Illinois, Aurora, Naperville Real Estate - Aurora, Naperville Homes For Sale http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com Aurora Real Estate, Naperville Real Estate, homes for sale in Naperville and Aurora. Real estate services for buyers and sellers looking for homes in Aurora. Real estate agent Eric Rogers. Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:05:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 833 Verona Ridge Drive, Aurora IL MLS#07980816 http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/833-verona-ridge-drive-aurora-il-mls07980816.htm http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/833-verona-ridge-drive-aurora-il-mls07980816.htm#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:09:49 +0000 Illinois Realtor http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/?p=12954 Gorgeous Executive Home Backs to Nature Preserves Aurora HomeMany of today's high-end homebuyers are looking for fairly similar features - a larger home with well-appointed interior in a location that's both near everything yet provides privacy and seclusion. Many homes and areas provide one or a few of these but rarely all. One community that does is Verona Ridge Subdivision on the far west side of Aurora. These semi-custom homes built by Orleans Builders are located in the perfect area - with easy access to I-88 and prime shopping destinations. Yet the community is tucked back in acres of nature preserves. A gentle stream winds its way through the community and hiking trails crisscross the area and interconnect with miles of other nature trails. If this sounds like a setting you appreciate, continue reading to learn more about one of my newest listings at 833 Verona Ridge Drive.

Aurora Home KitchenWhen you pull up to 833 Verona Ridge Drive, the first thing that strikes you is the ideal location - on a cul-de-sac and just a couple minutes walk to the nearby Orchard Valley Golf Course. The home is located up on a small rise that overlooks the tranquil nature preserves it backs to. The way the home sits and the fact that there are no back neighbors gives this home an overall feeling of peace and seclusion. The exterior of 833 Verona Ridge is quite striking with a beautiful upgraded elevation and front porch. The 3-car garage is a side-load so the front of the home looks tidy. The home sits on nearly a half-acre lot - perhaps one of the best in the entire community. In the back, the home features a raised cedar deck and a walk-out basement. Continue reading →]]> http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/833-verona-ridge-drive-aurora-il-mls07980816.htm/feed 0 521 Oakwood Drive Geneva 60134 MLS 07914206 http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/521-oakwood-drive-geneva-07914206.htm http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/521-oakwood-drive-geneva-07914206.htm#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:02:40 +0000 Illinois Realtor http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/?p=12138 Completely Updated Ranch Home Near Downtown Geneva Geneva HomeIf you're shopping for an absolutely move-in ready home in an ideal location in the Tri-Cities area, look no further. This stunning ranch home has been completely redone and is truely something special. I know you've seen re-habs in the past and have been dissappointed with cut corners and cheap materials - that's not the case here. The seller has really gone the distance to provide the next owner with a superior living experience. Plus a lot of work has been done "under the hood" to make sure this property is going to be worry-free. One of the big draws of this home is, of course, the location. Within walking distance of Downtown Geneva makes this property perfect for owners that enjoy the scenic downtown and all the festivals that occur throughout the year. Combine this with a large lot with mature landscaping on a quiet street that's set back in the woods and you've got an absolutly ideal location.

Geneva Home KitchenI'm sure when you look at a home, one of the most important things is the kitchen. Having a kitchen with enough space and in a location that allows you to cook and entertain at the same time are features that many buyers prize in a home. This kitchen has been completely re-designed with this in mind. Start with new high-end cabinets with built-in soft-close technology and tons of storage space. Next, this home has been furnished with brand new stainless steel appliances and here's another area where this home really stands out. Where most rehabbed homes provide you basic-model appliances, the seller has really gone the distance to provide high-end appliances. The oven is a higher-end model with cast iron burners and the side-by-side refrigerator/freezer includes a built-in icemaker and water dispenser. You'll also find full granite countertops with a built-in breakfast bar and stylish glass tile backsplash. Where this home exceeds expectations is in the little details - for example, the under-cabinet lighting system. This all-new kitchen is the centerpiece of the home and ties in perfectly with the dining room and a pass-through allows you to entertain guests in the family room while you prepare meals. Continue reading →]]> http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/521-oakwood-drive-geneva-07914206.htm/feed 0 Chesterfield Subdivision North Aurora http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/chesterfield-subdivision-north-aurora.htm http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/chesterfield-subdivision-north-aurora.htm#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:36:05 +0000 Illinois Realtor http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/?p=11478 Chesterfield is a beautiful subdivision located in North Aurora, Illinois across from Pine Creek on the far east side of the village. I've been showing homes in Chesterfield quite frequently and wanted to point out some of the features my clients have specifically mentioned about the community. First, the entrance to the subdivision is very elegant. When you enter off of Butterfield Road, there is a nice entry sign and a parkway - right from the start, the community looks sharp and well-kept. I think many people dismiss the importance of a great community entryway but it certainly sets the tone for new visitors. A popular feature of the community are the schools in Chesterfield - homes feed into District 129 and the community feeds into Schneider Elementary and Herget Middle School. Location is also one of the most popular features about Chesterfield. Where it's located, the community is in a central area to both River and Kirk roads - major north-south roads in the area - and is only minutes from I-88. The subdivision has convenient shopping at the nearby Super Walmart or on the west side of North Aurora at Woodmans. The central location and easy access to transportation make Chesterfield great for commuters. Another popular feature of the community and perhaps one of the top features for Chesterfield home buyers are the types and arrangement of the homes. The homes in this subdivision were mostly built in the 2000s so the feature modern styles, layouts and materials. The community is laid out in an irregular circle often with green space, prairie or wetlands between rows of homes. Because of this, many homes don't back directly up to other homes and instead, back up to nature or one of several bike paths that cross the community. If you are selling a Chesterfield home this is perhaps one of your biggest selling features and really makes the subdivision stand out. Continue reading →]]> http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/chesterfield-subdivision-north-aurora.htm/feed 0 2729 Borkshire Lane, Aurora, Illinois 60502 Townhome For Sale http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/2729-borkshire-lane-aurora.htm http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/2729-borkshire-lane-aurora.htm#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 01:57:26 +0000 Illinois Realtor http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/?p=9736 Beautiful Like-new Townhome in Cambridge Countryside Cambridge Countryside TownhomeIn this crazy real estate market, it's refreshing when you find a townhome that's in pristine condition at a good price and isn't another short sale or foreclosure. That's exactly what you've found with 2729 Borkshire. This beautiful 2BR/2.1BA townhome is located in Cambridge Countryside on the far northeast side of Aurora near Fermilab and the Chicago Premium Outlet Mall. 2729 Borkshire is a single-owner property and has been impeccably maintained. It is being offered at a list price of $159,900 and there are several special financing options available. Please call Eric Rogers at (630) 346-1041 for any questions or for a private tour. Here are just a few of the exceptional features this townhome includes:

Beautiful Country Kitchen

Large Townhome KitchenPerhaps one of the most impressive features of this townhome is the large country kitchen. You've probably seen the typical townhome kitchen before - you usually have banks of cabinets on either side of basically an aisle with the stove on one side and sink on the other. Probably functional but definitely not high-end. If that's what you're expecting here, be prepared to be pleasantly surprised. This townhome features a full-sized modern kitchen with all the amenities. Start with enough space to move around freely, even with the large center island. All appliances are included and in perfect condition (a rarity in this market where most sellers take their appliances with them or they're so trashed you don't want them). The beautiful oak cabinets offer plenty of storage space and the hardwood floors are pristine. Two features you'll love, particularly i you like to entertain, are the corner sink and pass-through window to the family room. That way, you can be working on meals and still be interacting with your guests. The kitchen also includes a large pantry as well as a large dining area. Continue reading →]]> http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/2729-borkshire-lane-aurora.htm/feed 0 Real Estate Market Fall 2011 http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/real-estate-market-fall-2011.htm http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/real-estate-market-fall-2011.htm#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:33:54 +0000 Illinois Realtor http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/?p=9140 After a flat spring market, what's in store for Northern Illinois for the rest of 2011? There are some factors that will be starting to influence prices and activity in the region beginning now - the most important being the rate of new foreclosures. Recent statistics show we're currently at a 44 month low for new foreclosure filings. Also, the "shadow inventory" that was the big worry this spring has yet to materialize and many now believe that it was largely hype. As you can see from the graph, our downward slide in median price bottomed in May and since then we've seen things move up a bit. I would expect that to continue through this fall with perhaps a leveling off during the winter months. It remains to be seen what the current turmoil with the financial markets and uncertainty with Europe and the threat of a double-dip recession will do, if anything. I honestly don't attribute our improvements since May to an increase in the number of new buyers - more of a combination of pent-up demand, fewer foreclosures and time of the year. There are lots of buyers "bottom shopping" this market - snatching up any juicy deals that come through. That's causing an interesting situation where homes at certain price points are selling in days with multiple offers while others sit un-touched. Often the foreclosures in this market are garnering a lot of attention because they represent a quick purchase opportunity at great prices. Continue reading →]]> http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/real-estate-market-fall-2011.htm/feed 1 Top 5 Foreclosure Misconceptions http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/foreclosure-misconceptions.htm http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/foreclosure-misconceptions.htm#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:45:23 +0000 Illinois Realtor http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/?p=9122 The number of foreclosures on the market over the last 5 years has risen dramatically. Currently in Illinois, there are areas where most or all of the sales are actually bank-owned foreclosures. For many buyers, the process of purchasing a foreclosure is unknown and there are a lot of myths out there that really don't help or are flat-out wrong. The process of buying a foreclosure, bank-owned, corporate-owned or REO property has changed drastically just over the past few years. This post is intended to highlight the top 5 misconceptions about purchasing a foreclosure. As I'm sure you know, the market is constantly changing. It's important that you work closely with an agent that specializes in foreclosures and bank-owned properties. I can help you safely navigate this process and have many years of experience in the foreclosure market. Call (630) 346-1041 or email me at erogers@c21proteam.com for more information.

#1. Foreclosures are Trashed and Need Lots of Work

While this is sometimes the case, it is actually more common in this market that foreclosures are in much better condition than you expect. Because there have been so many, banks have gotten the sale of these properties down to a process. The banks and asset management companies that sell these properties have realized that more can be made by elevating a distressed property to a repaired property. For this reason, many foreclosures are being repaired or even rehabbed before they are listed. You will still occasionally find your typical torn up foreclosure or a mold house or similar out there, but there are also very good odds that you'll find one with much less work to do and that most likely can be lived in while it's repaired. Continue reading →]]> http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/foreclosure-misconceptions.htm/feed 2 2807 Margaret Drive, Montgomery IL. 60538 – MLS 07856510 http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/2807-margaret-drive-montgomery.htm http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/2807-margaret-drive-montgomery.htm#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:24:57 +0000 Illinois Realtor http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/?p=9077 Today's featured property is a real gem. In my years of real estate I can't quite remember a home that was this spotlessly clean that wasn't new construction. This beautiful Essex model is located in Lakewood Creek West just south of Rt. 30 in Montgomery. If you know the area, you know that one of the big benefits of homes in Lakewood Creek West is that there is no SAS tax in this community. You also have access to a community pool, small clubhouse and tennis courts for rather small monthly homeowner's dues. The price of these homes has been falling significantly over the past few years and has reached a point where the value of this home is extremely high. This home is being sold for $172,900, less than was originally paid for this home new in 2004. For a home that has been maintained so well it's like-new, this affords an incredible value for the savvy home buyer looking for a home with tons of equity growth potential - these homes were selling in the $230's just 5 years ago!

Here are just a few of the compelling features you will find in this property:
Family Room: The Essex model is known for it's large family room with vaulted ceiling and double banks of windows that let in lots of natural light. The family room is located directly next to the breakfast nook and kitchen making it a great place for family to relax and watch TV and perfect for entertainment. The large windows give an excellent view of the back yard. The carpet is in excellent condition - clean and move-in ready. Continue reading →]]> http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/2807-margaret-drive-montgomery.htm/feed 0 Top 5 Mistakes of House Searching http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/top-5-house-searching-mistakes.htm http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/top-5-house-searching-mistakes.htm#comments Thu, 07 Jul 2011 02:40:59 +0000 Illinois Realtor http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/?p=4173 From years of helping buyer clients search for homes you develop a sense for what works and what doesn't. As part of my business, I have always encouraged my clients to conduct their own online home searches to supplement the listings I send. I tend to feel that the #1 expert on which home is best for my buyers is: (as you probably guessed) the buyers themselves. But you all need my advice and experience when it comes to the transaction. What I've found from talking with many of my clients about their own home searches can help you avoid mistakes if you're doing some searching yourself. Here are the top 5 biggest mistakes buyers make when searching for homes online and my suggestions on how to avoid them:

1) Using Sites that Don't Update Regularly: most of the websites that allow you to conduct your own home searches get their information from the MLS. The MLS makes updated information available several times daily, yet it is the responsibility of the website owners to keep their site up to date. Some websites, like my own Illinois Home Search update the data daily - that means new listings that are in the MLS show up on my website that day or the next and homes that are off the market, under contract or sold are quickly removed or flagged. However, there are quite a few big-name websites that update data perhaps once a month and sometimes longer! Surprisingly, in many cases, individual agent websites like this one are often more up-to-date than the big search sites. Because an agent focuses only on one region, it's much easier to keep the data updated regularly than for a huge search site that has to coordinate updates from hundreds of different MLSes all over the country. If you do happen to get roped into using one of the large, slow-updating sites, there are a few problems you'll face. First, those juicy real estate deals that everyone is looking for will likely already be under contract by the time you see them on those sites. Second, you're going to waste a lot of time finding the perfect homes only to learn when you try and set up showings that those homes went under contract long ago and just haven't been updated. Whichever site you decide to use to do your searching, you have to make sure that it's kept updated. I'm not going to name names of the bad websites here, so how will you know? Well, if you're looking for a search that's kept up to date you can always try mine at: http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/real_estate_search. Continue reading →]]> http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/top-5-house-searching-mistakes.htm/feed 0 Prairiefest Oswego http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/prairiefest-oswego.htm http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/prairiefest-oswego.htm#comments Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:30:44 +0000 Illinois Realtor http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/?p=3605 This weekend my family and I enjoyed our fourth Prairiefest near downtown Oswego in the fields between Oswego High School. This popular summer festival is always a can't-miss for me - it's always a good time. Prairiefest is one of the largest regional summer festivals and combines many of the popular events that visitors love. The event is centered around a large stage where numerous music acts perform through the weekend. This is surrounded by a large food concourse that includes perhaps one of the greatest variety of different concessions of any festival we regularly attend. Perhaps our favorite is Wild Bill's Soda where you can buy a tin cup for $9-$10 and get free refills all day of a variety of old west-themed sodas including Birch Beer, Sarsaparilla and traditional Root Beer. Food options range from your traditional hot doogs, corn dogs and fries up to Mexican or Italian restaurant fare. Prairiefest is managed and presented by the Oswegoland Park District and they do a great job presenting visitors a variety of food options with very few overlaps.

This year as in years past, Vogel's Exotic Animals was in attendance at Prairiefest. This is an extremely popular feature with the kids and my daughter had a blast. The first thing you see when you get to the area are two monstrous tortoises crawling around the area. This is the warm up. Inside the main tent, you can watch Lemurs, Kangaroos, Porcupines and a number of other exotic animals. Outside the viewing tent, there are camel or pony rides for the kids and a seperate petting zoo with goats, chickens, ducks, piglets and other animals. My daughter literally went nuts for the petting zoo. I could barely keep up with her going from area to area to see each animal. Continue reading →]]> http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/prairiefest-oswego.htm/feed 0 Is 2011 the Year to Buy A Home? http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/buy-home-2011.htm http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/buy-home-2011.htm#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:12:08 +0000 Illinois Realtor http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/?p=2665 For many buyers, this has been the big question of the past 5 years - when is the right time to buy? We can honestly say the market has not yet hit bottom and it's not expected to before the end of the year. So the obvious answer is "no", right? Wrong! There are several factors involved that really should get you thinking about getting ready to purchase soon.

#1 - Real Estate is Unique - I've heard a lot of buyers make the statement that they're going to wait until the absolute bottom before making a purchase. The issue is, buying a home isn't like buying 100 shares of AT&T or pork bellies or oil futures. You can't go to your broker and say, "I'd like to place a limit order to purchase a 4BR/2.1BA home with a big deck, corner lot and stainless steel appliances in the subdivision down the street for $120,000". It doesn't work that way. It looks pretty funny on paper and seems obvious, yet, this is the way some buyers are looking at the real estate market. If you're really trying to find not just a good deal but a home to be happy with, you're going to want to start looking when the market is CLOSE to the bottom, not AT OR AFTER the bottom. Besides, the bottom in one niche may not be the bottom in another because when it all comes down to it, we're dealing with unique items and unique locations.

#2 - Qualified Residential Mortgages - despite pressure from the NAR and other groups, there will likely be some type of legislation passed regarding Qualified Residential Mortgages. In a nutshell, lenders are required to keep 5% of the loans they sell - they're no longer able to package 100% of the loans they sell into securities, take a profit then make someone else responsible for the outstanding debt. The exclusion to this rule are "Qualified Residential Mortgages" (QRMs). Continue reading →]]> http://www.illinoislandandhomes.com/buy-home-2011.htm/feed 1