What To Do! 4th of July Festivals

May 3, 2010

BARRINGTON
Barrington 4th of July Celebration & Village Days
June 30th – July 3rd
Detailed Event Calendar
Barrington4thofjuly.com
Fireworks July 4th @ Dusk at BHS

HAWTHORN WOODS
Hawthorn Woods Fireworks
July 3rd – 4th
(847) 438-5500
Fireworks July 3rd @ Dusk
Community Park

LAKE ZURICH
Lake Zurich 4th of July Family Day
Family Day
July 3rd
Detail Event Calendar at www.volz.org
Fireworks July 3rd @ 9:15pm
Paulus Park

PALATINE
Palatine Jaycees Hometown Fest
July 1st – July 5th
Detailed Even Calendar at
www.palatinejaycees.org
Fireworks July 3rd @ Dusk
Community Park – Palatine Rd.
West of Hicks Rd.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS
Arlington Heights Frontier Days
Detail Event Calendar at www.frontierdays.org
Fireworks July 3rd @ Dusk
Arlington Park Racetrack

Pending Home Sales Stabilize…

February 2, 2010

Pending home sales have leveled from a market swing driven by response to the home buyer tax credit, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The association also adjusted its economic outlook for 2010 and 2011, and projects that existing-home sales will rise from 5.19 million in 2009 to 5.66 million in 2010 and 5.7 million in 2011.

Based on contracts homebuyers signed but not yet closed in December, the association’s Pending Home Sales Index increased 1 percent, to 96.6 from 95.6 in November, and rose 10.9 percent from December 2008, when the index was 87.1.

For more detailed information regarding this article please click here

Selling Your Home In the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago? Choose the Right Realtor

February 1, 2010

When preparing to sell your home it is important to find a real estate professional that will best suit your needs. A warm handshake and a friendly smile is all well and good but if you want to sell your home pick a broker that is experienced and knowledgeable, someone that will do the best job for you. When selecting your real estate agent here are a few things to keep in mind:

Data.

Get a prospective Realtor to bring in a copy of what they have listed and closed. They can present you with an MLS report that displays their inventory.

References.

Get references from a potential Realtor and call them. Find out what other people’s experience with a particular Realtor has been.

Plan.

What does your Realtor plan to do for you in terms of marketing, sales, listing, etc. Make sure he has a plan for your house and find out what he is willing to do to get it sold for you.

Real estate is often a person’s most valuable asset. Do your legwork and choose the best broker for your home. He or she should be a salesperson. If they can sell themselves to you perhaps they are halfway to selling your home for you as well.

There are many reasons to Sell your Home with The Stick With Steve Team….

We have a TEAM approach—We are 4 licensed realtors for the price of ONE, all working TOGETHER for YOU!

We help an average of 75 families buy or sell a home each year

We average one sale every 5 days

We offer Professional home staging by our interior decorator partner

We also offer a FREE professional home cleaning for up to 3 hours

We get you RESULTS!

For more great valuable information regarding selling your home in the Northwest Suburbs or Arlington Heights, Palatine area  click here

Moving Day Often Arrives Sooner Than Expected

February 1, 2010

When you’re buying a new house, moving day can creep up on you before you know it and staying organized can help make the entire process run more smoothly and keep stress levels to a minimum. Some things to keep in mind that will make moving easier are:

Book your moving company.  Book a moving company well ahead of time and by being a client of the StickWithSteveTeam you will be able to get a FREE Moving Kit from Von Sydow’s moving company (i.e. if you use their services).   Leaving this step until the last minute could leave you without a solid moving company to use.

Packing. Start packing well ahead of time, three or four weeks ahead of schedule may seem early but packing is time consuming and having everything boxed, labeled and organized will make moving easier. Start with items that you know you won’t need or can live without and by the last week have only your essentials left. Storing your boxes in an unused room or the garage will make it easy for the movers to collect and move on moving day.

Survey your new home. Know where you want to put things well before you ever move your belongings in. Take a good look at each room and know where you want your furniture to go. This will cut back on time and make everything run more smoothly for the movers.

In a nutshell, the more prepared you are to move, the easier the entire transition will be.

Call our office today for more details on how to become a client of the StickWithSteve Team as well as enjoy the great benefits of working with some of the best vendors in the Chicago Northwest Suburbs.

We also offer a Moving Truck FREE of charge if you are a client of The Stick With Steve Team.  Non for Profit organizations are also able to use the Truck for Free as well.

Click here to reserve our Free Moving Truck.

If You are Selling your home…An Inspection Can Make or Break Your Deal

January 28, 2010

Home inspections can often make or break a deal. If possible sellers should have one done ahead of time so repairs can be made and a home can be in its best possible condition. However, often a seller does not do a home inspection first and is caught off guard by a long list of repairs presented in the due diligence portion of the contract process.

The most common home ailments that show up in the home inspection process are:

• Faulty electrical wiring
• Roof damage
• Plumbing issues
• Poor drainage
• General lack of upkeep

These are issues that can add up to a potential home buyer walking away if a seller is unable to step up and make the repairs or commit the money to make the repairs. Examine these aspects of your home yourself, if you know everything is in good condition and the work that has been done to your home has been completed by professionals then you can rest easy, otherwise be prepared to make repairs in order to sell your home.

Contact the Stick With Steve Team for additional information on a ways to prepare your home before putting it on the market.

To view an article on home inspections by Realtor Magazine, click here.

Selling a Home? The First Impression Might Be the Lawn

December 7, 2009

When it comes to selling a home the first impression counts.  In a competitive seller’s market, where inventory is up and pricing is competitive, first impressions can mean everything.  The exterior of a home is what catches the buyer’s eye first and before the he even reaches the home it might just stop on the grass.  If you want to draw a buyer in take a good look at your lawn.

Keeping a lawn green and perfect can be difficult in certain situations.  Climate and animals are two culprits that add to the difficulty of lawn maintenance but both issues can be faced.

Dry, arid climates make irrigation necessary.  If you are trying to conserve water and don’t mind a dry, brown looking lawn that is one thing,  if you are trying to sell your property you will need to step up the irrigation.

Dogs, whether they belong to you or a neighbor, are another culprit for lawn damage.  The ammonia in a dog’s urine tends to burn grass.  If dealt with immediately by saturating the urine spots with water, the ammonia is diluted and less likely to cause the spots.  For spots that already exist there are a variety of products available to revive the grass and make it green.  There are also grasses that are heartier and more resistant to burning from the ammonia in the urine.

Short of rolling out beautiful, fresh sod, there are more economical alternatives to greening up your lawn and making a great first impression on potential home buyers.

Click here to start your search for Homes for Sale in Chicago Northwest Suburbs.