Real Estate in Barrington & The Northwest Suburbs: January 2011

How Will You Attract Online Buyers If I List My Barrington Home With You. Every Agent Tells Me They Have a Web Site.

I understand your question because you are right, most if not all agents have a web site, whether it is provided by the company they work with or themselves. In today's real estate world agents need to have a web site but how well do they work? More importantly do they get visited and do they provide the visitors the information being sought.

My website has some aspects not often seen in others in the Barrington real estate market. Here's the information I hope will help you determine if my website is the place you would like to showcase your home on.

• My website is all about the Barrington area. It is extremely well targeted to buyers and sellers of property in the 60010 zip code. My goal is to sell real estate in one market and be the expert here, not try to sell homes all over Chicago-land and profess to be the expert.
  
• The site attracts over 1,500 unique visitors every month and they look at over 13,000 pages and homes. Visitors can find information on all the Barrington villages and even drill down to the subdivisions. The site is still a work in progress but our visitor count is growing monthly. Some might not consider these numbers to be high, but all these visitors only wanted to look at Barrington real estate. On average we are contacted by over 60 people a month looking for information about real estate in Barrington Illinois.
  
• Our Barrington website ranks very well in the search engines for multiple search terms consumers use to find real estate in Barrington . For certain search terms we rank right at the very top, even beating some of the big names like Homes.com.

Here is a chart of 15 commonly searched for terms for Barrington real estate, just a sample I pulled today. On the right you can see that since I last pulled these searches we have held our position in Google. In fact we have over 1500 page one placements for related search terms just with Google.

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I think I can proudly say my Barrington website is one of the most visited for Barrington real estate every day. It has taken a lot of hard work to provide information for Barrington buyers and sellers and we are now looking to expand by adding featured Barrington listings.

The first thing I will do is add your Barrington  home as a featured property on this popular site. But our online presence does not stop at the site. Your home will also be announced on our Barrington Facebook business page and our following is growing. Of course we have several other online tools to get your home featured at the top of Google. The blog you are reading this post on is just one of them. Our Barrington site also has two blogs read by a lot of visitors. Your home will be announced as a new listing in both writing and also on our photo blog.



If you have any questions about our online presence, please ask, but in the meantime above is a graph of our page views in January 2011 to date-a slow month for real estate.

Lets Step Up The House Hunt in Barrington - But We wanted Ask About How To Pick A Closing Date.

It's been a long time since we bought a house and we were wondering about the closing date. Is it a set time from the contract date? Who picks the date? What can you tell us to help us understand it better?

Well let's first explain that the closing date forms part of our offer to purchase a property. When we write a formal offer we need to pick a closing date that will work for you taking into account things like your mortgage approval and also a date that is not on a weekend. With a mortgage approval needed I would suggest as a minimum we pick a day 45 days out but a more realistic time frame would be 60 days. If it's a cash deal you can close in a much shorter period of time.

When we present an offer to the seller they can counter the closing date as part of the negotiation.  You need to be prepared for that to happen and have an idea of what you might agree to or not.

If we make an offer on a short sale you know that any offer is subject to the banks approval. Be prepared for the closing date we pick to come and go. We need to think about this as it relates to your situation as this may work really well for you or it may not. Everyones circumstances are different.

So we'll start with a date that really suits you best and let's see what the seller says. We don't know what their situation is but it is a buyers market so you have the upper hand, it's not likely they'll want to loose you over a closing date.

 

 

 

Barrington Hills Real Estate Agent Answers "When Should I List My Home?"

When should I list my Barrington Hills real estate with my agent? It's only January, there is still a lot of snow on the ground and it is still cold. Are there really any buyers looking at this time of year?

As your Barrington Hills real estate agent I would first say that this does depend on what your personal moving goals are and this really is the first thing I would want to discuss with you. Once we have established what your home moving time-frame is we can decide on a plan of action for you and your Barrington Hills property.

Now we can address the other two aspects to the question. First let's deal with the weather. Yes it is cold, snow is on the ground and spring is at least three months away. Granted March will bring the spring season but it might not bring much by way of warmer weather. Is it the warmer weather we want to bring buyers out to start looking at homes for sale in Barrington Hills?

If it is cold are their buyers looking? Absolutely yes. Only the hardy will jump in the car and start driving neighborhoods but many many more are at their computers commencing their Barrington Hills real estate search. It's just so easy to get a lot of home buying research done online. I know what you might ask-are they actually looking at homes? Again yes. Both last weekend and the preceeding one I had buyers looking at homes in the Barrington areas. I am also dealing with online enquiries for relocations to the area.

So if the timing is right, your home is ready, then you should list your Barrington Hills home for sale with a local agent; one that does a lot of online marketing-NOW. Of course if timing is not right then wait until it is. For your free Barrington Hills CMA visit Real Estate in Barrington.

New Construction Homes in Barrington-Ready To Go But With No Neighbors

There is nothing like a new home especially one that is well built in the Barrington area on a nice new subdivision, a premium lot and some dream upgrades. There are some homes in Barrington like this ready built for you to move right in to. So where are all the neighbors?



There are some new subdivisions in the Barrington area that were planned just before the real estate market took it's plunge. Tall Grass and The Enclave of Heritage Estates in Lake Barrington, Creekside Meadows in Barrington Hills,or Nathan's Glen in South Barrington are a few planned unit developments that have just a few homes built and the remaining lots are empty.

The questions I would ask and like buyers to consider are these:

• Are you comfortable living on a development with very few neighbors?
• Do you like the thought of being on a construction site for the long forsee-able future?
• Does the uncertainty of what else will be built around you bother you?
• How old will your home be when all the others are finally built and will this affect your property value?
• Will you be looking at non-landscaped areas and yards for a long time?
• Should you consider these new homes at all?

There are a number of reasons you might say yes to a home like this, conversely the questions I have asked might make you think twice. Only you can make the decision if the house you find is perfect for you, I just want you to be fully informed before you go to contract on your newly constructed Barrington home.

It might be a wise decision to visit the village hall to see what is happening with the subdivision. Are permits going to run out, what will happen, will different homes be approved, is anything heading into foreclosure, have any of the lots been bought, when is it going to be gated, if that's what you are paying for?

Whether you are looking at new Barrington homes or existing homes, give me a call, I am here to help you.

That Barrington Creepy House - Let's Leave We Won't Be Buying This One.

On a recent afternoon out with buyer clients we visited a home in the Barrington area that fit their needs in the right price range. Driving up to the front all looked pretty normal, snow on the ground but pathway cleared, car on the drive, no different from the rest.

Just as I opened the door the owner arrived, they thought we had already been and gone but we were still within our time slot. They let us in and disappeared, very thoughtful. In my usual way I guide my buyers throughout the house opening closets, identifying rooms, pointing out the upgrades or the in need of upgrades. Kitchens always get a bigger discussion as do bathrooms so we hung there for a while. Not the best kitchen layout but the breakfast room was just stunning, with windows all around it was big, bright and homely, perfect for a growing family to eat in.

As we toured the main floor, my buyer thought the rest of the house was dark, so many of the blinds were drawn or drapes closed and she commented as we headed for the second floor.  As we roamed the hall all the doors were closed. Tentatively we opened each door and walked into very cold rooms with dark drapes. Chills went up our spines and from each we beat a hasty retreat. The master was last but we did not spend long there. A small alcove had the window blacked out, with heavy drapes hiding it and we wondered what on earth went on in that little room. As each room passed we spent a reduced amount of time in each and head down to the basement.

After moments there we were back up the stairs, scrambling on the shoes and it was clear this Barrington house had left a lasting impression on my buyers. Creepy Barrington house, let's get out. I looked for the owner, no sign anywhere, it seems they had literally disappeared. So I locked the door and left after calling Goodbye.

The motto of the story, no matter why you choose not to open your drapes or blinds, or close the vents in your bedrooms, even have all the lights turned off; it is not a good idea when you are trying to sell your Barrington home. A first impression is a lasting one and this house gave my buyer clients the creeps, they could not wait to leave. Your home could have been priced for the deal of the century but my clients did not care.

Barrington Homes Illinois-2010 Market Wrap Up

Over the last couple of weeks I have reported year end market reports for South Barrington, Barrington Hills, North Barrington, Deer Park, Lake Barrington, Lake Barrington Shores, Wynstone in North Barrington. Now I want to let you all know the data for the enire area encompassing all Barrington Homes Sold in 2010 compared to 2009. This does not include homes in the zip code 60010 that are in Inverness, Lake Zurich or Hoffman Estates villages.



This data includes all single family homes and condos or townhomes. So which is the data most important to present in a Barrington Homes report. What do Barrington home owners and sellers really want to know. I have extracted the data points I think are most important but if there is anything you specifically wish to know, feel free to send an email I am more than happy to oblige.

Barrington Homes Sold 2010 Average Market Time -- 234
Barrington Homes Sold 2009 Average Market Time -- 231

Barrington Homes Sold 2010 Median Price -- $425,625
Barrington Homes Sold 2009 Median Price -- $426,000

Barrington Home Sales 2010 Average Sold Price -- $512,019
Barrington Home Sales 2009 Average Sold Price -- $522,934

Barrington Homes Sold 2010 -- 448
Barrington Homes Sold 2009 -- 392

2010 Final List To Sales Price Ratio -- 92%
2009 Final List To Sales Price Ratio -- 92%

2010 Original List To Sales Price Ratio -- 86%
2009 Original List To Sales Price Ratio -- 86%

Let's look at these numbers and decide. Is the Barrington home market in a decline, static or on the rise. Well if you look at the numbers you'll see they are all extremely close to each other. So in my humble opinion we are no longer sliding backwards. Prices are holding and with more sales in 2010 compared to 2009 home buying confidence returned in Barrington last year.

Deer Park Illinois Home Sales - Was 2010 a Recovery Year or Did Sales Slump

Deer Park Illinois is a small village that shares the zip code 60010 with other villages in the Barrington area. We do get buyers that specifically look for homes in Deer Park Illinois but commonly buyers will look at comparable homes in other areas.

During the year 2010 how many home sales did Deer Park Illinois close and was it more than the previous year? Well the answers are: 2010 had 32 Deer Park home Illinois sales and 2009 there were 24.

What was the average marketing time for Deer Park home sales for both years? In 2010 the average marketing time was 211 days, which was down 80 days compared to 2009.

In 2009 the average sales price of homes in Deer Park Illinois was just short of $465,000 and for 2010 it was just short of $508,000.

So not only did we see an increase in Deer Park Home sales, we also saw a reduced time on market, and an increase in the average sales amount. So what does this mean for buyers and sellers in Deer Park. Clearly there has been an increase in demand for homes and this was also seen in other areas of 60010. A decrease in marketing time shows confidence as does the increase in pricing.

So if you are thinking of selling in 2011 are you going to increase the price of your home? Of course the knee jerk reaction is bound to be yes, but you should not assume that prices are rising. Market data reports are only averages and do not tell the story about your Deer Park home. You'll need to hire a competent local Deer Park Realtor to find homes that are comparable to yours to find the market value of the home. Then you and your agent can factor other variables in such as, how quickly do you need to move, are there any positives or negatives about your home that a market report cannot adjust for, i.e. recent upgrades, busy roads, 3 bedrooms not 4 and so on.

Pricing homes for sale in Deer Park is not an exact science, so we rely on finding recent sales to guide us. There is little point on using current listings because they have not sold and may well be over-priced. Your Deer Park home will sell but it is the market that will tell us how much for. If you over-price it from the start you may well lose your best chance at getting a buyer, because they'll look at the others.

Deer Park now offers town-homes in Deer Park Place and Deer Park Estates both of which are very close to the shopping mall. These developments are nearly closed out with only a few homes left to sell. Prices of these units have been adjusted down from the original release pricing but I still see units considerably over-priced. This is when buyers of Deer Park homes need a competent Deer Park Realtor to help them establish market value.

Deer Park Illinois is a very beautiful village with established landscaping, historic village farm, a small community atmosphere and yes you'll find both the deer and lots of parks. Home prices range from the low $400s to just over $1 million. There are a few vacant lots left in Deer Park for dream homes and some new construction.

OK The Bears are Playing The Packers I Get It - But My Serious Buyer Wanted To See Your Home

No I don't love football so I have no problem showing homes all day on Sunday to my serious buyers. They are ready to buy and are not too interested in Football either. Sunday is the best day on their lives to view homes and we are looking at a ton of them.

Your home Mr and Mrs Seller is on their A list. You see it is n the right location, priced perfectly for their comfort zone, has everything on their list of wants and needs and so they wanted to see it Sunday. Our appointment is scheduled with you. Then I get a call saying you are having a Bears party at your house and if we cannot do the morning we cannot come and see your house.

So our appointment is canceled and we are not going to see you. Are you really serious about selling? Is a Bears/Packers game more important that that? Perhaps you think we'll just come back another day. Well I don't know-based on my experience that rarely happens. You have this one chance to shine. We are looking at the house for sale across the street maybe we'll buy that one instead.