Evanston IL Real Estate

As of today’s date there are 227 homes for sale in Evanston, IL and 36 homes under contract since January 1, 2008. According to this information the average time on the market in Evanston is 6 months. Of interest is the number of homes under contract that have Home Sales Contingencies or Homes to Close Contingencies. (Home Sales Contingencies occur when the buyer has a home to sell but has a contract on a new home or a Home on the Market with a Contract but has not closed). According to the MLS there are 9 homes out of 36 homes that have such contingencies. What does this tell you about the real estate market in Evanston? Well in a very active buyers market such contingencies would never exist. Does this mean the Evanston market is slowing down? It is hard to say just yet. We are just entering the Spring real estate market and have had unusually cold weather and lots of snow which has turned many buyers away from the real estate market. It does however appear that Sellers are more anxious to sell and do not want to lose potential buyers and are accepting Home Sales Contingencies for the moment. I suspect when the market improves these contingencies will no longer exist.

Dear Friends,

Just a quick note to let you know how business is going this year. As you have probably heard, real estate home values are declining and sales of existing homes is at an all time low. Well, I am here to tell you some Good News! My business is doing great and getting better each day because I have started a career path to help people who are falling behind with their mortgage payments and have already received a Notice of Default. As a pre-foreclosure specialist I am helping people avoid foreclosure. If you or someone you know needs my advise can you ask them to call me. Wouldn’t it be nice to refer a family member or friend to someone you know and trust. Remember the help they receive may be their wisest real estate decision. I am giving you my 800 number which I have set up to assist people and to schedule a FREE CONSULTATION.

FREE INFORMATION 24 HOURS :

1-888-307-7311 EXT 11

If you or someone you know is in the market to buy a home and would like some information on how to buy a pre-foreclosure home then they can visit my website . (Search my listings and homes for Sale)

What do I mean when I say your success is my success. Well, every real estate transaction goes through a series of stages ending up with a successful conclusion which is buying or selling a home. Following are the stages I think about when working with buyers and sellers. I…

S- Seek to understand my clients needs, wants and desires.

U-Utilize my Knowledge as a real estate consultant

C- Contract and Negotiate

C- Coordinate the transaction details

E-Establish a Celebration Date

S-Set up a Moving Date

S-Set up a Lifetime Relationship

If you are looking for a realtor that has your interests in mind I hope to hear from you.

 I thought I might share with you one typical day of a real estate blog.  On this particular day, I had over 30 visitors and here are some questions visitors are seeking and my answers to their questions:

 1. Define Common Area: 

Common Area is usually referred to as space shared by all who live in or occupy space in the building.  There is common area space in  residential buildings and commercial building.  Typical common  area space are hallways, elevators, outside landscapping, parking garage.

2. Define Condo Assessments:

In keeping with the theme above, condo assessments usually are monthly payments used to pay for the upkeep of common areas of the building. Typical condo assessments are landscapping, snow removal, lights and outlets for public areas, janitorial service,  building insurance. scavenger services. On occassion  some utility expenses may be include like heat and water. Cooperative buildings include real estate taxes in the monthly assessments while condo’s do not.

 3. Define Property Management:

Property management handles the financial affairs of a building including the general maintenance including operating expenses, and budget for a building. Some buildings will hire professional property managers while others will be self managed.

4. Define Contract Pending:

Contract pending is one of the stages during the buying process. Typically a buyer will make an offer to purchase and if the offer is accepted the contract may have certain contingencies. Typical contingencies include attorney review and inspection (A/I), mortgage contingency, sale of other home contingency. After these contingencies expire the contract usually goes into a Contract Pending status until closing.

If you are seeking a particular answer to a real estate question you can e-mail me at : jacklewitz@sbcglobal.net or call me at 708-309-5334 or visit my website and I will be glad to answer your questions.

For those of you who have been visiting my real estate blog, I think you will notice some changes which I am excited about telling you. I now own my own business as a real estate consultant. I am very happy about being in business for myself because now I have the freedom and opportunity to help people with what may be their biggest financial investment they’ll ever make : buying or selling a home. My goal is to make this process a fun experience rather than a horror story like you’ve heard about or even experienced.

 To help turn that horror story into a happy ending, I’ll be running my business different than most Realtors. And for those of you who think all Realtors are alike your in for a treat. I have a career “compass”- that is pointing me in a great direction, that will help me make good decisions while maintaining the respect of my clients and colleagues.

Ask your self these three questions:

1. Do you know the difference between a salesperson and consultant?

2. When you want financial advise would you go ask a salesperson or a consultant? 

3. Who is the next person you know that will need my services as a real estate consultant?

For a Free Initial Consultation please feel free to contact me 1-888-307-7311 Ext. 6

According to the Illinois Association of Realtors (IAR) single family and condo sales in Illinois rose during the month of May. Their study showed 14,349 homes sold in the Month of May compared to 12,932 homes sold in April of this same year.

In Evanston, we have also seen an increase in the number of homes sold. For this quarter (April-June) 84 homes have either sold, closed or are under contract compared to 66 homes for the previous quarter (January-March).

The total number of condo sold are down for this quarter (April-June) with a total of 148 condos sold compared to last quarter totals of 197 (January-March).

 I am proud to announce that I am a By Referral Agent serving Evanston, IL.

What does By Referral Only Mean to YOU? 

It means I dedicate 100% of my time and energy delivering first-class service to YOU, my customer. My objective is not only to help you buy or sell a home one time, but to build a strong, lasting, lifetime relationship with you. I want you to be so satisified with my services you fell compelled to refer your friends and family to me, not by obligation, but because you truely believe they will benefit. You see, your referrals are the heart of my business. If you would like to learn more how I can best serve you as a Buy Referral Agent then go to my website for an initial consultation.

On April 20, 2007 in the New Homes Section of the Chicago Tribune there was an article written by Jane Adler on the Evanston Condo Market. In that article, I was sited as a local realtor who has a real estate blog about Evanston Real Estate.I appreciate the recongnition by the Tribune and have notice more people viewing the blog as a result of the article.

The Evanston Spring Market is in Full Bloom. Sales of single family homes in Evanston are on the rise with a total of 119 homes either sold, or under contract for the first quarter of 2007. Each month has been steadily improving. indicating we are really in the Spring Market. In January 23 homes either sold or went under contract, in February 44 additional homes went under contract, and in March there were 52 homes, that went under contract.

Condo Sales for the first quarter of 2007 are up. From January 1, 2007-March 31, 2007 there have been 208 condos sold, under contract, or under contract. Each month there has been an improvement over the previous month. In January there were 55 condos sold, under contract, or under contract , in February 61 condos sold or went under contract, and in March 91 condos sold or went under contract.

The stock market, a great indicator of real estate success, gave great reason for optimism on Tuesday.

According to the Associated Press, stocks surged Tuesday on signs of resilience in the housing market and falling oil prices. Investors’ reassurance in the housing sector came after the National Association of Realtors announced that pending sales of existing homes rose in February at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.7 percent, stronger than investors had been expecting.

Kim Caughey, equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group said it best, “Consumers are optimistic about the future, and as we all know, the consumer drives this economy.”

Spread the great news!

Jim Weichert