Central Illinois Real Estate Podcast

Looking for some fun, Halloween-themed events in Decatur? Look no further.Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value reportLooking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleThere are many exciting things happening in the Decatur area this Halloween season. Whether it’s at the pumpkin patch, at the zoo, or in your own neighborhood, here’s a list of some great Halloween events in the area for you and your family to enjoy in the coming week. We’ve also provided some links where you can learn more about these spooky events:1. Halloween Hoopla at the Decatur Children’s Museum.2. Boo at the Zoo at Scovill Zoo.3. SHC Halloween in the Halls at Millikin University. 4. The Great Pumpkin Patch just south of Arthur. If you have any questions for us in the meantime, or if you or someone you know has any real estate needs that we can assist with, don’t hesitate to reach out and give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon! Happy Halloween!

Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value reportLooking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleBefore The ArtFarm opened in January 2018, owner Peggy Baity showcased local artistic talents in pop-up markets. Now a gallery, it is home to not only local artwork and goods, but also workshops teaching pottery, painting, and jewelry making. The ArtFarm even showcases a different artist each month as part of the 11-1 ANKROM Gallery, which can be seen during normal business hours or during the local gallery walk held the first Friday of each month from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. To learn more about The ArtFarm, watch this short video.

The latest numbers are in for Central Illinois real estate. Here are some of the important things that changed over the last year.Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value reportLooking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleI’m here today to give you a Central Illinois market update for the month of May. I took a look at the numbers and compared them to those from May 2017, and here’s what I found:Home sales are up by 9.3%.The average sale price is down by 8.8%.The days on market stayed the same.The inventory also stayed the same.Home sales are up by 9.3%.In addition, we saved our sellers 2.43% over the average that was listed on the MLS, which equated to an extra $3,645 in their pockets on average. If you’re thinking about buying or selling in Central Illinois or know somebody else who is, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you soon.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you from Glenda Williamson Realty! Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleThe holiday season has officially arrived. We hope you enjoy this wonderful time of year and make some fantastic memories with your family and friends. We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for making this our best year yet. We love helping people make their real estate dreams come true, so thank you for working with us. This may be a busy time of year, but we are always here to help you and answer any questions you may have.And in case we don’t hear from you, have a happy New Year!

The latest numbers from our market are in, and they’re hot off the presses. As it turns out, August of 2017 was the best month we’ve seen in over six years. Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleThe numbers for our August market are hot off the presses, and I’m here to share them with you today. These statistics are a great indicator of where our market is and where it’s headed. Locally, this August was the best month we’ve seen in over six years. With 160 houses selling this August, we’ve seen a 24% growth from the number of homes that sold in August of 2016. The number of total home sales this year, up until the end of August, is now nearly even to what we saw last year, thanks to this boost. Between January and August of this year, a total of 887 homes were sold. In 2016 during that same time, the number of sold homes was 886. Houses are also selling faster this year than they were in 2016. In fact, the current average for days on market is 83, which is 30% less than the average a year ago.There is one small piece of news that isn’t so good, which is that the average sale price is down by 8%.This August was the best month we’ve seen in over six years. Nevertheless, our market is mostly seeing positive trends. We are in a balanced market when it comes to price ranges below $250,000. This means that there is an equal number of buyers and sellers. However, price points above $250,000 are still seeing a buyer’s market.For further information on our current market, you can reference this chart.  If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Buying a home is a big decision. Thankfully, agents like Amanda and I are here to help.Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleRecently I was joined by Amanda Keys, a great agent on our team, to talk about what’s happening in our market. Amanda told me she has noticed homes have been selling very quickly recently. Homes are moving so fast that if you stop to think about whether to buy, you might miss out. The saying, "If you choose to sleep on it, you may not sleep in it," really applies here. So, what happens when a buyer is afraid they might be making the wrong decision, even when they find a home they love?If you choose to sleep on it, you may not sleep in it. That very hesitation is where inspections come in handy. Having a professional thoroughly go over the condition of a home means that any potential issues can be uncovered and taken care of. As agents, it’s our job to make sure that buyers are comfortable throughout the process. We understand that buying a house is a big decision. Oftentimes, it’s the biggest investment a person will make in their life.We want to help you make a wise decision, so that you can find and buy the home of your dreams. So if you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Whether you're selling your house or not, the lawn and landscaping play a huge role in your home's curb appeal. Today I'm joined by an expert for some tips on sprucing it up.Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleYour yard makes up a big part of your home's exterior appeal whether you're selling or not, so it's important to keep it beautiful. To help me give some tips on the best ways to do this, I've invited Kevin McSherry of From the Ground Up Landscapes to join me today.When you are selling your home, the yard always creates that valuable first impression on buyers. For some, it will even determine whether they want to see it after driving by. As Kevin says, start with the obvious staples and make sure your lawn is mowed and trimmed on a regular basis while your house is for sale. If you have mulch, apply a brand new layer to make it look fresh and get rid of all weeds in landscape beds. Trim any plants as well.Perennial flowers are becoming more popular than annuals that have to be planted each year. Most of the work that Kevin and his team do is taking out older landscaping and starting fresh. It's easier and less expensive for homeowners than starting from scratch. One of the most popular things they do is planting permanent flowers for homeowners who are sick of planting annuals every year. They can even space out planting these perennials through the seasons so that something is always in bloom.They also specialize in low-maintenance landscaping. Kevin says his team does more and more stone instead of mulch because homeowners grow tired of adding new mulch every year.If you have any questions for Kevin about lawn maintenance, you need some tips, or you're looking to update your landscaping, you can reach Kevin at 217-233-1310 or check out his website at FTGULandscapes.com. As always, feel free to give me a call or send me an email if you have any questions about the Central Illinois real estate market or you're thinking of buying or selling a home. I'm here to help!

I recently sat down with Ryan McCrady, president of the Decatur Macon Economic Development Corporation, to talk about everything they do for business and economic growth in our community. Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleI recently sat down with Ryan McCrady, president of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), to talk about everything they do for our local business economy. As Ryan says, the EDC focuses on non-residential, non-retail economic development. They help businesses here in Decatur/Macon County expand their footprint and help the community retain businesses in the event of things like zoning, workforce, or regulatory issues. They also work on attracting new business to the area to expand the job base and bring new people to the community as well as provide opportunities to the workers here.The EDC also administers two big initiatives, starting with the Enterprise Zone of Decatur/Macon County. If you operate a business and you're looking to expand or locate a business in the area, there may be incentives they can offer you to do so. As Ryan says, they are administered locally and easy to get your hands. They also oversee the Midwest Inland Port LLC, as well as the community marketing and branding campaign called Limitless Decatur & Macon County.Ryan added that the staff consists of five people with most tasks coming with an 'all hands on deck' approach so they can do everything possible to get involved and promote the community, grow jobs, and grow the economy overall. Decatur has a very skilled and loyal workforce. Just like in our business of real estate, Ryan says that referrals are gold for the EDC. If you or someone you know owns a business and is having some issues, send them Ryan's way and he may be able to help them out. Economic development can be a mystery to a lot of people, Ryan says. While many people think of it as attracting a business like Chik-fil-A, that's not the whole of it; the whole basis for economic development is job growth and retention. When CEOs want to locate or expand a business, they look at a number of factors.They start looking at the available workforce, and Decatur scores very high in this category due to a highly skilled and loyal workforce. It's a workforce of more than 500,000 people located within a 45-minute drive. The next factor they focus on is transportation logistics, where Decatur also ranks high. Then, they look at the quality of life, which companies value a lot since they want to attract and retain top talent regardless of the location, which requires a great community. The EDC shows businesses all these great things about our community.Check out the video above for my full interview with Ryan and all the details about the EDC. If you have any questions, you can reach Ryan at 217-422-9520 or visit DecaturEDC.com to learn more.As always, give me a call or send me an email with any questions, comments, or concerns you have about real estate or the market here in the Decatur area. We look forward to hearing from you!

Home inspections are an important part of the home sale process whether you’re a buyer or a seller. Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleWhy do you need a home inspection? According to Brad Kershner, a home inspector from Central Illinois Inspection and my guest for today, getting a home inspection benefits you greatly whether you’re a buyer or a seller. Brad’s been in the business for 18 years and has done more than 5,000 inspections, so he knows what he’s talking about.If you’re a buyer, it reduces your risk in purchasing a home because you can locate any major repairs that need to be made that may have been overlooked by the homeowner. This includes issues that may need to be addressed with the roof, the structure, the exterior cladding, the windows and doors, the furnace and air conditioner, the plumbing system, and other areas. When these are taken care of, you’ll go into the purchase with more confidence.As a seller, getting a pre-listing inspection sets your home apart in the marketplace. If a buyer knows your home has been inspected and needed repairs have been made, it can make the transaction process much smoother. Getting a home inspection gives you peace of mind. When I sold my house, I myself had Brad give it an inspection. The house was built in the 1920s and had been updated, but there were still a bunch of little things that needed to be done to make it market-ready. When a buyer came along and had their own inspector walk through it, they didn’t find a single thing wrong with it. If you’re a seller and the reverse happens and the buyer finds a bunch of little things wrong with your house, it will make them very nervous. Especially if they’re a first-time buyer. Inspectors can’t be everywhere, so after they complete their inspection, they go over it with the buyer or the seller and let them know what repairs are important and what aren’t important. Brad, for example, color-codes his repairs in blue and red ink—minor repairs in blue ink and major repairs in red. This gives each party peace of mind throughout the transaction. If you have any questions about home inspections, don’t hesitate to give me a call. I’m here to help.

Spring cleaning can be a pain, but don’t worry! I have five spring cleaning hacks for your home that will make everything from your baseboards to your oven look like new.  Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleSo, what are five great spring cleaning hacks for your home? Try these:1. Make your blinds look like new. Simply take an old sock and dip it in a solution of equal parts water and white vinegar. Then, take the sock and slide it along each blind until they’re clean.  2. Shine up your shower head. Put a plastic bag filled with white vinegar over the top of your shower head and let it sit for two hours.   Make sure you ventilate your bathroom after using Rain-x to clean your shower door. 3. Keep your glass shower door clean. Spray some Rain-x on it. Many of you might have used Rain-x when cleaning your car windshield or windows, but it works perfectli for a glass shower door as well. Just make sure you ventilate your bathroom after you use it. 4. Clean your oven. Mix equal parts baking soda and water until you have a paste, then coat the bottom of your oven with it and let it sit overnight. Wipe it out in the morning and your oven will look brand new.  5. Clean your baseboards. Wipe them down with water and a rag and use a magic eraser for any dark scuff marks. If you have any tips we can add to this list or if you have any real estate questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Lately we've received a lot of questions about which kinds of homes are selling the fastest in our market. Here's what we're seeing. Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleWhich homes in Decatur do we see sell the fastest?I'm in and out of hundreds of homes every month, and I can tell you that the renovated and updated homes with new appliances, fresh paint, and new carpet seem to sell a lot faster than all other homes on the market.Recently, the average time for a home to sell in the Decatur market was about 130 days. However, some listings that are updated and move-in ready have sold in a week or faster as the spring market heats up. If you're buying a home soon, be sure to have your mortgage pre-approval letter ready, which allows you to jump on a home quickly if you find one you love.If you're thinking about selling your house or you've tried to sell and it didn't work out, consider some of these updates like new carpet or a fresh coat of paint on the walls. As we're seeing, it can make all the difference in getting your home sold. Updated and renovated homes can sell in a week or less in our market. Over the last year, there have been just over 1,000 home sales in the Decatur area and about 497 of them were priced between $50,000 and $125,000. In the $125,000 to $200,000 range, we had 190 sales, making up another big chunk of sales. Only 50 homes between $200,000 and $250,000 sold, and 30 between $250,000 and $300,000. Finally, 36 total homes sold in price points over $300,000.That should give you an idea of how each price point moves, but remember that homes that are updated or renovated are selling quickly regardless of their price point.If you have any questions about our market or you're thinking of selling your house, give us a call or send us an email soon. We're always happy to help!

How has the world of real estate and lending changed since the election? Today I'm joined by mortgage lender Denise Lindsay of CIB Bank to help me explain. Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleToday I'm happy to have Denise Lindsay with CIB Bank with me to discuss the effects of the election on our market.According to Denise, the news has been creating some chaos in the mortgage industry when in reality, there hasn't been any change in the mortgage industry. The biggest change has been a 0.25% increase in interest rates. When the economy is strong, rates go up because they don't need to stimulate the economy like before.Interest rates for a mortgage are actually dictated by the program you choose. For example, you can get a 30-year fixed rate mortgage with a 4.125% interest rate or a 30-year mortgage with a 3.375% interest rate. FHA and VA mortgages have rates as low as 3.5% for 30-year fixed rate mortgages, and rural housing loans have a similar rate.How different is that from before? Despite the chaos you hear in the news, the mortgage industry hasn't changed at all. For a $100,000 house, the difference is an extra $0.21 per $1,000 or about an extra $21 a month on your house payment with rates going up 0.25%. As Denise points out, the news media tends to make a big deal out of it, but it's really not a big deal at all. In fact, Denise says, lending is easier because homebuyers can have a credit score as low as 620 and still buy a house with as little as a 3.5% down payment.If you have any questions about improving your credit, saving for a down payment, or anything relating to preparing for a mortgage, you can call Denise at (217) 460-1588 or email her at Denise.Lindsay@cibbank.com. She can also tell you about some upcoming grant programs in Illinois that can help you buy a home. If you have any questions about the central Illinois market or you're thinking of buying or selling a home, give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to help you!

Today I want to give you a final recap of our 2016 numbers and let you know what's going on in our real estate market so far in 2017.  Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleToday I want to give you an idea of what our real estate market is doing. I’ll go over some numbers from the end of the year last year and give you an update on what’s happening now in 2017. In 2016, the number of sales was down 1.7% compared to the year before, the average sales price was up 3.2%, and inventory was down 10%. However, 2016 was a fantastic year for our team. Our sales were up 22.9%, which is amazing! We couldn’t have done that without your support and business. Thank you so much! In other news, the spring market has already started. People have already started putting their homes on the market, and buyers are already out looking! That probably has something to do with the fact that our weather hasn’t been too cold, and people feel comfortable listing sooner than normal. Nicer weather has kick-started the spring market! We find that houses that are priced right and are move-in ready are selling right away. Buyers want a house that offers the most value and in their eyes, a move-in ready home in their price range is worth snatching off the market.  If you are looking to buy or sell a home, or if you have any questions about real estate in our area, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

If you’re looking to purchase a home, take advantage of these tips for first-time home buyers.  Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleBuying your first home can be overwhelming, so I wanted to give you some tips on how to ensure your home buying process goes as smoothly as possible. The first thing you should do is talk to a local lender and get pre-approved for your mortgage loan, unless you are paying cash for the house. If you end up finding your dream home, you want to have the pre-approval letter ready so you can make an offer right away. Otherwise, you might risk losing it to a more prepared pre-approved buyer. It’s also very important that you know which neighborhood you want to live in. Sure it’s fun to look at all the homes for sale online, especially the ones with pretty pictures, but you want to narrow your search down to the area you are going to feel the most comfortable in. If you’re not quite sure which neighborhood would suit you best, do some driving around and get to know different areas. By doing this, you’ll already know what amenities and highlights the neighborhood offers, so you can focus on finding the perfect house. “ Do some driving around to figure out which area will suit you best. ” When buying, your costs are going to go beyond the purchase price. Be prepared to budget for things like a home inspection, which costs around $400 depending on the size of the home, and a radon test, which costs around $130. Neither the inspection nor the radon testing is mandatory, but they are highly recommended. If you have any other questions please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to help you with any of your real estate needs!

This year was our best ever, and we owe it all to our wonderful clients. Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleWe're proud to say that 2016 has been a great year for our team. In fact, it was our best year ever! We can't tell you how much we appreciate your business and your referrals as we look forward to 2017.  From our team to yours, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This holiday season, we are your North drop off for Toys for Tots! Drop off your toys at 1110 Arbor Drive to help kids enjoy this holiday season.  Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value reportLooking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleToday I just wanted to send you a quick reminder that we are your North drop off for Toys for Tots!  Stop by 1110 Arbor Drive and help kids this holiday season. Drop off your toys and I promise the agents won’t play with them too much! "Drop off your toys at 1110 Arbor Drive." The deadline is approaching, so make sure you stop by as soon as you can.  If you have any questions, just give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to seeing you. Have a very Merry Christmas! 

Today I wanted to review a few of the most common questions I get asked regarding real estate taxes.How do I look up the assessed value of my home? Go online to the Macon County Supervisor Assessments website here. From there, click on the Search Property Information Assessment link. That will take you to a new page with a new menu of options. Among them is the Parcel Inquiry link on the top left. Click on that link and it will take you to a new screen where you just have to type in the address of your home. Once you click ‘search,’ it will pull up all that tax information about your house. You can then see things like how much you have paid, how much is due, and other bits of useful information.How do I know what the assessor’s market value of my home is? There is a part on the website that will say ‘Total Assessed Value.’ That’s the number that you want to look at. In order to determine what the assessor is thinking that your home’s total market value is, you want to multiply that number by three. That is what the assessor is assuming your current market value is. “You can look up the total assessed value of your home online. ” How is my tax payment calculated? From the total assessed value number, subtract out any exemptions that are listed on there. For example, if the house is your primary residence, you’ll likely have a homestead exemption that you’ll be able to subtract from the total assessed value. You may also have a senior freeze or senior homestead exemption that can work to decrease your tax bill. Once you have subtracted any exemptions out, click on what your total tax rate is for your district. Your tax rate is shown in the Tax District tab toward the bottom of the page. If you turn that into a percentage and multiply your assessed value times whatever the result is, that’s how you get your tax bill number.If I don’t agree with my assessment and the amount of taxes that I’m paying, how do I dispute that? Simply go to the Macon County office building, head up to the Supervisor of Assessments office on the fourth floor, and tell them your dispute in person. They will tell you what paperwork you need to fill out and what you need to do to argue those taxes down. The process is well worth it because if you’re justified in your argument, you could end up saving hundreds of thousands of dollars.If you have any other questions about real estate taxes, just give us a call or send me an email. We’d love to help you in any way we can!

Is it really important to have an open house? Honestly, the answer is no. Open houses are not the way to get your house sold in today’s market. Today, buyers view properties on the Internet before they decide to look at the home in person. They look at all of those beautiful, professional photos and then schedule an appointment. The second showing is when the buyer actually comes to see your house in person. Sometimes this can consist of the buyer just driving through your neighborhood to find out if they are even interested in living in the area. Another thing to consider is whether or not you really want strangers to come in through your open house. If someone came to your house today that you didn’t know, would you just let them walk in? Would you let them wander in and check out your closet or medicine cabinet? “Open houses are no longer effective thanks to the Internet. ” When you have an open house, you might have upwards of 10 couples rummaging through your property. Unfortunately, the one agent running your open house cannot be everywhere at once. They cannot follow everyone and ensure that everything is okay. Not only that, most people looking at open houses may not be planning on making a move for another six to 12 months. You want a qualified, serious buyer to be looking at your home, not a bunch of looky-loos. You want someone who is approved by a mortgage company and working with a real estate agent. The National Association of Realtor statistics say that less than 1% of home sales come from an open house. If a serious buyer sees that you are going to have an open house on Sunday, will they really wait until Sunday to look at the house? No! They will call their agent and set up a showing. We do not recommend open houses for our clients. We are looking out for your best interests and your safety. If you have any questions about our marketing strategy for selling your house or about real estate in general, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. My team and I would be happy to help you!