Today's Prices Compared to Peak [INFOGRAPHIC]

Today's Prices Compared to Peak [INFOGRAPHIC]

10 Most Expensive Celebrity Homes

How to Care for Poinsettia's with Nick Federoff

r
remember if its too dry for you  it's probably to dry for your plants

Chicago-area foreclosure filings rise in October

Foreclosure filings in the Chicago area rose 30 percent in October from a month earlier but remained well below their year-ago level, RealtyTrac reported.

In an area from Kenosha, Wis., to Northwest Indiana, 3,442 new foreclosure actions were filed last month, the company reported. That compared with 2,653 in September and 5,496 in October 2012.

Click here for the rest of the story from our friend Mary EllenPodmolik

HAMP Program Show Homeowner Defaults Increasing

aparently around some 29% or 184,000 homeowners who have received HAMP modifications through the Troubled Asset Relief Program as opposed to through a government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) have re-defaulted. This has cost taxpayers $972 million in incentives that have been paid out to investors and servicer for these modifications. Approximately 26% or just under 154,000 borrowers participating in Since the government introduced its Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) approximately 1.25 million homeowners have had their loans modified, but worryinglymodifications.

 since then 27% have gone on to re-default on
these loans. These figures have come from a quarterly report to Congress and were compiled by the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP). According to the article in DS News, SIGTARP pointed to the Treasury that they should’ve heeded previous recommendations regarding the Home Affordable Modification Program, and that as far back as April the Inspector General had expressed concern over the increasing number of homeowners defaulting on permanent mortgage 

Click here for the rest of the story by out friend Allison Halliday at reality biz news

ApGSE HAMP programs have re-defaulted. At the end of August another 10% of loans modified with HAMP were delinquent. Worryingly, the longer a homeowner has to remain in HAMP, the more likely they are to re-default. Amongst the oldest HAMP modification the re-default rate rises to 48.3%.

3 Big Reasons Why Home Sales Are Falling

What’s behind the drop in sales? NAR’s chief economist Lawrence Yun pinpoints three main factors: Higher mortgage rates, constrained inventories, and continuing tight credit.

1. Higher mortgage rates: The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is up nearly a full percentage point in the past year, causing home buyers to face an increase in borrowing costs. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased to 4.26 percent in November compared to a 3.35 percent average in November 2012, Freddie Mac reports. 

The Federal Reserve announced this week that it would begin winding down its bond-buying stimulus program next month, which is expected to result in higher mortgage rates. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage could likely rise to 5 percent or 5.5 percent next year, Yun notes. 

2. Tight credit: New rules defining Qualified Mortgage will take effect soon, and could leave more borrowers on the sidelines. “New underwriting rules to protect borrowers, effective in January, will prohibit many loan features, set tighter limits on the amount of debt a borrower can have and still get a mortgage, and require that lenders accurately measure a borrower’s ability to repay,” says Steve Brown, NAR’s president. “This means that qualified borrowers are getting a loan that they are very likely to be able to repay, but some borrowers may wind up paying much more for their mortgage, or not get a loan at all due to the tougher standards. The new rules may tighten

Expanded Medicaid’s fine print holds surprise: ‘payback’ from estate after death | Local News | The Seattle Times

As thousands of state residents enroll in Washington’s expanded Medicaid program, many will be surprised at fine print: After you’re dead, your estate can be billed for ordinary health-care expenses. State officials are scrambling to change the rule

click here for the rest of the story from the Seattle Times

Safety tips for using portable heaters

Lou goes over the drifferent types o f space heaters and shares some tips on using them...

click here to watch the video : Mr Fix-It Lou Manfredini has tips for using portable heaters this winter.

Lenders Urged to Improve Foreclosure Efforts

The Obama administration urged banks to improve their service of the government’s anti-foreclosure efforts through the Making Home Affordable Program and to use federal funds more effectively in helping to save struggling home owners from foreclosure.
The U.S. Treasury singled out CitiMortgage Inc., telling the bank it needed to make “substantial improvement” in its loan modification efforts through the Home Affordable Modification Program and to reach out to more home owners who are eligible to receive assistance.
The Treasury provides financial incentives to mortgage servicers under HAMP, which aims to encourage servicers to change the terms of struggling borrowers’ mortgages and lower their m

click here for the rest of the story at realtor daily news

2012-13 Cost vs. Value: Make the First Impression Count

Real estate professionals ranked exterior improvement projects as winning the buyers’ eye and providing sellers with the most return on investment.

pdating the outside of a home pays off, according to this year’s Cost vs. Value Report.

click here for the rest of the story

25 largest houses in america

quite an intresting group of homeowners here

13 tips for selling your home in winter - MSN Real Estate

here are some great tipsfrom     at MSN Real Estate on making sure your home is ready to show in the winter

Sure, there are fewer buyers and the skies are gloomy. So warm and brighten up the place; make it look like a refuge from the weather.

Click here for the rest of the story

Isabella & Max Rooms: Been There, Done That: Alternatives to Granite Cou...

click here for the rest of the story Alternatives to Granite Cou...: Karen Chanan of Number 4 Design , a talented designer in the Chicago area, is sharing her favorite alternatives to granite today. While gr...

5 Reasons to Choose Laminate Kitchen Countertops

We certainly try to give equal time here on this blog



CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY5 Reasons to Choose Laminate Kitchen Countertops

Downers Grove Neighborhood Information - Downers Grove Home search Downers Grove Real Estatedowners grove rental searchrecent sales

click below forn downers grove eneighborhood info
downers grove home search downers grove rental search


Downers Grove Neighborhood Information - Downers Grove Homes, Downers Grove Real Estate

Looking out for Grandma and Grandpa and Moms and Dads and questioning your own sanity

By earning the SRES^® Designation, Neal Paskvan has demonstrated the necessary knowledge and expertise to counsel clients age 50+ through major financial and lifestyle transitions involved in relocating, refinancing, or selling the family home.

" I thought I had a pretty good handle on all the In's and Out's of dealing with all the emotions and options on helping a loved one transition from a very independent life style into a a better environment.. a more mature" Said Neal.

"My Brother and I personally went thou this situation with my Dad, a few years ago and as well together( much we were all on the same page about this,Dad included)  we were all on this... when the time came to make the move and get dad into a better palace for him.

We found ourselves on the phone for days trying to find the right fit for him

" I learned so much about how things have changed in a few short years, and that there are now many recourse's and options available to help family transition the more mature into a safer place and that does not just mean a" nursing home"

Before Buying A Home, See What’s Right For You [INFOGRAPHIC]

Before Buying A Home, See What’s Right For You [INFOGRAPHIC]

ARE YOU KEEPING AN EYE ON YOUR LARGEST INVESTMENT YOUR HOME?

Of course you check your bank statement and credit card statements on a regular basis. How about keeping track of your largest investment your home.

some people lose track of their biggest investment. Certainly you check your credit card statements and your bank balance and investments on a regular basis, yet many people do not keep up to date on a regular basis of their biggest investment their home, having a comparative market analysis (CMA of your home    value can be a handy tool that most realtors would be glad to give to you.




But Neal, I’m not at all interested in selling my home right now. So why would I need one?

• Without a doubt, that is a very good question to answer your question.
  
  
• Would you like to know if your taxes are in line with similar homes in the neighborhood?
  
•  Have you had a talk with your insurance man, yet making sure your coverage would cover your loss. Should anything happen
  
• Maybe you have been putting off remodeling kitchens or bathrooms, wondering if you will get your money back on your investment by checking updated homes in the area, you’ll have a better idea, and you may be able to enjoy your updates right now.

Also a competitive market analysis can give you some great insight into how your area is trending, there may be a sign in the yard on the house for sale down the block, but whether it is a distressed sale or not, is not exactly advertised on the sign.

This is all great information for you to help plan your future.

Neal paskvan is a real estate broker with Baird Warner int Downers Grove serving westmont,woodridge and all of dupage county
feel free to contact Neal at 630-251-0486

neal.paskvan@bairdwarner,com

 great   article from our friend at Zillow Mary Barnes  

 

 

   granite is great! no one is denying that. Mary has really done her research and talked to the experts take a moment to read her report it may make you more aware about the alternative's to granite and save you  some money

Its use in residential applications has skyrocketed in recent years. A 2012 survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of The Marble Institute, found that 75 percent of homeowners who intend to remodel their kitchens in the next two years indicated they want granite counter tops.

Granite’s durability, longevity and good looks make it ideal for kitchen counter tops and other heavily used surfaces, including table tops and floors. Still, it’s expensive (typically $60 to $100 per square foot installed), it’s extraordinarily heavy (requiring reinforcement of base cabinets) and requires     click here for the rest of the story

what upgrades score big with buyers?annual cost vs value report

Which home upgrades will score big with buyers? REALTORS® in markets across the country judge the effects of several projects on sales prices for the annual Cost vs. Value Report, done in cooperation with Remodeling magazine.

click here for the restof the story

Tour Matthew Perry's Malibu Home for Sale | Celebrity | HGTV FrontDoor

Tour Matthew Perry's Malibu Home for Sale | Celebrity | HGTV FrontDoor

THE COST of Waiting to Buy a home Just keeps going Up!

We often talk about the potential cost of waiting to buy a home. Today, we want to look at the actual cost for someone who waited over the last year. We used a 10% increase in house values as prices have gone up by double digits in the country on average. We looked at approximate mortgage rates last year compared to this year. Here is the impact on a monthly mortgage payment (principal and interest):

 

 

click here for the rest of theKCM story

downers grove live home search

did you know there are over275 homes for sale in downers grov eright now priced from1.9 million to$49,0000




Downers Grove Homes for Sale - Page 1click here to start your live downers grove home search

Senior Housing: Silver Tsunami About to Hit

The largest demographic tsunami in the history of our nation is scheduled to arrive in the next 2+ decades and business executives and entrepreneurs are only beginning to become aware and will eventually scramble to find their place.
The industry term is “Silver Tsunami” and it is arriving in your neighborhood every day. You see, that train delivers 10,000 people that turn 65 daily in the United States. Today there are 34+ million Seniors (aged 65+) and by the year 2030 over 70 million will live in the U.S. The leading edge of the Baby Boomer generation (born between1946 and 1964) will gently wake us all up and make us aware of their life needs. At peak numbers, this demographic will reshape the economy of the United States.






click here for the rest of the story from Keeping current matters

show your A/C unit some love this weekend

Due to the wet weather this spring in Chicagoland  the littlecottonwood “Snowflakes” fell early!

 

Cottonwood   Clogs A/C  COILS

Think about it for a moment… During the peak of cottonwood season, fuzzies are flying around your neighbor hood. This is when they attack your air conditioner. No they don’t use magic, or contain some sort of chemical agent. Instead, they are sucked into your condenser coil, and the result is reduced air flow across the coil. This will first cause your air conditioner to loose some of its energy efficiency. Although this is a problem, losing a little efficiency will only cost you pennies, but the bigger problem of an over heated compressor can cost hundreds.
Picture this, its 100 degrees outside and your cottonwood seed packed coil can’t cool itself off. Do you see the problem here? Those cute little fuzzies we chase around as kids just burnt out your compressor! Now you have to call up for an emergency service call in the high heat of summer.

From what the experts' tell me, the simple solution is to just fully hose down the grill work around your A/C unit so it can do it’s job!

Click here to see a Video on how it's done

“Neal Paskvan is a Real Estate Agent in Downers Grove with Baird and Warner”

Kitchen Counter Options That Will Make You Forget Granite |

 great   article from our friend at Zillow Mary Barnes  

 

 

   granite is great! no one is denying that. Mary has really done her research and talked to the experts take a moment to read her report it may make you more aware about the alternative's to granite and save you  some money

Its use in residential applications has skyrocketed in recent years. A 2012 survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of The Marble Institute, found that 75 percent of homeowners who intend to remodel their kitchens in the next two years indicated they want granite counter tops.

Granite’s durability, longevity and good looks make it ideal for kitchen counter tops and other heavily used surfaces, including table tops and floors. Still, it’s expensive (typically $60 to $100 per square foot installed), it’s extraordinarily heavy (requiring reinforcement of base cabinets) and requires     click here for the rest of the story

Median Sales Price for 515 - Downers Grove

Median Sales Price for 515 - Downers Grove

NEAL PASKVAN ASSOCIATE WITH BAIRD AND WRNER REAL ESTATE, IN DOWNERS GROVE HAS EARNED THE SENIORS REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST

NEAL PASKVAN ASSOCIATE WITH BAIRD AND WRNER REAL ESTATE, IN DOWNERS GROVE HAS EARNED THE SENIORS REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST GROVE HAS EARNED THE SENIORS REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST (SRES) PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATION FROM THE REAL ESTATE BUYER'S AGENT COUNCIL (REBAC)

easter lily care tips

thanks to BOBs market greenhouse!

Student Debt Starting To Hurt Housing and Mortgage Markets | The Real Estate Bloggers

We have been saying that one of the great risks to the housing recovery is the huge increase in student debt over the past decade. If the universities get the youth to finance their education they will not be in a position to buy, and borrow, for a home. It is not rocket science…

Now the New York Federal Reserve is chiming in and showing that this is starting to happen

click for the rest of the story from Tom Royce at the Real Estate Bloggers

What the Case Shiller Report is Actually Telling Us

What the Case Shiller Report is Actually Telling Us

Case Shiller released their latest Home Price Index yesterday. The headlines that followed were true but, in our opinion, a little misleading. Here are some of the highlights of the report that have dominated major media coverage:

Home prices rose 5.5% in the 12 months ending in November 2012 (the latest data available).

In the 12 months ended in November, prices rose in 19 of 20 cities.

Housing is clearly recovering. Prices are rising as are both new and existing home sales.

Great news for the housing industry. Realize however that all the highlights mentioned above refer to
year-over-year

What is NOT Being Reported

There is another finding in the report that hasn’t garnered many headlines – month-over-month prices are softening.
There is no doubt that prices are up over the same time period last year. However, home price movement is seasonal. During the winter months for each of the last three years, prices have softened. That is taking place again this winter. As the report states:

“Winter is usually a weak period for housing which explains why we now see about half the cities with falling month-to-month prices compared to 20 out of 20 seeing rising prices last summer.”

This does not mean the housing recovery is slowing. It just means that home values are following their historic trend. As explained in the report:

“The better annual (year-over-year) price changes also point to seasonal weakness rather than a reversal in the housing market.”

If you are thinking of selling, you really need to know what will happen to home values in the short term. Prices, based on history, will soften over the next several months in many markets. Therefore, if your plan is to move by next summer, waiting for higher prices before putting your house on the



market may not make sense.

click here for the case shiller report.
neal Paskvan is a member of  kcm  and a real estate broker with baird and warner in Downers Grove