Chicago Real Estate

Seems like everyone is looking for ways to save a few dollars these days. High gas prices at the pump are causing many families to make cuts in other parts of their lives. We wanted to provide a few easy ways to save a couple bucks a month and help make your home a little more efficient.

1. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs will use much less energy, last longer (lower replacement costs), and give off much less heat. The multi packs at Lowes are a great buy and I like the light produced better then some of the more expensive brands.
2. Install low-flow shower heads. For years I avoided this tip as a low pressure shower didn’t sound very appealing. Decided to add the low-flow shower head to our second bath as it wouldn’t effect me and test it. While low flow, the pressure is still good and we have since changed the other shower head.
3. Get a programmable thermostat. With how inexpensive these have gotten there is no reason everyone doesn’t have one. Now if you have one make sure to use it.
4. Open you windows at night during the summer. Think back to your childhood. Would you have had the A/C on when it was 70 degrees outside? This August each night has fallen into the 60’s at night and still hear the hum of A/C units running while taking an evening walk.
5. Weather strip your doors and windows. A 1/4 inch gap along the bottom of a 3 foot wide door is 9 square inches of open space. That is a lot of wasted money.
6. Balance your vents to achieve an even temperature throughout your house. The goal is to close or partially close vents in areas that don’t need as much air flow to increase the flow to other parts of the home. In the summer closing vents in the basement should be your first step, then reducing air flow to rooms that don’t have direct exposure to the sun as they naturally stay cooler. You will ahve to play with this a little, but in the end you will have a much more comfortable and even temperature throughout your home.
7. Insulate, Insulate, Insulate…. Everyone knows that your attic should be insulated but lets add a couple common areas that people skip. Insulate your attic access doors and insulate your garage door. For both of these tasks there are kits or just use the rigid insulation and cut to size. Don’t forget to insulate your hot water heater. This not only saves you money today but reduces strain on your hot water heater thus increasing it’s life.
8. Water your grass and flowers at night. Watering when the sun is down reduces the amount of water that evaporates, thus you need to water for a shorter period of time. Also look into soaker hoses for your flower beds as they deliver the water directly to the base of the flowers again increasing efficiency.
9. Turn the temperature down on your hot water heater. Anything above 125 degrees is typically not needed and you are wasting money. Not all hot water heaters are accurate so you will need to play with this a little, but every 10 degrees you dial down the thermostat can knock 3 to 5 percent off your water-heating bill. In addition, a lower hot water temperature reduces the chance of scalding.
10. Is your TV really off? Did you know that your TV and many other appliances aren’t actually off when you turn them off. They actually switch to standby mode and are using electric. I am to forgetful to switch the power strip off every time I leave the home, but anytime we will be gone for at least a full day the switch gets turned off. The TV, computer, radio, DVD player, and a few other items all get switched off or unplugged.

    Safety Tip: Power Strips and/or Surge Protectors have a limited life. Most should be replaced every 2 years. We had a client who’s home had a fire due to an old power strip and they lost everything. They actually were very lucky as the fire happened when nobody was home so nobody got hurt. Spend the few dollars and replace old strips.

There are so many more ideas that can save you money around the home. If you have any ideas feel free to leave a comment and help others save a few dollars.

Other resources:
Energy Saving Tips to Save More Money
Greening your Home

Are you trying to time the market to purchase at the bottom? If you aren’t there is a really good chance you know someone who is. The media spits out national housing statistics and it scares most people because they forget real estate is local.

What happens in California has little to do with our real estate market, yet what happens in California has a huge impact on the national statistics. The national housing statistics are about as useful as the national education statistics. [Read more →]

Arlington Park, or Arlington Racetrack, is a great place to spend an afternoon. A day out in the sun watching horse races is something I can remember doing as a kid with my parents. Now it’s something I enjoy doing with my family, we watch the horses, place a few small ($2) bets, and enjoy the relaxing day.

My daughter (right) is 2 1/2 years old and loves the horses. She hears the trumpet sound and we go running off to watch the horses come out onto the track. We then move over and get a spot at the finish line so we can get the perfect view of the horses at the end of the race. Then naturally we must move back and watch the horses as they make their way off the track. Her natural obsession with horses is amazing and highly entertaining. [Read more →]

The 9th Annual Arlington Heights Irish Fest is this weekend, Friday July 18th 6-11pm and Saturday July 19 4-11pm. With Irish dancing, best legs in a kilt contest, face painting, Irish food and drink, Irish music, and balloon creations there is something for all ages. [Read more →]

Real estate markets are considered to be “normal” when there is 6 months worth of inventory. This is a number that most of the Chicagoland area hasn’t seen since May/June of 2006. With inventory numbers peaking last October-December at levels around 24 months for most areas. [Read more →]

Who would have ever thought $4 per gallon of gas would be a thing of the past. We have been over $4 a gallon for regular gas long enough that most people have come to accept that it is more likely to become $5 per gallon before we see $4 again in Chicago. Even using 20 MPG that means it costs you $.20 per mile you drive just for gas costs. Worse we all know that 20MPG is more than most cars average while trying to fight rush hour and construction’s stop and go traffic. [Read more →]

Arlington Heights, along with most of the Chicagoland market, has seen a slowed real estate market. There is no question this is a “Buyers Market” and there are some amazing deals to be had.

From looking at the numbers we are seeing an increase in homes under contract and this may be a sign of the market starting to recover. A brief overview of the current market is below. [Read more →]

Without debate the bill to increase the transfer tax in the City of Chicago won council approval by a 49-0 vote. The bill (which was introduced by Alderman Patrick O’Connor of the 40th district) adds $3 per thousand dollars of home value to the sellers side on top of the $1.50 they already pay for the state and Cook County. While this isn’t the highest amount a seller pays in the Chicagoland area, Chicago now has by far the highest combined fee of any city. [Read more →]

Goodwill has opened a store in Arlington Heights. The location will be a store and donation center. Goodwill is always looking for used items that can be resold to help them raise money.

The store is located at 1551 N Dryden Avenue (Arlington Heights) which is the corner of Rand Road and Dryden Avenue. The phone number is 847-670-7311.

Goodwill provides training, employment and supportive services for people with disabilities or disadvantages who seek greater independence.

Even with working through the weekend it looks like residents of 3930 N. Pine Grove Ave in Chicago will have to wait yet another day to return to their homes.

Residents have had to make other living arrangements due to electrical fire that reportedly started in the basement on Saturday. Currently it looks like a faulty electrical vault was the cause of the fire that has left hundreds of residents homeless. Nobody was seriously injured in the fire.

Residents can call for an update on the situation at (312) 565-6110