I’m very excited to announce that today I joined Grundy County’s #1 real estate office, RE/MAX Top Properties!

I am humbled by how much this team wanted me to join theirs and very much looking forward to being able to even better satisfy the needs of my buyers and sellers. Give me a little leeway on the blog here as I get it modified and myself settled into my new office!

This (and cupcakes) welcomed me to my 2nd round interview this morning

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It is a tiny sample size, but I wonder if the amount of showings on properties is a tiny little indicator of a potential pickup in the real estate market. Check out these numbers:

  • From Dec. 1, 2011 – Jan. 6, 2012 there were 112 showings of my office’s properties!
  • From Dec. 1, 2010 – Jan. 6, 2011 there were only 51 showings of our properties.

There have been more than twice as many showing this year than last year for the same time period!  That’s a 120% improvement.

Looking at an even smaller sample size, Jan. 1-6 this year vs last year, the numbers are even more astonishing: 46 showings this year vs 10 showings last year. The new year is off to a great start with showings!

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Realtor Magazine had a blurb about two weeks ago about foreclosures stalling housing recovery.

DUH!

The article (linked above) contends that, “U.S. home prices may fall further under the weight of foreclosures, bouncing back no sooner than 2013 even with mortgage rates at historic lows.”

A couple blocks from me, homes that sold in the 230-250s a few years ago are selling in the 190-200 range. Foreclosure comps are coming in as low as 140s! What a mess. Hopefully, however, once the ship is righted, everyone learns from mistakes and does not repeat!

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Skate in Coal City

by Jim Ludes on January 3, 2012

in General

In the next couple of days, the ice skating rink in Coal City will be up and running. Hours of operation for the rink (between Mazon Street and Campbell Park) are:

  • Hockey: 7-10 pm on Mondays and Wednesday through Saturday.
  • Open skate will be everyday between 9 am and 7 pm and all day on Tuesday and Sunday.

To read a story from the Coal City Courant, skate on over.

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Thank You, Veterans

November 11, 2011

Simple post today to thank those who have and continue to serve our country. Your dedication doesn’t go unnoticed here.  

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Cancelled Listings

November 2, 2011

I’ve been in real estate a little over 8 years now (8 years and 2.5 months to be exact if you’re working on that biography). Over that span, I’ve cancelled 11 listings. This means the seller (or I) decided to terminate the listing prior to sale or the end of our listing agreement (expiration). This [...]

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America becoming a rentership society?

November 1, 2011

What do you think of this?

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Coaler Football Opener

August 26, 2011

When I’m not selling real estate, running a soccer club, working for the park board or trying to spend quality time with the fam, I write the football articles for the Coal City Courant. Tonight’s opening night for high school football in Illinois and I’ll be out in Seneca as the Coalers take on the [...]

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Does High Market Time Hurt?

August 26, 2011

Yesterday I spoke about homes being placed temporarily off the market when the listing should have been cancelled. One might wonder why adding unnecessary market time to a house would be a potential downfall. Today I’ll show you. In Grundy County over the past 6 months, 41 single family homes have closed that had a market time [...]

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Temporarily Off the Market

August 25, 2011

I get inquiries every so often about a property that is listed as temporarily off the market. Often times this is due to an illness, remodeling, vacation or something that will make the house unshowable (or owners unreachable) for a week or two. In general, these properties are off the market for a short time…..or [...]

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