Thanksgiving 2010

It's early morning the day before Thanksgiving. Here I sit in my office, contemplating the best way to make the next move on getting the short sale files I'm working on closer to the desired completion. Today I find myself abundantly aware of how many lives are in limbo as we wait for the bank's approval. We have done everything we can and we should have received our approval by now, long before now, but we wait. Last week one of the bank's negotiators was out due to illness - there are some really unpleasant "bugs" going around right now - but for us, we feel frustrated almost beyond reason that here we sit another week with no approval. The sellers are needing to move forward into the rental we have helped arrange for them, their four children and their beloved family pet. Last night we spoke just to give them the update of the moment and I learned they were on their way out to get their turkey for tomorrow. We anticipate the short sale approval either today or next week, with their move to their lovely rental home sometime the first week of December. Are you following the timeline? So, with work, life, four children, an unresolved short sale, an impending move, and turkey to prepare for Thanksgiving in a home that is partially packed up and ready to move, this amazing family still had the time to congenially talk with me, allowing me to give them the update...even though it was not the report I know they wanted. I know when they saw my name come up on their caller i.d. their heart skipped a beat, wondering if I was calling with the bank approval. The bank has declined 3 other really good offers on this same property, and finally on the last one when they gave their approval, the buyer had gotten tired of waiting so they walked. Does this seller client of mine have reason to be pushed nearly to their limit? Yes indeed! But they keep hanging in there and have been model citizens, doing every single thing I've asked of them in record time so we can be totally responsive to the bank providing any information they ever request. So why have I launched into this tale today, the day before Thanksgiving?  It is this family and all the others like them with whom I have had the opportunity to work this past year I'm feeling particularly thankful for on this day before Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the opportunity to work with them, to help them in a time they did not anticipate when they first bought the home they thought was going to be their family home for a good long time. Then, the economy of the past few years, medical bills, and other issues previously unexpected came about in their lives and they found themselves in good company with the millions of other homeowners who found themselves upside down, financially in trouble, and needing to find their way out from under the mess of things. Another agent I spoke with the other day told me she was not going to get involved in these short sales because they are a headache. Are you kidding me? I tried to respond in a calm and unaffected manner but inside all I could think was 1) since short sales and foreclosures are a huge percentage of our business at the current time why would you not want to be working where the most business is if you are a career Realtor and 2) some of us have prepared our whole career to be savvy enough to be able to help people navigate through this mess of a market. Now is when some of us get to do what we do best - get people where they need to be and away from where they do not. So, yes, short sales are a headache for everyone, and yes, I am profoundly grateful for every person who has permitted me the honor of being a part of their process in extricating them from a messy, encumbered life, into a more peace-filled and hopefully joy-filled life where every time the phone rings they are not afraid to answer it for fear of it being their banker threatening foreclosure, or a bill collector trying to get that last pound of flesh. I am also thankful to still be standing. This market has done many of my fellow real estate professionals in, helping them along to realize their greater good in another field. I've done this a long time and am grateful to still be able to be doing what I do the way I do it. Besides, after all these years as a real estate broker I guess I would be hard pressed to retrain myself for a new adventure. Time will tell, but for now, here I am. Kay Russell, your Realtor, your short sale "go to" gal, your advocate, and greatest supporter. Sending wishes to all I know and to those I look forward to knowing for a grateful, joy-filled Thanksgiving.

Baby Hummingbird Rescued

Need to take a moment to view a "feel good" video? Click on this. Amazing how this guy nurtures this tiny hummingbird back to wellness after being attacked. This really is sweet, good music, too. I'd like to think that just as this guy reached out to help this little hummingbird, so would we each reach out to help one another when we need it most. Anyway, enjoy!

http://www.wimp.com/babyhummingbird/

Short Sale Thoughts or Kay's Short Sale Rant of the Day

I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time on the phone talking with my seller clients who are going the Short Sale route trying to give them comfort in the process, offer them some tiny amount of hope that all will be well. The seller client may be different from call to call, but the conversation is nearly always the same.  Even though my Short Sale Negotiation Team is top notch, and I really mean that - they are amazing, it still takes heroic efforts on everyones' part to get these Short Sales done. What is the biggest stumbling stone? The banks. We submit detailed market analyses on all the properties, really hone in as if by crystal ball to give an insightful and accurate property value in this crazy market we have been "enjoying" the past few years. Then, the bank orders a BPO (broker price opinion) which sometimes is done "spot on" but many times we are seeing the BPOs come in at some blue sky high value that just is not going to happen in this market and the bank counters any current offer with some crazy high number. Buyer walks. We start over again. We get another contract, submit it to the bank. Bank takes their sweet time (ok, I acknowledge they are over burdened with files on a bazillion properties that are trying to go Short Sale to avoid Foreclosure) but seriously, we are waiting months, in far too many cases, for a response sometimes. I thought that was supposed to be speeding up. Hmm. Did I hear something about the government issued an edict that turnaround time on these files was supposed to speed up? OK, I'll not launch that argumentative grenade for now...by the time we finally get a response from the bank, many times the buyer has moved on since not everyone can put their lives on hold forever. Yes, the banks are in a very bad spot (no, we are not going to go down that line of conversation right now either, because this is one area just about everyone seems to already be in agreement on - let's sum it up to say we are all frustrated with the whole mess). I've been doing these Short Sales long enough now, with my team of expert negotiators, who by the way have taught me so much just interacting with them, that I really do "get" the process, the flow of things, the rhythm (actually sometimes in the lack of rhythm or a disjointed rhythm you can find a certain flow which may seem to the dear one who is sitting around waiting for some good news, any good news, like nothing is happening but those of us inside the transaction know things are happening albeit in a jagged, walking on shards of glass kind of experience, but things are happening) and all the while to our treasured clients (I'm very serious here - if anyone does not believe I treasure my clients then they have just not spent the time to get to know me or have not been paying attention) it feels like they have been abandoned by the world, well certainly by their lender. Why we all did not see this chaotic market coming I don't know. When you look at the history of it all, and think back on taking out a 100% mortgage and also running a home equity loan up to the max, we might have considered that it might not have been the best plan but with the appreciation we were experiencing, the prospect of being able to make money while providing a roof over your head, well, it's pretty powerful stuff.

As a seller, when you are going short sale: "It is what it is" can become your friendly mantra to help you through many of the situations that will arise in the process. If you are working with an agent who is committed to the process and to your best interest, is experienced in successfully closing short sales, has a brilliant negotiator on the team who is tenacious under all circumstances, then you are on the right path. Remember, no one has much influence over your bank. The bank is going to do what the bank is going to do but a great team can help usher the process along in a better direction for you. We are your advocates. Some experiences with banks are actually pretty good. They really do work with you and have responsive file managers on their end who function from a point of reality (big cheers for those).

If that is not your situation, and you have drawn the lot of the file manager who just does not seem to get it, then it's absolutely imperative you have an agent on your side and a great short sale negotiating team to work on your behalf. Besides, you have no idea how important it is to have your agent be able to decipher what all is going on and to tell you when it's really time to panic. Face it, a seller going through the Short Sale process usually feels pretty panic stricken the whole way through. Granted, it's not as much fun as going hand in hand down to Dairy Queen but there are times in a Short Sale transaction when the most important thing to do is to do nothing, to be patient even when it does not seem to make sense. A good agent will be able to tell you when those times are. A good agent will also be able to tell you when it's time to panic.

Also, remember that these Short Sales are time intensive on the part of your agent and their team. Most usually we end up doing about 3-4 times the amount of work in time and effort than on a regular transaction so if you call your agent and they just seem like they don't have time to chit chat - well, they don't. Every minute they are on the phone with you is one more minute they are not able to be pushing to get the bank to respond appropriately. Does that sound cold? I sure don't mean for it to, but in the context of this conversation and subject, let's be realistic. We are trying to fight for your ability to walk away from this as a whole person with the hope of restoring credit in a reasonable time and manner. This is crunch time people. Let's be honest about that. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than getting the short sale closed with my seller client walking away, no deficiency judgment, and able to start life fresh. Now that's when my sellers and I are ready and able to settle down for some fun moments together. That's when we can take time to smell the roses. Granted, there is an appropriate amount of consultation that needs to happen between listing agent and short sale seller client, but if you can possibly accept the fact that these banks move slowly and whatever you spoke with your agent about yesterday is not likely going to change overnight or even in days. The ideal arrangement for all parties is for the seller to find some way to remain calm and not panic over the seeming lack of activity (trust me, if your agent is really good at this there's plenty of activity - it's like the duck swimming on the water where it looks really smooth on the surface but underneath that duck is paddling like crazy) and just find a way to come to grips with the reality that you will be getting an email update every week letting you know where the bank is at in their process...or where they are not yet at, which is more often the case. Of course, the human relations aspect of things welcome a real live phone call between you and your agent maybe once a week or every other week unless there is something specific to address. However, let's manage expectations. For you to call your agent and expect that they are, as if by magic, going to be able to predict what the bank will be deciding and when they will make a decision is simply frustrating for you as a seller (because that agent is not honestly going to be able to predict anything the bank is going to do) and it is going to simply add to the potential feeling of hopelessness most Short Sale sellers experience. Then, there is the emotion of anger - "How did this happen to me?!" That is perhaps the most common one I help people through, or at least let them talk themselves through. Just remember, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not a train....well, almost never is it a train. I've had some pretty challenging situations which my team and I have successfully gotten our seller clients through. I've got one right now that is challenging me to my core and if I could come face to face with the bank file manager on this one it would take everything I have to keep it civil, but I still think we're going to get it done for my seller clients.  If the buyer will just be patient on this one just a few more days I really truly think we'll get this one done, even though several times I've almost had to get out the paddles (you know, like on the tv hospital shows when they scream "CLEAR!" and zap the patient with the paddles trying to revive him).

One thing is certain in this market. As you stand in line at the grocery store, or in your work place with your colleagues, wherever you find yourself standing, stop a moment, take a breath, and just look around. I can assure you, you have no idea what the person next to you or across the room from you is going through right now, but I can almost guarantee that they are going through something. Something full of pain and confusion. Just about everyone I have encountered these past few years has a tortured night of the soul type of story about their own life experience now or in the past few years. So, when someone is snappy with you, or is not giving you what you think you need in this new moment to find that joy everyone is seeking, just remember this. It does not seem to matter how much money they have (or had) or how little, this market has touched every strata. The angriest, most frustrated person who is acting out right before your very eyes may well have just learned that their third short sale buyer has "walked" because the bank took so long to respond, or else the bank countered a perfectly correct offer price (based on market value) with some pie in the sky price that no appraiser could actually prove (another time we'll talk about drive-by BPOs - yeah, you people in the industry know just what I'm talking about - grrrr) and now this homeowner is yet one step closer to foreclosure.

Thanks for taking this ride with me while I rant. For all my short sale fellow warriors, be you agent, client, or the dear one who is just realizing the fear that is welling up in their gut telling them they may not be able to keep their house, hold the hope that tomorrow there is a brighter day because usually there is. Remember I am here, doing what I do, every day, ready to help guide you, encourage you, and instantly able to seek guidance from people way smarter than me when I run into some new thing that I just don't know how to solve myself. We are all surrounded by amazing resources. With my length and depth of experience in the real estate industry I have built quite a support infrastructure, and when I moved over to Keller Williams Realty I was surprised to learn how many additional resources became available to me. Did you know Keller Williams is the third largest real estate company in the USA? Seriously. I had no idea. I guess I'd just been too busy doing business and living life to keep track of that sort of thing. It is mentioned now simply because I am grateful to be in such a supportive, inspiring company which instills a high level of excellence in all things. Speaking of which, it's time to sign off for now as I get about the business of doing excellent work today. You bank short sale negotiators out there, after a good night's rest I'm back at it this morning, as is my team, and we're coming back to you at full force. My sellers? Hang in there. As ever, I'm at work this new day. Let's get good work done. Next time I'll talk about buyers who are buying short sales. Now that's a whole other layer of counseling involved in that process.

Have a great day - you deserve it! And remember, if you want to jot me a note, feel free. If you want to keep it private, just email me at russellgroup1@yahoo.com.

5 Foreclosure Myths - BUSTED!

Here is the link to a blog that gives some good information about FORECLOSURE MYTHS. Foreclosure is either an active topic or a topic that is being avoided as if to not discuss or think about it, then it will not come knocking on your door. Check this out. For many, this offers good news. Enjoy this "read" and now I'm heading out into the day, working on getting 5 Short Sales done, hoping to help these families avoid foreclosure. If you are facing foreclosure, or are worried about the reality of where you are at, give me a call or shoot me an email. No fear. It is what it is and we can work through it together.

5 MORE Foreclosure Myths - BUSTED!

Freeze On Foreclosures?

To read an update on the freeze on foreclosures mess in the USA check this out...if we don't already have enough financial messes going on in this country, now this....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39486787/ns/business-real_estate/

This Month In Real Estates: Sept. 2010

Which states have the highest foreclosure rates? Are you thinking about buying a foreclosure property? Then check this out...

Child Prodigy Artist Is 8 Years Old!

Have you read all about the 8 year old artist in Holt, England whose works are selling all over the globe? In an interview reprinted on Yahoo.com the artist, young Kieron Williamson, was asked if he had any advice for all of his followers. His response was something we all could embrace, "Never give up. Try and keep your buildings straight. Don't do a plain blue sky." These were the words of wisdom from young Kieron. To read, view a video, and see more about this intriguing young man, who has been dubbed the next Picasso, visit and enjoy his website:

http://www.kieronwilliamson.com

If you want to chat with me about this phenom, just let me know http://GoRussellRealtor.com

I'm inspired, dazzled, and amazed by this young, accomplished artist and his words of wisdom speak to me..."Never give up. Try and keep your buildings straight. Don't do a plain blue sky." I think for today I'm absolutely NOT GOING TO DO A PLAIN BLUE SKY!

Housing Market Worse Than You Think

Just when you think, hope things are improving based upon some moderately cheerful news report....well, click on this link if you want to find out more about what's going on, and where we are in the whole process of recovery.

http://www.dsnews.com/articles/us-housing-market-is-in-worse-shape-than-you-think-altos-research-2010-07-30

As ever, if you want to check in with a full-time career professional Realtor, please just email me at russellgroup1@yahoo.com, or call me at 630-513-3810.

Tree House Made Of Glass In The Forest!

Did you read about the tree house in Sweden built out of glass? If you're interested in "Living Green" and seeing an amazing structure built out of glass, as well as maybe finding your next totally amazing vacation spot, check it out:

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/guest_bloggers/56/almost-invisible-mirrored-tree-house-built-in-sweden.html

For more details on real estate plus links for all sorts of helpful things visit me at
http://GoRussellRealtor.com

Need A Diversion?

This is really intriguing! If you like dolphins and are interested in seeing them do something new, click the link. It's worth it. http://wimp.com/dolphinbubbles/

JP Chase Morgan Posts Profit for Q2!

This, just in today's business news, may be of interest. If JP Chase Morgan is posting a profit I can't wait to hear what Bank of America and the other "big guys" report today. Here's the link to the article.


http://www.dsnews.com/articles/jpmorgan-chase-posts-48-billion-profit-for-q2-2010-07-15


If you want to talk about it, or see how this may impact you and what's going on in your life right now, feel free to give me a call, or email me at russellgroup1@yahoo.com, or if you just want to check out my website and see what's going on there, visit
http://GoRussellRealtor.com

Short Sales Gone Wild!

We've been really busy working the Short Sale market. Crazy! Today I just got an offer in on another property that is going the Short Sale route. Luckily, I have an experienced short sale negotiating team in place which makes the whole process efficient and as smooth as possible. We have a high success rate. You may ask, though, "What is a short sale?"

In the past when people have purchased a home, especially say between 2005 and 2007, they paid a price according to the market at that time. That buyer may also have taken advantage of getting a 100% financed loan, which many lenders were offering. The thought behind that was that since property values kept going up, a buyer could purchase a property, hold it for a few years, then sell it and realize a profit, pay off that 100% loan and still be ok, ready to move on to the next purchase. Well, then property values dropped. A lot. Then, as the economy eroded and people lost jobs, or lost income, or perhaps health issues came up...any number of hardships which caused those homeowners to be unable to keep up with their mortgage payments, another issue came up and that was how to get out from under the mortgage they could no longer afford. Welcome to the world of short sales.

If a homeowner truly can prove a hardship and the value of their home has dropped beneath what they owe for it, and they are falling behind on their payments, before the homeowner loses the house to foreclosure we, in real estate, can try and help them qualify for a short sale, market the home, get that homeowner out from under that heavy burden. Many people who have had to go the short sale route had previously tried to get a loan modification done but were unsuccessful for a variety of reasons. A short sale on your record is not as damaging as a foreclosure or a bankruptcy. We can help the homeowner determine if they might qualify to do a short sale.

Where did the phrase short sale come from? If the property is selling for less than is owed to the bank, and the bank agrees to let that happen, then the bank is selling themselves short....or it is a SHORT SALE.

Credit Scores Sink To New Lows

There have been numerous articles written on the subject of the dramatic drop in Americans' credit scores lately. One of them appeared today on Yahoo Finance. If you are interested in reading the Yahoo article in full, provided by the Associated Press, go to:

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/110051/more-americans-credit-scores-sink-to-new-lows?mod=oneclick

Ever Feel Like You Can't Outrun The Hunt?

A cousin of mine recently sent me a link to a video that spoke to me in a way making me want to share this. If you or anyone you know has ever felt like they just couldn't keep up, they could not outrun the hunter, or felt really "under the gun" then you may appreciate this video. It seems like these days every life is influenced in some way by the "interesting" economy we've endured these past few years. I know I can relate to the penguin. Can you? If this video speaks to you in any special way that you want to share, please reach out - russellgroup1@yahoo.com or 630-513-3810. Be sure to watch until the very end - you won't believe the outcome!!! I guess the message is "Never give up, and just keep on swimming!"....and to be able to take a big jump at the end could be quite helpful too :) (If link does not appear highlighted, right click to highlight and Google to find. It will come right up.)

http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2008/11/22/lucky-penguin-escapes-killer-whales/

Price, Condition, or Location?

It doesn't seem to matter where your real estate is located. If it's in St. Charles, Geneva, or Batavia, Illinos, or if it's in Naperville, or Elburn, or perhaps it's in Wayne, we've made it through Winter and you wonder how to get your home sold in this market. The first thing to consider is "How did your home make it through the Winter?" You may get in the mood to do some Spring cleaning around your own place. Some simple and easy things to do to breathe new life into your home:

*Check for things outside the home that need to be spruced up after Winter.
*Tidy up landscape.
*Clean windows inside and out.
*Check for burned out bulbs on exterior light fixtures and clean any glass panels in those lights.
*Prepare your flower and bush planting plan. A splash of color is always a plus.
*Take a good look around the inside of your home and see what might perk you up. Look at your home with a critical eye.

Remember, a clean home is a big plus especially if you are thinking of selling your house. I've heard buyers say a million times when looking at homes, "Wouldn't you think the seller would have prepared their home better for showing?" After hearing that from so many buyers it caused me to really think about it. Often, the homes about which the buyers made such a comment, were not bad homes, but they just were not staged well. They were not as clean as they might have been. They had lots of "stuff" all over. Clearly, the things were considered treasures by the homeowner.\

Actually, sometimes all the items displayed are quite nice, but if there is too much, too much, then it just looks cluttered to someone who is seeing the home for the first time. Simply walking into a home for the first time there is a lot for a prospective buyer to consider. It's quite enough just to "take in" the house itself without having to also filter out all the belongings that will not be remaining. One buyer I recently worked with said it best. After walking into a home he was seeing for the first time, a home that could have been considered worthy of appearing in House Beautiful magazine, his comment was, "Well, there was just too much of that homeowner's personality displayed in there!" It took about three more homes to view before he was actually able to let go of the experience, what was to him an overwhelming experience, of having had to sift through all the over the top decorating of that one home. Get the point?

You may have a truly lovely home but when it comes time to sell, unless you are trying to sell to the narrow number of buyers who will also like your exact taste, you may want to consider making some pre-sale changes. Tone it down. If you have your house on the market and it has been on the market for a while with no showings, then price is probably your problem, or you may be in a price range that is just not moving right now. However, if you have been getting showings and no offers, take a critical look at your house. Are you guilty of over decorating or of having too much "stuff" or clutter, as buyers think, which serve as distractions to the process? This is not an attack on personal decorating style, but it is hopefully an illumination of the fact that unless you are trying to sell your personal style of decor rather than the home itself, maybe it's time for you to rethink your home's presentation.

If any of this makes sense, of if you would like to get more suggestions from me on how to get a home to sell, feel free to get in touch. Kay Russell at Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty 630-513-3810. http://GoRussellRealtor.com

What's the Mood of the Market

A FRIEND ASKED ME A QUESTION ON HIS BROTHER'S BEHALF. HIS BROTHER IS LIVING IN A NEW HOME HE HAD BUILT A FEW YEARS AGO AND WANTS TO MOVE. HIS REAL ESTATE AGENT (Not Me) HAS SUGGESTED THAT THE BOTTOM IS GOING TO FALL OUT OF THE MARKET AND PERHAPS HE SHOULD TAKE HIS HOME OFF THE MARKET AND SELL IT SOMETIME DOWN THE ROAD. THIS QUESTION PERTAINS TO SO MANY PEOPLE, I AM POSTING MY RESPONSE IN MY BLOG:

That's quite a crystal ball that agent has, and I hope they are not correct. Although that dramatic of a decline is not something I've heard about or am aware of we have perhaps learned these past few years to be less surprised by such dramatic changes. The market here is expected to take another dip, but the dip we've taken so far has been down about 26%-28%, depending on which economist you follow, and I am unaware of another anticipated free fall like that. If you follow Case-Shiller Indices you will see that there was a tiny increase about 6 mos ago and another decline about 3 mos ago in the Chicagoland market with another tiny decline anticipated by Nov 2010. After what we've been through that one won't even feel like a pinch. There are many other factors, however, that I would need to be in tune with to offer any more of an opinion. For instance, in your brother's subdivision do they have an unusually large number of foreclosures? If so, that is wreaking havoc with getting loans financed even if you are fortunate and have a buyer. In August we will see what kind of impact all the commercial loans coming due has on the market. There are a huge number of commercial balloons coming due which could be candidates of foreclosure and that could give the market another hiccup. Have I put you to sleep yet? I would suggest to your brother that if he needs to sell for financial reasons like a majority of people out there today (can't afford the house anymore for whatever reason, be it change in financial circumstance or whatever) that he needs to speak with someone who is experienced in handling short sales. Be sure to tell him that won't hurt his life or his credit like a foreclosure or bankruptcy will. People who are hurting right now may tend to sit idly by and hope things will improve. That is my hope too, but if there is a need for financial relief this is not a time to be ashamed or hard on yourself. It's time to ask for help, to ask for guidance on how to move through the tricky waters of finding your way to the other side of debt and disappointment. I would be happy to either help out or to recommend someone in whom I have confidence in this regard. We actually have a short sale team here at Keller Williams Fox Valley so we are able to offer special, experienced attention to ushering a homeowner and their property through the process. We have an extraordinary success rate of getting them done and allowing the owner to move along with life. If, however, your brother is not in a financially distressed situation, and just is wanting to move for the fun of it, then he may want to either reconsider and stay put until things level out a little (think maybe by 2012 we'll feel a lot better) or if he's really got the "I've got to move bug" bad then maybe he may want to consider renting his house out if he can do so for enough money to pay for the mortgage, and rent wherever he's going. Lots of options. Please let me know if I can be of help. I can be reached at 630-513-3810 at my office at Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty. http://GoRussellRealtor.com for more details on the market plus more

Why Is Your House Still On The Market?

This is the question at the top of many homeowners' minds right now. Why has my home not sold? There could be any number of answers for this question, but it likely has to do with a similar thread of concern to many people. It used to be safe to say it was either price, condition, or location. These days, while having a home in good condition in a good location is a big plus, price is the chief concern. The economic indicators are showing, though, that the market is swinging ever so slowly and gently into a more balanced market. This means we are seeing signs of the market moving away from being such an extreme buyer's market into a more balanced buyer/seller market. What tips us off to this condition? When the amount of inventory that is available is coming closer to 6 months worth of inventory rather than the 8,11,and 16 months of inventory we have had these past few years. Are we out of the woods yet? NO! Sorry, all you wonderful homeowners who are hoping for a different answer. We still need to have a little more patience in this regard. HOWEVER, this is still a great time to buy property. Interest rates are still fantastic. Prices on homes are lower than we've seen for many years. There are wonderful properties available. For people who are wanting to sell, this is a perfectly fine time to get things going. For people who are wanting to buy, this is still an amazing time to do so. If you want a more personalized approach to how YOU can best maneuver in this market please feel free to get in touch with me Kay Russell at Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty 630-513-3810. http://GoRussellRealtor.com for more information plus more interesting links