Tag Archives: Giuseppe Zerillo

Many in today’s market are encountering a problem. Do you sell your home first, or do you buy your new home, and then sell your original home? Each comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Selling first may put you under a stringent deadline to purchase a new property. If the sale is going smoothly, this may only leave you days to find a new home in order to avoid storage and living accommodation fees. Those fees can double your moving cost and then some since you are in effect moving twice. I recommend looking for properties with a qualified broker …

You decide it’s time to finally place your property on the market and contact a real estate broker to list it. The Realtor explains the listing contract to you, which is a legally binding contract and is enforceable under United States laws. The contract should always include basic information such as the parties’ names and a sales price along with being signed by all parties involved. Make sure the terms are specific. In Illinois, a contract written for more than one year can, or one that is automatically renewable after one year, can be determined void. One of the biggest …

You scrimp and save for years, and you finally purchase your dream home, but then an incident or series of incidents comes along, causing you to fall behind on your payments. Instead of helping, many lenders will start the foreclosure process on your property. What should you do? First and foremost: Never ignore the lender! Usually, around 30 days after missing your first payment, the lender will begin trying to reach you either through snail mail or telephone. Ignoring their letters and calls will only make the situation worse. Think like the lender for a moment. If they are contacting …

Going green doesn’t have to mean spending an arm and a leg. Some homeowners install solar panels to lower monthly costs and protect the environment, but there are many little things that can be done around the home that accomplish the same goals. Older refrigerators and second ones that you keep inside your garage use 10 to 50 more energy than the more energy efficient models available on the market today. Making that simple change could reduce your electrical usage by up to $150 a year. Replacing a 100-watt incandescent light bulb to a 32-watt CFL can save up to …

Years ago, buyers and sellers would sit together to make the deal happen. In today’s market, it’s very rare for buyers and sellers to actually meet until the closing day, if ever. The only experience one has of the other party is through their agents or attorneys. Sellers, let me ask you a question. Have you viewed your home online? In today’s market, be sure to choose a broker who has a heavy focus on internet marketing. With that said, new properties pop up on the internet daily that aren’t up to par. Buyers want to be able to experience …

You decide to place your home on the market and hire the perfect Realtor, at least that’s what you thought. After placing your home on the market, though, it just sits for months and months without any showings. After contemplating everything, you decide it’s time to change Realtors or companies. But how? Before deciding to fire your Realtor, take a strong look at your listing and other homes that have sold while yours has been on the market. Is it truly the agent or is it the home itself? Many times the Realtors are easy to blame but in actuality …

Home buyers dream of that perfect home with just the right amount of square footage, but for many, that dream will never become a reality. Even if your home has less square footage than you had hoped for, opportunity often exists right under our very noses. In most homes, up to 20 percent of the available space is underutilized. For some, it’s a long, narrow hallway or an attic employed only to store Christmas decorations. For others, it’s a formal dining room used only twice a year. To find more room where none appears to exist, you need to rethink …

After a hard day’s work, you arrive home eager to enjoy a meal on your deck or patio, only to look over and see your neighbors staring right back at you. Small lots, heavy traffic and loud neighbors can take the joy out of your backyard. There are plenty of steps you can take to make your outdoor living space more private and relaxing. But first things first: Always check with your village or homeowners association about restrictions on material and height. A wooden fence is the most obvious way to add privacy to your yard. They are also the …

Buds are on the trees, temperatures are on the rise, and spring cleaning is on the docket for many homeowners, especially those who are looking to put their properties on the market. Although many of us clean our homes from top to bottom, there are always those overlooked spots that could use a little extra love from us. Behind, under and on top of the refrigerator is where food particles and crumbs love to gather. Many refrigerators are on wheels, so it’s easy to slide them out and vacuum and wash beneath and behind them. A refrigerator’s drip pan is …

Most people think of home buying as a pitched battle between buyers and sellers, with the person sitting across the table from you being your mortal enemy. Oftentimes, though, the real enemy in a real estate transaction is yourself. When it comes to buying a house, you need to heed the old maxim, “He (or she) who hesitates is lost.” Buyers can hurt themselves either by hesitating to make an offer, or by not responding to lender deadlines and contract contingencies in a timely manner. Hesitating can open the door to competition and bidding war. On the flip side, sellers …