Keller Williams Red Day May 14th

Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty, in conjuction with all of Keller Williams Franchises are giving back on May 14th to their local communities. Locally we(partnering with the Salvation Army) will be doing 20 projects at local homes in the Fox Valley Area.  These projects will consist of Raking leaves, cleaning gutters, painting rooms, washing windows, cleaning yards, etc…

More information about this event in general can be found at the Keller Williams Blog here!

This is an exciting day,  and should be lots of fun.  Just look for the Keller Williams Agents around town, you cant miss us we will be dressed in RED!

If you have any questions about the Day please call our office at 630-377-6200.

Home Price Protection

Home prices, historically, have averaged  1-2 percent increase from year to year (since 1950). But since 2000, we have averaged nearly 9% increase in home prices year to year*.  That extremely large increase coupled with the fact that average home sales prices outgrew average household income in 2003 meant only one thing, the housing bubble had to burst! Now this post is not meant to scare you or even make you think you can never sell your home. It is simply designed to educate you on why we are where we are and explain why I am excited about what my office can offer you and your family and friends!

Now lets discuss the hope that exists out there!

Experts say that we still need to drop 24% in home prices to reach traditional levels. Whether or not this is true or even accurate is not the point, this is the perception, and we must deal with this now! This perception is part of the reason why the market is declining the way it is. With home prices still declining why would a buyer want to buy a home  when the home will be worth less as soon as they close on it. So about the only solution us buyers have, is to make extremely low offers, which as we all know frustrates sellers. That is until today!

Today there is now another solution, A Home Price Protection by Equity Lock. This provides Homeowners a way of protecting themselves against market declines (such as we have today.) It works this way, if you purchase a home for $200,000 and the market declines 5% when you sell your home, Equity lock will pay you $10,000 at closing**. This can be offered to almost all markets in the area.

Bottom line, this is an amazing solution for both buyers and sellers. Buyers do not have to predict the exact bottom of the housing market(which is impossible) and sellers don’t have worry about receiving nothing but low ball offers(hopefully).  In this market everyone should feel like they are getting the best deal available to them and I think this is definitely a step towards accomplishing that exact thing. If you would like more information on this, please  go to the website of Equity Lock or contact your trusted Keller Williams Consultant!

* information paraphrased from a usatoday article “why home values may take decades to recover

** numbers are for demonstration purposes only, please go to equity lock for a deeper explanation

Thinking Green about Water

As we move closer and closer to the season of the white fluffy stuff, thinking about water usage is probably not on your mind.  But, that white fluffy stuff melts and turns to water, something that is becoming more and more scarce  on our planet.  Households make up  10% of the fresh water used in this country.  That may not sound like a lot, but that adds up to over 43 billion gallons of water per day for use in households (drinking,  bathing, laundry, cooking, and outdoor use).  43 billion a day!

While many newer homes are coming equipped with water saving appliances, plumbing, and features, your older home can be made to be more water conserving very easily.  The toilet accounts for 28% percent of water usage in the average U.S. home.  The city of New York realized how big an impact could be made just by encouraging its residents to replace older, water inefficient toilets, with newer efficient ones.  The rebate program cost the city about $393 million in money back to home and building owners when they made the switch.  But the 7% savings in water usage saved the tax payers $605 million by deferring expansion of the cities water infrastructure.  That’s a win-win!

How can you get in on the savings, even without a government rebate?  First and least expensive is to install low flow aerators on faucets.  This is the single best home water conservation method.   Inexpensive, water saving shower heads are another great way to decrease water waste.  If you have an older toilet, but are unwilling, or unable to replace it, fill the bottom of 2 plastic bottles with about 1-2 inches of sand, then the rest of the way with water.  Place them in the toilet tank, away from the mechanical parts.  You will be saving water with every flush!

A few free options for conservation are to turn the water off while brushing your teeth, except to rinse.  The same for shaving.  Rather than rinse the razor in running water, put an inch or so of water in a stoppered sink.  This will rinse the razor just as well.  Take shorter showers, and turn off the water when lathering.  Only run the clothes and dish washers with full loads.  Stop using your garbage disposal, and start a compost pile.

If you are inclined to invest the greenback to go green, do a bit of research.  Be sure to compare the purchase cost, the operational cost, and the upkeep or maintenance cost when deciding which unit to purchase.  According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy: “Based on our estimates, a typical family with a home more than a decade old could save $200 per year in electricity and water bills, and 18,600 gallons of water, by switching to highly energy and water efficient appliances. A family in a newer home would save slightly less, due to the more efficient equipment already installed in their home. If every American household installed these products, the annual water savings would equal the average flow of the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico for five entire days.”  (Source: National Geographic Green Guide).  That’s a lot of white, fluffy stuff!

Hello world!

Hello Fox Valley Real Estate Consumers!  Our goal with this product is to keep our customers well informed of what is going on in the Real estate world,  both Nationally and locally.   We will do this by reporting/commenting on news items,  share stats that we have researched,  Openly discuss questions/concerns/comments from the community, and simply be an open forum ready to serve your needs in real estate!  Please come and visit often and feel free to give us your suggestions!