Searching for a new home is exciting, however, it can also be taxing. With the resources available to us online, one can search homes from the comfort of their living room. Yet, you can spend a lot of time looking at homes that aren’t even on the market anymore. You might find one you like, contact the agent, wait to hear back from them, only to find out that the home you liked sold three months ago. Here are a few tips to streamline the home searching process from Hinsdale IL REALTOR Paul Froiland.

Wasting Time Online

One of the nice things about the internet is the ability to look for homes anywhere and at any time. However, a lot of time can be wasted as well. Helping buyers through...

Tips on identifying high-end properties in a world where the term “luxury” has become cliche.

Source: How to Define Luxury Real Estate in Today’s Market | US News Real Estate

If you say a word enough times, it starts to lose its meaning. And in real estate, where the right description can draw buyers to a home on the market, using the right terms is crucial.

So when half the homes on the market are suddenly marketed as “luxury,” the definition of the word starts to melt away.

“It’s entirely overused,” says Michelle Farber Ross, real estate broker and managing partner of MMD Realty in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Luxury real estate is defined different...

January may be cold and dark, but it can also be a time for bold beginnings.

Source: 10 Items to Cross Off Your January Home Checklist | Fox News

January may be cold and dark, but it can also be a time for bold beginnings. Make the most of your month by clearing space in your home, boosting warmth and dreaming up plans for the year ahead. Here are 10 to-dos to give your home a little midwinter TLC.

1. Protect pipes from freezing. Why? Because frozen pipes can burst, leading to costly repairs. If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to insulate any exposed outdoor pipes. And if you’re planning to be away from home, ask a friend or neighbor to turn on your water to a trickle. Also, find...

Getting top dollar when selling your home seems to be something that only those with ninja level skills and lots of luck can pull off. Ninja or not, here are 10 home selling trade secrets that will help you do that! TIDY CLOSETS

Buyers snoop all the time, so give them eye candy to look at. Empty half of your closet to make it look roomier (hello storage!) and neatly arrange what’s left to make them more attractive.

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

Looking for the best tips to stage your home before you get photos for your listing? Here’s our top 10 list to get you ready to sell.

1. Design for the camera, not for the end user

When putting together a space, we always think of the camera first. Will this angle look right, will it show off the best feature of the house? Will the light hit these items correctly? The good news is you have a camera in your pocket as you read this. When we stage a house for market, we are constantly taking photographs of it and looking at it through the camera lens. It helps us to see errors in symmetry, lighting, cleanliness, etc. - See more at: http://www.destijlhomes.com/top-10-staging-tips-for-photos/...

OGphoto/iStock
The seemingly endless stretch of bleak, freezing weather we’re experiencing comes with some additional bad news: Wintertime generally means lower asking prices, fewer buyers on the hunt, and less money changing hands.

But there’s cheery news, too: Just because your home’s on the market during the slow, chilly months doesn’t mean you have to accept a lowball offer. If you make your home attractive in all the right ways, qualified buyers will come. Just avoid making these all-too-common winter-selling mistakes in order to get top dollar.

Mistake No. 1: Setting down the shovel
You cleared off enough of the driveway for your car, but potential buyers won&rsqu...

Downers Grove IL Real Estate Agent | 4 Reasons To Buy A Home In 2017

Numerous websites are doing their year-in-review stories. We thought we would look back in order to look ahead. Rates may be rising slightly, but they’re still very low. Here’s the bottom line: There are still plenty of great reasons to buy a home in 2017.

We came up with our top four reasons why buying a home in the next year could make for a great investment.

It actually makes a lot of sense for many people to go ahead and make the leap to homeownership.

Rates are risingIn 1981, when mortgage rates hit 18% and seemed to rise every day, single-digit rates seemed like an impossible dream.
Last August, however, rates...

Downers Grove IL Realtor | Home Inspection Tips To Save Buyers Money

How? You hire a home inspector, of course.

This is true for new-construction homes, historic treasures, or your standard 30-year-old find.

But wait — first learn about home inspection tips that could save you money and keep you from making missteps along the way.

While interviewing the home inspector and to get your money’s worth, make sure he or she will be inspecting the entire house, top to bottom, inside and out. If the home inspector balks at inspecting the basement, crawl space, attic, garage or anything else, find someone else. If the home inspector tells you these places will be inspected and then balks whe...

Tips on Buying a Luxury Home from Downers Grove IL Realtor

Luxury homes have increased in sales over the last couple of years, which means that there are more buyers out there seeking to buy luxury. The real estate industry functions like any other in that the amount of supply will affect the demand for that supply. Since there are a limited number of luxury homes available, demand is higher. This makes the prices for those homes increase. Enjoy the following information about why luxury home sales have increased and some tips about buying luxury from professional Downers Grove IL real estate agent Paul Froiland.

A Better Economy

In general, the economy has been growing. There are more jobs and...