Our Chicago real estate agents Kate Dolan and Mike Cuevas spread their knowledge about real estate in Chicago recently on the Townstone Financial radio show on AM 560 WIND, along with host David Hochberg. We’re proud to share their broadcast with you!
The show can be heard every Saturday from 1-3 pm on AM 560 and gives you an insider’s perspective about the Chicago real estate market from Chicago real estate experts.Our Chicago Real Estate Agents’ Expertise
On the show, Mike and Kate share their collective and extensive expertise on the real estate market in Chicago with David and the show’s listeners. They discuss everything from creating lines of credit, home price valuations and how to get a loan to protecting your credit by selling your home through a short sale. If you are a buyer or seller, there is a ton of valuable information for you, and you can listen to the show below!Mike Cuevas offers a ton of information and his thoughts on Chicago short sales. A huge thing to remember about the short sale market is that it is constantly changing and very popular in Chicago. Many real estate agents are willing to work with you if you are looking to buy or sell a short sale, but you want to ensure that you get one who is extremely familiar with the market and knows how to craft a short sale that is beneficial for the buyer and seller.
Mike became immersed in the short sale market in winter of 2007 and has sold hundreds of short sale properties since. The majority of home owners that were looking to sell their property and worked with Mike managed to avoid foreclosure, get an average of 90% of their debt settled, and walked away from the transaction with no financial consequence remaining.
The short sale market has been steadily increasing since 2007. On the show, Mike says that back in 2008 he closed around 75 short sales, and this year he expects to do over 150. He’s already seeing 15-20 transactions a month and expects that to pick up to 25-30 as the year goes on. We’re highlighting those figures just to make the point again– the short sale market is a rapidly moving and changing part of real estate. If you are looking to be the buyer or seller in a short sale transaction, make sure you are working with an expert.Additional short sale resources:
Short Sale Expectations: Here we present some good info about short sales, like a working definition and facts to know.Tips for Short Sales: Here’s an extremely informative article we found about how to set your expectations properly for a short sale transaction.
Chicago Real Estate Market Recovery: Here we talk about the Federal Housing Tax Credit and how it might help the Chicago real estate market recover; Short sale buyers need to be informed about the market and its movements while they are shopping for Chicago homes for sale.
Also on the show, Kate Dolan shares her market knowledge of North Shore Chicago and suburban residential real estate, and talks about how she helps first time home buyers and people relocating to Chicago find a place that is an appropriate purchase for them. A caller talks about working with Kate and gives her a great review! Kate does what all good Chicago realtors should do, which is to find an appropriate neighborhood for those relocating to the city and to keep them from overpaying for their home.
For first time home buyers, having a realtor like Kate is hugely helpful, especially if you are not familiar with the city. Like Kate says on the show, there used to be “hot neighborhoods” where it would be a great place to invest in a property that would appreciate in the coming years.
But in this market, there’s a deal in every neighborhood that can turn into a great investment. With a buyers market in full swing and such a huge selection of affordable homes, you have to pay even more attention to where you invest, especially if you are considering resale value. If you plan to move in the next few years, having a realtor who knows neighborhoods is key so you buy in an area where you will also be able to sell when the time comes.More first time home buyers’ resources:
Navigating Chicago Real Estate Webisode 1: Learn how to prepare for the home buying process with our first webisode!Navigating Chicago Real Estate Webisode 2: Understand home inspections and their importance along with finding out what to look for on your walk through.
Navigating Chicago Real Estate Webisode 3: Now that your offer has been accepted, check this out for some tips on closing!
Again, having an experienced realtor or agent to help you through any Chicago real estate transaction is a major help. But being informed yourself helps too! Listen to the Townstone Financial show every Saturday from 1-3 pm on AM 560 to stay up to date and hear what all the Chicago real estate experts are saying.
Click here to listen to part 1 of our Chicago real estate agents’ radio appearance.
Click here to listen to part 2 of our Chicago real estate agents’ radio appearance.
