Oak Lawn IL Real Estate News

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.

It’s freezing out and will be colder tomorrow. I have some buyers that don’t want to view properties because of the cold. Weather affects real estate in any state and city that has extreme cold, heat, rain, etc.

However, I am showing Chicago Ridge real estate to a new client tomorrow. I hope the lockboxes aren’t frozen. It’s bad enough to have to go out in inclement weather and it’s worse when you can’t get into a property because of a frozen lockbox.

The seller of the first house on my list told his brokerage that he didn’t want to show it at the time I requested. He asked us to come an hour later. However, I planned this showing based on my buyer’s request and I already had one appointment confirmed. This was the only other house I was showing this buyer. We would have to wait almost an hour after seeing the first property. I told the secretary to tell the seller that we would not be able to wait that long (bad weather or not)! She told me she’d try to get it set.

This particular home has been on the market for 182 days. If this were my home I would do whatever it takes to allow a showing to a potential buyer. But this isn’t the only seller who tried changing my appointment. I simply say, “Sorry, I have many other potential properties to show so we’ll forget about this one.” Most of the time I’m called back with a confirmation at the time I originally set.

Sellers need to keep in mind that many times we’re showing more than one property. We try to show them in a reasonable order and set them up so we can easily drive from one property to the next. When one seller tries to change our appointments, it isn’t always possible for us to do so if other sellers have confirmed. And depending on how far apart the properties are, it just isn’t worth going out of our way back to an area we were already in.

Remember, there is so much inventory out there that if a seller isn’t cooperating with a showing, I just move on to the next home. Buyers have so much to choose from they might never make it back to the home that refused to show. By the way, this seller ended up confirming if I would switch the appointment to be the 2nd one instead of the first. In this case, I was able to easily do so.

If you’d like to view real estate in Chicago Ridge just give me a call at my direct line at 708-536-8200 or use my Contact button here.

I received a phone call the other day from a landlord in Chicago Ridge in response to the two blog posts I made regarding Oak Lawn’s new Landlord Ordinance that you can read here and here. I was told that landlords received a letter in the mail last week telling them about the new rental property ordinance that was passed recently in Chicago Ridge.

The caller claimed it was more stringent and costly than Oak Lawn’s ordinance and was so upset that mention of a class action lawsuit was made. The caller stated that similar class action lawsuits were won in different states against unusually stringent and unfair practices under home rule. I am awaiting a return phone call from a real estate attorney to see if this is something that can be accomplished.

I checked the Internet and the Village of Chicago Ridge website and could not find any information regarding this ordinance. I was able to acquire a pdf of Oak Lawn’s ordinance but cannot even find a mention of this for Chicago Ridge.

So now we have two neighboring villages that have enacted these ordinances. I told the caller about the meeting at the village of Oak Lawn and how only a minority of attendees were against the ordinance, most likely real estate agents/brokers and landlords. Non-landlord residents prefer a strict ordinance for rental properties because they feel it will keep slum landlords and problem tenants under control. They don’t understand the economic crisis it could cause down the road.

As I mentioned in the Oak Lawn posts, they don’t think of the other impact this could have. What about landlords that want to sell their rental property? Single family sales won’t be affected as much as most people purchase to live in the property. But there are still investors of single family residences and whether they’re looking for homes or condos or apartment buildings, these future buyers might stay out of Oak Lawn and Chicago Ridge and purchase in a town that doesn’t have these heavy handed ordinances.

That could mean a tough market for sales of rental properties and some landlords might be forced to walk away from the building. That is not a good thing for the villages. Prices could very well fall for rental properties in Oak Lawn and Chicago Ridge. If there is something negative towards a property then price needs to be lowered to make the property desirable enough to purchase.

I just don’t see these kinds of ordinances to be beneficial to these southwest suburbs. They are too harsh and require more time and money spent on the landlord’s part. Add that to high taxes and ever growing maintenance fees and it’s difficult to justify owning rental properties in these areas.

I wasn’t able to make the meeting regarding the new ordinance for landlords in Oak Lawn but my neighbor goes to all of the meetings.  He told my husband that a lot of REALTORS left “crying,” meaning that the ordinance did pass.  I spoke with a group of Oak Lawn real estate agents and they had a lot of questions.

I tried to answer as many as I could but every landlord and Oak Lawn REALTOR needs to read the ordinance in full.  It’s a lot of reading and it’s difficult to remember every change.  Landlords need to copy the ordinance so they can be assured of compliance.

Only time will tell how this ordinance truly affects landlords and the renting, buying and selling of rental properties in Oak Lawn.  If you’re considering purchasing a rental property or any other home or condo for sale in Oak Lawn feel free to use the Oak Lawn MLS search.  This search will give you every active property currently on the market.  Better yet, fill out my Automated Home Search which will keep you up-to-date with all new active listings via e-mail.
Or call your Oak Lawn REALTOR, Judy Orr, at 708-536-8200.

Today is a bad day for me to be sitting home with a fever, hacking cough, sore throat, runny nose and a raspy, breaking voice. This is the first time I’d like to be at Oak Lawn Village Hall for a governmental affairs meeting. As bad as I feel, I thought I’d at least do something from home, so I’m writing this post.

I was informed about this new ordinance from my association with my local real estate board. I have received several e-mails with a call to action. I was appalled at certain aspects of this ordinance and took the time to send an e-mail to the mayor and other elected officials. You can find their e-mail addresses here.

I not only sell real estate in Oak Lawn but I’m also a resident. I grew up here (as did my husband) and have lived in Oak Lawn, past and present, for many years. This is not about loss of commissions to me, but is about property owner rights.

I’m not going to write the entire ordinance revisions in this post but you can read it in pdf format by clicking here. For many of us it isn’t easy reading with all the legal mumbo jumbo. Of course, the first paragraph reminds us that Oak Lawn is a home rule unit and as such “may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs…”

It then goes on to mention maintenance of property in the village and then specifies rental property. Then it goes to the General Maintenance Regulations. We certainly want property owners to keep their homes and buildings up to code and safe for inhabitants and neighbors. But at what cost?

Look at the addition under Section 104.9 - Inspections authorized. Many towns I sell real estate in have “point of sale” inspections. I don’t know the rules in every single town I sell in, but I don’t know of any suburb (or even the city of Chicago) that requires an annual inspection of rental properties. You have to pay a fee for this but you also have to pay a fee to obtain a Residential Rental License. That’s right, you will now have to be licensed to become a landlord in Oak Lawn. Then you have to have your property inspected every year and will have to pay for that inspection. You might also have to pay for a reinspection after you have paid to make repairs deemed necessary by the inspector.

Another thing is that even your tenants have to deal with this. Sounds like if you’re due for your annual inspection, you must advise your tenant that they have to let the inspector in. If the Code Official is refused access by the owner or tenant, then a search warrant will be issued!

I’m not even going to write PM-106.4 which lists the violation fees that could be collected. Not fun to be a landlord in Oak Lawn anymore (is being a landlord ever really fun)!

I can understand boarding up vacant and condemned buildings. No questions there. There’s an entire section that seems mostly reasonable.

But then you once again read “Rental Occupancy Permits for Residential Units“. I apologize if I misread things but I’m not sure if the annual inspection is in addition to a new rental inspection. But every time you rent to a new tenant you need to pay for an inspection and obtain the permit. In fact, the tenant even has to sign the Rental Occupancy Permit. That’s in addition to your lease.

This ordinance pertains to rentals of single family residences, individual apartments or rooms and condominiums. Keep reading and you’ll finally find the inspection fees. There is something mentioned that if an inspection passes then the building will be exempt from the next four annual inspections. The inspection fee is due whether there is a passing or failing report.

The next point of discern is the Public Nuisance section. Our local real estate board feels that instructions are not as clear cut as they should be. It seems that the property owner could lose a lot of money (besides eviction costs) for renting to a tenant that turns out to be a “public nuisance.”

All in all, our local board questions whether landlords and tenants are given due process by these heavy handed ordinances. Much of the proposal is vague and badly worded. It is questionable that the provisions regarding health and safety inspections fall under Illinois law. Fees sound like they will be repetitive and costly, especially when reinspections are necessary.

I’m Not A Landlord So Why Should I Care?

If such a strict ordinance passes for rental properties, owner occupied properties might be next. A town with such authoritarian ordinances could be affected by making it very difficult to sell rental properties in the village as Oak Lawn will get a negative reputation to prospective landlords.

A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail (a filled out contact form from this website) that was pretty bizarre. It was from a person supposedly from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina who was inflamed about the schools in District 122 not being able to celebrate Christmas. He received some kind of e-mail regarding this and told me he was going to forward this e-mail to everyone on his e-mail list and those people will do the same. I won’t quote his exact words, but he was “spreading the word” so everyone would know about Oak Lawn and what this town was doing.

I thought about it for a while before I responded. First off, he implored me to reverse the decision. I thanked him for his vote of confidence but told him that I, personally, did not have this kind of power. I also chided him for getting so upset over a news story that he obviously didn’t follow up on, as Oak Lawn School District 122 is going to continue observing Christmas, Halloween and Ramadan. He didn’t respond back to me.

His e-mail bothered me so I did a quick search on the subject. I found many blog entries such as this one (note that one of the commenters claims Ramadan is not an actual Muslim holiday). Here’s another blog entry and one more out of many that I could put links to.

I’m not taking sides here but I am just showing my amazement at how quickly news travels and how people have now formed opinions on Oak Lawn IL because of this. It is hard to believe how a blip of a news piece about Oak Lawn Illinois could cause such a furor across the country.

The state has approved the use of these devices and there are plans to install them at 87th & Cicero Ave. in Hometown (might already be there, I’ll have to check) and at 95th and Cicero Ave. in Oak Lawn.  Two different vendors will be installing these.  Other towns with applications for the red-light cameras are Berwyn, Oak Forest, Orland Park, Worth and I’m sure we’ll be hearing about more towns utilizing these photo detection systems.  There are around 50 applications pending.

Towns choose high accident areas to apply for installation of these cameras and it isn’t to catch speed violations but to catch those who run red lights.  Although part of the set-up is in the pavement, the actual cameras will be mounted on poles so should be visible.  They are set to automatically take a picture when an auto enters the intersection after the red light.  Tickets are mailed to the offenders with a fine of $90.00.  And with today’s technology the offender will be able to view their infraction online!  Let’s see, we could call it “Look What You Did Tube.

What is interesting to me is that these already exist in many towns that were not part of the state’s jurisdiction.  This is the wave of the future and many more will be installed with a goal of having these cameras at 10% of all intersections with traffic signals by 2010.  Red light runners, beware!

17 Year Cicada

Originally uploaded by Zerp

Oak Lawn real estate is one of the top sales areas in the southwest suburbs with more total residential properties sold in 2006 (821 total properties) than in Orland Park (791 total properties), another popular suburb. But I have only found one actual cicada in my Oak Lawn backyard.

I know anyone that lives and drives around in the suburbs have been bombarded by these insects, especially when driving through the forest preserve areas such as in Palos Park. So cicadas must prefer specific areas over others.

I saw on the news the other day that one criteria for their selection of where they’ll emerge is where they were 17 years ago and one of the determinants for this is surrounding construction that disrupts their “habitat.” So it only makes sense that since they love trees they’re going to be around forest preserves more than developed cities, although they can be found all over.

My son, grandkids & I visited a Palos Park walking trail last week and my son almost wouldn’t get out of his van (he hates bugs). The cicadas were flying all over, especially in the parking lot and at the trail entrance. However, once we got onto the actual path it wasn’t bad at all. My son calmed down after a bit.

I’m not a lover of bugs but it seems they are pretty harmless. I will say that with their flying around and their size, if they hit you it is definitely felt. In fact, I swear I felt a little pinch when one landed on my leg. I have never had to wash my windshield so much!

I keep trying to explain to my 4 year old grandkids that they won’t see these again for another 17 years but I don’t think they understand. Sounds like we have about 2 more weeks of the invasion but I actually think I’ll miss them, and I also don’t like to think how old I’ll be the next time they arrive.