new Baucus substitute. If it succeeds, it takes 30 hours to “ripen,” i.e., before the bill can be brought to the floor.
2. Thirty hours later it’s Tuesday night. There will likely then be a cloture vote on the full unemployment insurance bill, as amended.
3. Thirty hours after that, it’s Thursday morning, when the Senate will vote on final passage of the bill.
4. The House could take up the bill as early as Thursday afternoon or Friday.  They likely will just accept the Senate bill and vote on that.  If their bill differs from the Senate bill, then the whole thing has to back through Conference. That’s unlikely at this point – and undesirable.
5. The plan/hope is to have the bill on the President’s desk as soon as next weekend.

Obviously, this is all subject to change without notice. This is the Congress, after all.

You can see from the above that it is important to keep weighing in throughout the week – and sending this link to your network of friends, colleagues, family, neighbors, customers, employees, suppliers and urging them to do the same.  The amount of emails being sent through the Fix Housing First site has been fantastic – keep it up!”

Summary: So hang in there, be patient, something is coming in the near future. What the final product will be after both Houses get done with it, no one can predict. Keep checking back or subscribe to the RSS feed for updated information as it occurs. peace.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The GOP Hits The Brakes (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)
• Senators Look to Expand Home Buyer Tax Credit (abcnews.go.com)

Naperville – Edward Hospital H1N1 Public Notice

Edward Hospital in Naperville sent out this notice regarding the H1N1virus. The following information is provided as a public service and is copied from their website and provides information about treatment  and DuPage and Will county resources.

Important Public Notice About the Flu
Current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) guidelines for the H1N1 (swine) flu virus, generally healthy people with flu symptoms WILL NOT be tested or treated with drugs like Tamiflu in Emergency Departments or Immediate Care facilities.

The recommended primary treatment for flu is hydration and Tylenol or Ibuprofen for fever/discomfort.

The DuPage County Health Department’s Flu Hotline is (630) 221-7600.

H1N1 Vaccination Information
Edward is not offering the H1N1 vaccine.  The distribution of the H1N1 vaccination is a federal vaccination program. Your local county health department is currently administering the H1N1 vaccination.   Please click on the blue boxes to the right to learn more about how you can receive the H1N1 vaccination from your local health department.

For further information please contact a public health department. DuPage County flu hotline is 630-221-7600.  Will County Novel H1N1 line is 815-740-7624.  You can also visit DuPage County Health Department or the Will County Health Department web sites.

Please use the same precautions to protect yourself against the H1N1 virus as your would to protect yourself from getting the seasonal flu.

For additional information about the H1N1 vaccine or virus, please see the following links:

• H1N1 virus Q&A
• H1N1 vaccine Q&A
• H1N1 Home Care Instructions
• What Should Pregnant Women Know About 2009 H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)?
• 2009 H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and Feeding your Baby: what parents should know
• People at high risk for flu complications

Related articles by Zemanta

• H1N1 National Emergency: Time for Concern, Not Panic (time.com)
• Obama Declares Swine Flu a National Emergency (abcnews.go.com)
• Swine Flu Vaccination Should Target Children First (usnews.com)

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