SEARCH PROPERTIES CHICAGOLAND + NW INDIANA
Typically you should find 2 or 3 properties at a time and send me the MLS numbers (Multiple listing numbers.) Remember the basics. Desirable properties sell very fast in this market. You cannot be complacent when you are searching. This requires an almost daily effort looking in the areas you want. The market is not waiting around for you. If you dilly dally you WILL miss out. If you don’t know how to evaluate properties fast you will miss out. I’m sorry for this reality check, but it’s the truth.
If you have vetted the property with the methods I’m talking about, and you are interested in possibly owning that property, you should immediately TEXT me the MLS# (Multiple Listing Number). I will immediately confirm whether the property is still available and contact the listing agent. I will glean any non-public particulars about the property that might impact us. Oftentimes (if I get the listing broker’s voicemail) I will text to the agent something like “we are anticipating making an offer and when can you present it”. This usually gets their attention. Often we will make an offer immediately subject to inspection, before we actually see the inside of it. Yes this is an aggressive move. Why do we do it? To get first dibs on the property. We can always walk away if we don’t like the way it looks.
To get first dibs on a property often goes something like this:
I’m driving on I-294 and you decide you are hot-to-trot on a property. You’ve vetted the property and text me the MLS# to research it. I pull into the O’Hare Oasis and setup my wifi hotspot. I quickly check the listing. I call you and we talk about it. We decide on an offer price. I bring up the purchase agreement on the laptop and copy-and-paste in your buyer(s) info. We put in the terms of your offer. (always with the contingencies we need to walk away if something doesn’t work out). I email the contract to you using DocuSign. You guys review the contract and sign and initial it as indicated. Then it is Docusigned to the seller’s broker. Seller’s broker is legally obligated to submit your offer to the seller. The seller(s) either accepts, counters, or declines. I’ve seen this process complete in an hour or two. But usually it’s maybe 24 hours. Still very fast. If approved we immediately schedule a walk-thru on the property.
And because I’m a licensed Realtor® in both Illinois AND Indiana and I’m a member of the MLS in both states I am a subscriber of Sentrilock in both states. VERY FEW BROKERS HAVE THE ABILITY TO OPEN DOORS FOR YOU IN TWO STATES. I’m licensed to do it.
Luckily, we have methods to make your evaluation of properties very efficient. Very few brokers are licensed in two states and belong to two major MLS services. Even fewer brokers pay for (2) major datafeeds in (2) states to give you just about every property available in Northern Illinois and NW Indiana. I want to help you become a homeowner and then tradeup every few years if you want. I want to help you retire wealthy. That’s the game plan.
Do these things prior to sending me any MLS#.
A Realtor® cannot talk about the “quality” of a neighborhood. Don’t ask me about this stuff because I can’t talk about it. Licensed brokers cannot “steer” you to particular neighborhoods, that’s against the law. It should be against the law.
(However, there is publicly available data, census data, neighborhood demographic data, crime data, school data, etc. The truth is you can learn everything you want to know online, fast and easy.)
Plus, your eyes and smarts will tell you a lot. A Realtor® cannot discuss anything about “protected” classes.
However, junk cars parked on the street are not a protected class. Security doors on houses are not a protected class. Debris in yards is not a protected class. Graffiti on buildings is not a protected class. Understand? Be smart. Use your eyes.
Most people are naturally interested in the neighborhood they will live in and also invest in. So I say, do your due diligence. Just find out what you want to know without my critique. Most folks know how easy it is to use Google Earth to take a relaxing drive down most any street in the USA. Think about it. Ask yourself “could I live in this neighborhood with my family while I’m making the necessary improvements to the property?” You decide. Leave me out of these decisions. Are the school ratings acceptable? Check the stats available online. Are the amenities in the area acceptable? You decide. Are the city crime stats for the area acceptable? Online charts are publicly available on the web. Check this stuff with your co-buyer(s). You need to both agree before getting ready to make an offer. No surprises. Find out this stuff before we make an offer.
Luckily you can do this fast and easy.
I can refer you to public record stats you are interested in. I can tell you to just use your eyes when you do the Google Earth street drive. I can give you the comps of what neighboring properties sold for so you don’t pay too much.
Also, a little tip. If the square footage is unknown on the property you are interested in, set the ruler tool in Google Earth to “feet” and measure the approximate length and width of the roof to get the rough square footage of the building footprint. Then multiply that by the number of floors.
And, while I’m thinking of it, how about another little tip. Do you think high speed internet impacts the value of your property? It does. But few people are talking about it unless they’re really in the know. Canada mostly has it right now. It will be coming to Chicagoland and NW Indiana in 2023. If you work at home you can now buy anywhere you can access highspeed internet. Buy now in rural areas, because it’s coming and once it is here prices for rural properties will go up big-time.
Canada mostly has it now, and this will impact rural property values as it rolls out in our area in 2023. Huge number of actual reviews on YouTube. Check it out. Now you can get a good deal on a rural property before anyone else realizes what’s happening. Remember when you work at home you can live anywhere. Thank me later.
