Barrington IL Real Estate

Selling in Barrington Illinois-Stop Decreasing Your Price-Start Upgrading Your Home

Current Marketing Time for Barrington. The current average marketing time for homes in Barrington based on the entire zip code-all residential homes-over the last six months is 253 days.  The same number for homes in the median price band of $500,000 to $700,000 is 278 days. It increases because there is more inventory in the median price range available-currently 151 homes with only 41 closings in the last 6 months.

Price Reductions. In the last 30 days in Barrington there have been 156 new properties listed for sale. In that same period of time we have had 43 closings with another 12 ready to close. 15 homes expired without a sale and may have been re-listed. 34 homes have had one or more price changes in the same period.

Are upgrades in order? Here are some reasons for price reductions:

• Over-priced to start
• Over-priced now as prices still falling
• Objections by buyers which cannot be overcome
• Need to sell quicker than market time
• Relocation
• Lack of upgrades compared to other homes - Bingo here is an opportunity.

If you are getting any showing feedback hopefully you'll be learning why buyers did not like your home. Some of the most common objections can be fixed by you. Location is prime, curb appeal is important and remember that kitchens and bathroom sell houses. Also think about the price point of your home and logon to my Barrington website to view other homes for sale in your price range. No login is required.



What Can You Upgrade. Now you have seen the competition you might consider upgrading a few things to make your home stand out above the crowd. Here are some ideas for your half a million dollars home. Even vacant homes can exude a rich warm and inviting interior.

• Kitchen Floor- Laminate or Vinyl - Buyers will want hardwood or ceramic
• Laminate counter tops - Granite is not that expensive and will make the kitchen pop
• White appliances - Stainless steel will add value and shine with your new granite
• Soiled or dull carpets - try a good steam clean first but consider replacing
• Vinyl floors in laundry or washrooms - upgrade to ceramic
• Scratched hardwood floors - have them re-finished
• Brass light fixtures - switch them out - considered cheap - replace with bronze or brushed nickel
• Multi-color rooms - find a neutral color and paint the whole house
• Curb appeal - plant some seasonal colorful planters to welcome your guests up your driveway and into the house

There are so many simple things you can do and upgrades that will make a big difference. If your home has been on the market longer than the average, do not expect your buyer will do it when they move in-they already moved in-to some-one else's house.

So how many more times do you want to reduce your under-priced home to compensate for lack of upgrades? If you did not sell and cannot determine what to do, call me for a fresh perspective. Corinne 847-363-3686. Of course this is best done before you list.

Copyright 2010 Corinne Guest All Rights Reserved  - * Selling in Barrington Illinois-Stop Decreasing Your Price-Start Upgrading Your Home *

Lake Barrington Short Sales-Choose Your Realtor Carefully-You Don't Have To Be Another Foreclosure.

I am sad to learn today that one of my Lake Barrington neighbors has gone into foreclosure. The property is currently in the final redemption period but at this stage in the process it is very unlikely the owner will be able to pay all the missed payments and accrued interest.

This need not have happened and it makes me angry. Were they not informed about short sales? Property owners may feel a little stigma is attached to short sales and we all understand that, but many others do not even know what a short sale is or what other options are available to them. Our job as short sales professionals is to educate our clients-let them know they have options and find solutions.

The property in question was listed by a very experiened Barrington Realtor but that Realtor has never done a short sale. I wonder even if the Realtor knows of the situation. Before listing any property for sale in Barrington every Realtor should do a little due diligence to find out if the owner might be in trouble. This is not difficult to do folks. As Lake Barrington Realtors we have access to the tax records which might give us a clue or two. Even so as Barrington Realtors it is our job to collect relevant information from anyone selling a home. This would include mortgage statements, tax bills, plats and more.

The property in question has had one price cut in 10 months. I can explain to you why the house did not get any offers and why I have a plan of action to sell your home. Lethargy when marketing short sales is not an option.

When I see a mortgage statement and the amount owed seems to be very close to the market value of a home I can start enquiring about the circumstances of a sale. As a Barrington Realtor that has closed short sales-has short sale properties both listed and currently under contract-you'll know that I am not going to attack you like a bull in a china shop. I am empathetic to your situation and will do my best to get you the right assistance which sometimes is not a short sale. I have teamed with the best in short sales attorney groups in Illinois and together we make short sales happen.

If you are in financial trouble don't just call a Lake Barrington Realtor-list your home and hope for the best. Find a Barrington Realtor that has experience, closed short sales and is certified.  Call Corinne Guest-SFR-of Royal Advocate Realty in Barrington-your Short Sale Foreclosure Certified Realtor. 847-363-3686.

Copyright 2010 Corinne Guest All Rights Reserved  - *Lake Barrington Short Sales-Choose Your Realtor Carefully-You Don't Have To Be Another Foreclosure*

What is VOW and do you want your Barrington Realtor to use it?

The Internet has changed the face of real estate. How well does your Barrington Realtor use the Internet in their business?

It's no secret there are many online social media tools that everyone uses everyday-some more than others. Do you know what a blog is? How about Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin? All of these are membership or wholly owned social media tools. Some people use them for connecting with friends and others for business. The word I want to re-iterate here is connecting. Every Barrington Realtor should be connecting with the outside world via the Internet.

When you list your home for sale in Barrington Illinois there are questions on the listing agreement that address VOW. This is an acronym for Virtual Office Website. So what is a Virtual Office Website. Simply put you are reading one. My blog is a Virtual Office Website for my Barrington real estate business and you and I have connected. You can make a comment on my blog but if I think it inappropriate I have the power to remove it.

The question I will ask you when I list your home for sale is whether you will allow me as your Barrington Realtor to advertise your home on any VOW. By saying yes your home will receive far more exposure across the Internet. Not only are you giving permission for me to blog about your home and create online publications that can receive inquiries via the comment boxes but permission is also granted for your MLS listing to be blogged about on VOW advertising services that other Barrington Realtors use.

The above picture is part of a the advertising of a home on one of my VOW sites. As you can see a viewer will be able to see lots of information about your home, I excluded the address and photo but on the live listing there is a lot more information as well as ways to contact me.

Sadly; and I say this because an agent I work with actually asked me this question; not all Realtors in Barrington Illinois understand what VOW is. So instead of explaining to you how this can benefit you, they may well just tell you it is better not to have your home advertised all across the Internet.  Are you crazy? Why would you not want your Barrington Realtor to advertise your home for sale in as many places as possible. That agent-well her client is not getting their home advertised across the Internet on the VOW.

Now you know what a VOW is you can make an informed decision about whether your Barrington Realtor can use their VOW or in my case muliple VOW's to promote your home, attracting buyers from all across the nation and even world.

As a last thought there are some brokerages that will not allow their agents to use a VOW. As the owner of my own independent company I will use as many online tools as I can to get your home sold-no restrictions.

Copyright 2010 Corinne Guest All Rights Reserved  - *What is VOW and do you want your Barrington Realtor to use it?*

Contact Corinne Guest ABR, e-PRO, GRI, Broker, Royal Property Investments LLC Licensed Realtor® in Illinois, 847-381-6328 to list your property for sale or to buy a property in Barrington, Lake Barrington, North Barrington, South Barrington, Barrington Hills, Inverness and Deer Park, as well as Lake Zurich, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer and Long Grove in Lake County Illinois.

Call me today at 847-381-6328. Contact me by email if you prefer by clicking on email me on the right side of this page under my profile.

Click here to view all the Barrington Illinois homes for sale and then click on Search For Properties. Or view information about area town in Barrington. With over 75 square miles in the zip code 60010 there is a lot of real estate available. You can view homes in all of Northern Illinois.

P.S. If you are listing your home as a short sale in Barrington Illinois or the surrounding suburbs of Chicago, make sure you hire an agent who knows how to do short sales and has the experience to get the job done. I have succesfully closed Short Sales with the assistance of Karl Goodman and Eric Pratt, a short sale manager and attorney/title company. Based in Rockford and Schaumburg they take care of negotiating my short sales and getting them to closing, while I concentrate on marketing the homes.

Don't get foreclosed on! If you are in trouble do not live in denial, call me on 847-381-6328 to find out more about Barrington Short Sales and Lake County Short Sales.

Read my blog about buying short sales.

Copyright © 2008 By Corinne Guest, All Rights Reserved.