Oak Lawn IL Real Estate News

I don’t normally post anything like this in such a local blog, especially since it is geared toward real estate professionals. But I recently joined a contest called The Greatest Real Estate Agent in the World. I didn’t enter as an individual but joined a group of ten. We won!

Because we were a group we decided to offer the prize up for raffle. This is where non-real estate professionals will not benefit, but this is such a good cause I felt the need to mention it. Anyone can join but the winner must be a real estate agent. The prize is a real estate website package that is worth close to $5,000. Maybe you know a real estate agent that would want to join the raffle or just donate yourself and give the prize to a friend or family member that is in the business (or me)!

The raffle is for The Eco Preservation Society and is geared to saving the Mono Titi’s, which are darling little squirrel monkeys in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is the latest hot spot for real estate and the building is depleting the natural animal habitat in this flourishing country.

Raffle tickets are $35.00 each or 4 for $100.00. This is for a great and legitimate cause. You can read more about it by clicking on: Save the Monkeys of Costa Rica Raffle.

Photo courtesy of Flickr photos and provided by christinamcraft

Alsip Single Family Homes Sold 

Alsip had a large drop in the number of single family homes sold from 2006 to 2007 of 34.2%.  Prices dropped 5.9%.  Based on this information Alsip sellers need to realize that appraisers are going to pick up on this downward trend and will base their appraisals on this information.  I’ve seen low appraisals happening already in other towns so a home must be priced at today’s market value, not the value of several years ago during the robust Seller’s Market.

Alsip Condos and Townhomes Sales Statistics

There was a larger drop with attached properties in Alsip.  The amount of units sold dropped 39.5% from 2006 to 2007.  Prices also dropped 9.5%.

Compare Alsip real estate sales statistics for the past 3 years by clicking on the link.

If you compare with other towns, each one is different.  Some towns actually had price increases.  Some had decreases in single family homes but increases in the condo/townhouse market.  Those of us in the real estate business like to remind people that real estate is local.  These individual city statistics give the local reality.

How low will Alsip IL real estate prices go?  Are we at the bottom of the price decrease?  No one can predict what 2008 will bring although I have had a much slower start to this year than in 2007.  Predictions are that the 3rd or 4th quarter of the year will pick up but that is our normal slow down time, when the school year begins followed by winter and holidays. 

If you are thinking of buying and/or selling Alsip real estate give Judy Orr a call at 708-536-8200 or use my contact form.

Let me preface the article I’m going to share by saying every state has different disclosure laws relating to the selling of real estate. I was introduced to an interesting lawsuit regarding a home sale where the new buyer realized that his next door neighbor was mentally ill and troublesome. He feels that this situation should have been disclosed to him by the seller.

The seller lived in this home for almost 6 years and although he wouldn’t choose to live next to this 40 something woman who yells obscenities and actually threw potatoes at him a few days prior to the closing of the sale, he didn’t feel it necessary to disclose this to the buyer. In fact, he has called the police on this neighbor in the past and there were so many complaints made against this woman (by other people) that someone in the police station wondered if her residence was an apartment building.

The buyers are now suing the seller for not disclosing this fact. The seller is suing his real estate agent who supposedly told the seller this was not a fact that needed to be disclosed. The seller states that he was worried about whether to disclose or not and followed his agent’s advice. The agent states he never told the seller not to disclose this.

But there is more at issue here than disclosing such a nuisance. Is it truly required by law? In my opinion, and I am not an attorney nor acting as one, the way I read Illinois law this would not have to be disclosed. In fact, a question that comes up in all states is that disclosing something like this could actually be discriminating against this individual’s rights as a protected class. Mentally ill individuals fall into the Handicap/Disability class.

I hope I can keep track of this lawsuit as the outcome will be very interesting. I’ll need to see if I can find Arizona’s laws regarding seller disclosure to see if they’re the same as Illinois disclosure laws. For the record, our Residential Real Property Disclosure Report only covers material aspects of a residential property. There isn’t any line to initial regarding neighbors, noise, traffic, etc.

It is also my opinion that buyers need to do some investigating on their own. The Internet can alert you to convicted child molesters. You can call the local police department to ask about crime stats and I’m assuming if you asked about the block you’re considering moving to they could give you information. I’ve worked with some buyers that knocked on neighbors doors and asked them questions about the area or the actual home they were considering purchasing.

But most buyers don’t do any of these things. When something comes up that wasn’t a material defect of the home they are quick to blame the seller and/or listing agent for not disclosing the problem. In some cases the selling agent (the agent that worked with the buyer) also gets sued because they should have known about the issue (very difficult to prove in court).

I’ve had my own neighbor problems

This lawsuit has created many online discussions. I once lived next to teenagers in another Oak Lawn home that shouted obscenities from their bedroom window. I had never done anything against these kids.

One day the homeowner’s father (the homeowner was a divorcee) came over telling me to trim the bushes that were apparently mine (I didn’t plant them) that were sticking out in her backyard. He said leaves and branches from these bushes were littering her yard. I told him if his grandsons didn’t run into my yard by squeezing through these bushes to bother my kids the debris might not be there. He was dumbfounded. I also told him about the unprovoked swearing.

This man tole me that he complained to the Village of Oak Lawn and was told I need to take care of the issue. I called to double check as I couldn’t imagine going into my neighbor’s yard to trim bushes and/or clean up branches. I called the village to double check and was told that I was not liable to trim hedges in my neighbor’s yard and in fact was told that I shouldn’t do it as I would legally be trespassing.

I couldn’t wait to see this man again to tell him that I checked with the village myself so that I could show him I caught him in a lie. Again, he didn’t have much to say. I never had any dealings with them again and only lived there for a few years, thank goodness. I didn’t disclose these altercations to my buyers, although we didn’t have disclosure forms back then.

I had problems with my young neighbors in my current Oak Lawn home that I posted about here. The dog is no longer an issue. But if it was still there would I have to disclose? It is not a material defect of my property.

You can read the details of the pending lawsuit here. Really makes you think!

Last year I wrote about dogs off the leash in Oak Lawn. The good news about that story is that the pit bull that lived next door to us in an unfenced yard moved elsewhere and we haven’t had any further problems. But something happened today that made us call 911.

Our little Japanese Chin dog, Bubba, had been outside in our fenced yard. We have a five foot chain link fence behind a 6 foot privacy fence. However, with the last bad storm that had heavy winds, a huge section of the privacy fence got blown down and was ruined. So we have an opening of the wood privacy fence but the 5 ft. chain link fence is intact.

Thank goodness we were in the kitchen and could hear Bubba screaming. It was no longer barking, it was shrill shrieking. My husband let him in and said there was a dog in our neighbor’s yard. Our neighbor does not have her yard fully fenced, only the fences on either side that belong to us and her other neighbor with the alley in back.

Our little Bubba doesn’t like other dogs (besides our Pekingese Gizmo) so we thought he was just irritated that this strange dog was running loose. However, when we brought him in he acted like he was hurt and was dragging his rear. We couldn’t figure out how he would have gotten hurt unless he hurt his back from maybe jumping up on the fence. We couldn’t figure how one of the dogs could have actually bit him through the fence.

Then my husband saw another dog and as we were looking out the window we saw it crawl up the fence like a monkey and jump into our yard! My husband knew Gizmo was outside by himself and rushed out as this dog was a pit bull. However, the dog did not attack Gizmo and they were just looking at each other.

I called 911 and told them what happened and were trying to look Bubba over because we think he did get bit. We couldn’t find anything and he started walking normally.

When the animal control unit finally made it to our house they explained they had already picked up the dogs and knew them as this wasn’t the first time these dogs got out. I told him I was worried because my 5 year old granddaughter lives with us and plays in the yard. He assured us that the dogs are friendly and have never attacked anyone or another animal before.

In fact, as my husband and I talked about it, we figured this pit bull heard Bubba barking and climbed the fence to check him out. Bubba was protecting his territory and even though he’s tiny he went after the pit bull (we didn’t see it happen so this is just a theory). The pit bull bit Bubba, maybe as Bubba backed away since it seemed his rear was hurting him.

Either way, these dogs should not have been running loose and it’s their luck they jumped in a yard with little dogs and not some huge rottweiler or other pit bulls. Animal control told us they were going to cite the owners and once again explain to them that they need to keep the dogs in their yard and offered them some solutions.

The funny thing is that in my other story a similar thing happened to my daughter with a different pit bull. She wasn’t fearful and tried walking the dog home, even though she didn’t know where home was. She saw the dog climb over his fence about a block away and she couldn’t believe it could do that. We figured this must be the same dog but the animal control officer told us it wasn’t. I never heard of pit bulls climbing fences but now we’ve met two that do right here in Oak Lawn. This means that if a pit bull is chasing you and you jump over a fence you can’t necessarily feel safe.

Petey’s Bungalow Lounge ~ Oak Lawn, IL. 2006 Originally uploaded by Roberto41144

The other night I worked late showing properties and didn’t feel like cooking. My husband and I walked down the street to TGIF in Oak Lawn but it was a 45 minute wait. It’s not my favorite place so I definitely didn’t want to wait.

We were trying to think of where to go when my husband mentioned Petey’s Bungalow. So that’s where we went.

We don’t dine out too much and when it comes up we’re always at a loss and sometimes resort to Oak Lawn Restaurant, which is fine for last minute dining.

I dined at Petey’s last year with some friends but it was a long enough time ago that I forgot that they serve relish dishes prior to your dinner such as beets, macaroni salad, a veggie/olive plate and cottage cheese.

I ordered Chicken Vesuvio which was such a large portion (especially after the appetizers, salad and bread) that I had the rest for lunch today and could barely finish it. Dessert is part of the dinner, too, and we couldn’t pass up spumoni ice cream.

Petey’s has been in Oak Lawn since I can remember (we moved to Oak Lawn in 1963). There is a lounge area and the dining room that reminds you of sitting in a real dining room at someone’s home.

This restaurant is an Oak Lawn icon and when you think of restaurants that have come and gone, it’s so great to realize that this is truly an area landmark.

I just tried setting up several Oak Lawn condominiums for sale and was waiting to hear from the listing office about the one unit as it was the first on my list. I waited longer than I should have and was ready to call the office to see if there was a problem.

The office called me before I had the chance to tell me that a contract was accepted. I was surprised as it’s been rare to not be able to show something for quite some time because an offer was accepted. That’s good news!

There are still plenty of condos for sale in Oak Lawn so my buyers will have plenty to choose from. Obviously, the one we missed was priced correctly for today’s market, and that’s what it takes to get a property sold. Once again, any property will sell in any market if it’s priced correctly.

I am busy showing properties all weekend and the Spring season hasn’t started yet so I am optimistic about the coming selling season.

There is certainly a much higher amount of inventory available this year compared to the same time last year. Last year was a record year for me. I was Agent of the Year in our very competitive office of over 100 heavy hitter agents that have joined Classic Realty Group from Re/Max, Realty Executives, Coldwell Banker, Century 21 and many other top franchise companies and other independent brokerages.

I hired a personal assistant to help me try to keep up with all of the paperwork I handle and do my mailings for me. I also partnered up with another long-time Coldwell Banker agent, Susan O’Halloran. Susan and I have formed a team and are listing properties with no problem. New listings continue coming up on market, but available buyers are not keeping up. It’s simply a true example of supply and demand.

I’m very busy showing properties, but it’s difficult getting buyers to commit. I have a contract waiting in line for a property being sold as a short sale and we’ve waited over a month now just to hear if we have a chance (among 3 other offers). I have one buyer who is still contemplating between two homes he likes almost equally.

These buyers did not act immediately in narrowing down their search or writing up an offer. I have shown more properties this year than normal, because buyers want to make sure they’re not missing anything.

Buyers Can Quickly Figure Out Which Homes Are Overpriced

My buyers and I can view three properties and know which one(s) is overpriced compared to the others. That home will be passed by. Why? Because there are enough homes priced right that a buyer doesn’t want to bother writing up a contract on those that aren’t.

And for the properties that are priced correctly, bids are coming in low. Buyers are testing each seller just to see how low they’ll go. It shouldn’t be taken personally, it’s just a business deal. Buyers are constantly reading the news about decreasing prices and they don’t want to overpay.

They also hear stories about people that bought a couple of years ago that now own homes that aren’t worth what they paid for them. This is scaring today’s home buyers. They don’t want to be in the same boat.

Some Sellers Don’t Seem to Understand

They’re still in a different market where buyers would bid on an overpriced property because there wasn’t as much to choose from. It is completely different today. I’ve seen buyers walk away from one property because they didn’t like the paint or some other easily fixed item. They can be pickier than ever because of the amount of homes on the market.

A Home Sitting On The Market For A Year Or More Is a Seller That Doesn’t Really Want or Need to Sell

I can’t believe some of the market times I’m seeing lately. Close to a year, more than a year, more than two years! I’m seeing sellers moving from one brokerage to the next, complaining about the inefficiencies of each of the myriad agents they’ve used. Sure, it’s very easy to blame an agent when a home doesn’t sell, even if the agent was adamant that the asking price was too high (but still took the listing).

So if you truly do want to sell, you need to accept the market we’re in right now. Not last year, not 2-3 years ago, not five years ago. That doesn’t matter to the fewer buyers out there. They’re out looking right now. You need to price your home based on today’s market values. A correctly priced home will sell in any market.

If you’d like to find out what your property is worth in today’s market give me a call at 708-536-8200. I stand by my motto - If I can’t sell your home, NOBODY can!

I’m sure every town has some kind of landlord ordinance on the books. Click the links to read about the Oak Lawn Landlord Ordinance that passed and the Chicago Ridge Landlord Ordinance. As a REALTOR who embraces the Internet, I network with many other agents throughout the world.

One of the sites I network on is called Active Rain (AR). My AR profile is here. There is a general blogging platform for everything real estate and more and there is also a Localism section, where I have contributed some Oak Lawn information.

So when I was skimming through posts the other day I noticed a post titled: Rental Inspection Ordinance! Does your city have this? It was posted by a broker, Johnny Davis, from Leesburg, Fl and the city the post is about is Mt. Dora, Florida. Of course, compared to our strict ordinances, the Mt. Dora ordinance doesn’t seem bad at all.

In fact, Johnny was surprised at Oak Lawn’s ordinance and it probably softened the blow of the ordinance he was talking about. If you read the post you’ll see Johnny’s final comment on the city council meeting which put the ordinance back on the block for now. Unfortunately, that did not happen in Oak Lawn or Chicago Ridge.

I don’t know what made me start thinking about the fun times I had as a teenager shopping at Evergreen Plaza, but a wave of nostalgia swept over me. Maybe it was because I was eating a mini burger rolled up like a ball that made me think of Wimpy’s Restaurant, named after the hamburger eating friend of Popeye.  Their burgers were typical flat burgers but as I was eating mine I somehow thought about the many laughs my friends and I shared eating at Wimpy’s.  I feel sorry for the waitresses, although I think we always left a tip.

I can’t remember the last time I shopped at The Plaza.  If we didn’t eat at Wimpy’s we would sometimes eat at Jansen’s Hot Dog Shop.  And we loved creating our own sundaes at, I think, Demmlers (or something that started with a D).

My Mom used to take me to The Plaza when it was an uncovered mall.  I barely remember the time my Mom and my friend’s Mom shopped there and we got lost and actually crossed a street.  Thank goodness we were found.

As a teenager living in Oak Lawn, we would take the bus, usually at 95th & Cicero or Kostner to the Plaza.  There were so many stores and I’ll always fondly remember the shoe store that had a slide to the downstair area that also had some kind of horses that you could sit on, like carousel horses without the carousel.

Then Ford City was built and became popular and I think we started going there more.  Again, it had many shops, especially when the lower level was opened.  We usually took a bus there, too, and it was a bit closer.

Over the years, other malls were built such as Westfield Mall in Chicago Ridge and Orland Park mall.  I still shop in Ford City Mall once in a while but I usually go to Westfield Mall since it’s closer.  In fact, I hate shopping so it’s no longer the thrill it used to be when I was much younger.

But the mall that invokes such happy memories is still The Plaza in Evergreen Park.  It’s a very popular piece of Evergreen Park real estate located at 95th & Western Ave.

As I was driving down 95th Street in Oak Lawn I was dismayed to notice that our beloved car wash located around 95th & Menard has changed their big sign.  Instead of $3.00 Car Wash in big letters it now reads $5.00 Car Wash.  I guess I knew it was inevitable.

I remember driving to the car wash in Bridgeview at 79th & Harlem for a near $3.00 wash (that one has increased over the years, I’ll have to check where it’s at now).  I was elated when the full service detailing place in Oak Lawn offered $3.00 washes and in the beginning the washes were advertised at $1.99 to entice new customers!

This is not a touch-free wash.  This has all the stuff of the old fashioned car washes that have these huge rag things that I just found out are called mitter curtains.  My granddaughter was frightened the first time we went through because she’s only been to touch-free car washes in the past.

One of the last times I went through my husband paid extra for a wheel wash.  Unfortunately, it was so powerful that paint came off some of the lower door trim.  This was trim replaced from an accident but now I’m left having to get it repainted.  It only happened on the accident side so I’m sure the trim was not original and that’s why it happened.  But beware of that tire wash if you’ve had exterior replacement parts.

This facility still offers full service detailing but for an automatic wash the price has increased almost 67%!  If anyone knows of cheaper car wash facilities in the southwest suburbs please share them here.