For some time now, as a service to my clients, I have been providing additional pictures of some of the homes for sale in Champaign county.

Until recently, for homes with additional pictures, there has been a tab at the top of the home information page that said ‘More Pictures’. (You can see this for yourself by going to my Featured Listings page and choosing one of the homes there)

While this was useful, I decided I could make it better. Now, for any given home with additional pictures, I actually tell you on the tab how many additional pictures that there are. So, instead of just saying ‘More Pictures’, the tab will now say ’24 More Pictures’, or ’19 More Pictures’. This might seem like a small thing, but little touches like this can really draw you into a home listing and encourage you to discover more about the home.

This is just one more way that I’m distinguishing myself from other Realtors around. Contact me. I’d love to have you as client.

I offer a popular mortgage calculator on my website at www.AroundCU.com/calc that you can use to determine what your mortgage payments will be on a home that you are interested in. You can also get to this mortgage calculator by clicking on the ‘Mortgage Calc’ link in the tabs at the top of any home’s information.

From looking at how clients use my website, one thing that I have noticed over and over again is that people quickly change the percentage of down payment on their dream home from 20% to something smaller. Usually 0%. Alas, for the average homebuyer in today’s economy it just isn’t realistic to make that drastic of a change. I’m not choosing 20% as a starting point because I am evilly wanting you to see a lower monthly payment. Read on, dear client, to find out the motive.
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I’m always looking for ways to increase home visibility for my clients who’s homes I am marketing.

My website is popular (well in excess of (read more)

If you have thought about purchasing a foreclosure home because of the allure of getting an amazing deal, remember that in our area, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Last week, I had the opportunity to meet a client at one of the least expensive homes available in Champaign right now, a two-story foreclosure with a basement, priced at $29,950 (there are several homes priced even lower).  I was the first to arrive, so I thought I’d go inside and take a look around before meeting my client.  This home is not for most people, so keep this in mind when you look at the photos.  Remember also that this home is less than $30,000, a rare find anywhere. read more and view photos

I like Hardee’s. I’m especially fond of their biscuits, so I come to Hardee’s for breakfast quite often (a few times a week). A few weeks ago, the manager on duty extended an invitation to me to come to Hardee’s on Monday, August 17th, to partake in their 2nd Annual “Making it Happen” tour. Today was the last day of the tour, which visited the last 8 of 66 Hardee’s restaurants in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. At each location, the tour donated money to hometown charity groups, organizations and individuals. This year, a total of $25,000 was given to individuals and small groups where it has the most direct impact on lives, enabling them to continue ‘making it happen’. read more and view photo

Whether you are considering selling or buying your home, it is common to go through times of stress and through times of joy.  Regardless of how stressful things may be, when a home goes pending (a contract has been accepted), it is fair to expect that things will go normally, and in complete accordance with the dates and criteria set forth in the contract.  After all, when everything is written out in black and white, there is no room for mistakes, right? (read more)

We got some weather here in Champaign on Friday!  Of course, the life of a Realtor doesn’t stop when the clouds gather.  I happened to be driving along John Street to meet a client at a house when I saw this scene: (read more)

When all is said and done, home-buying is a personal choice. You have to be happy with what you are buying, and I’ll do everything I can to make that happen.

Even though it is a personal choice, while you are looking for your dream home, it’s great to have input from people you know on the homes you are considering! Or, you might have found an interesting home and want to share the details with a spouse or other person that will be living there. Last night I added a new feature to home search on my website to make that a little bit easier. (read more and view screenshot)

Once you make the decision to sell your home, you might be tempted to just put the house on the market and get it over with as fast as possible.  After all, this can be a stressful and emotionally-draining task!

But rushing into things can show a lack of preparation and strategy. Mistakes made in the beginning of the selling process are difficult to undo. Even time – the great healer – does not help with real estate. (read more)

Some of my buyers are in no hurry to purchase their home. They say something like, "We are willing to wait until a great deal comes along", or "The sellers will get desperate to sell after the home has been on the market for a long time". What does "a long time" mean? Until now, the answer to this question has been some agent’s made-up statistic or vague answer. (read more)