Living in Lincoln Park Blog

“Wait . . . did you say the winter home buying season?”

We sure did. Many home buyers like to wait until the trees are budding and the flowers are blooming to start shopping for a new home. But the best time to shop is when the “stores” are stocked and there are fewer customers…welcome to the winter home buying season!

5 Great reasons to pull on your boots and start shopping.

1. TIME. The winter market moves a little slower (less buyers) which leaves you more time to consider multiple listings simultaneously without having to make instant decisions. Great time to avoid bidding wars.

2. PRICE REDUCTIONS. Motivated sellers want to sell their homes before the spring market gets moving and buries their listing within thousands of others. They will offer lower prices and sometimes even buy down your mortgage rate to make their listing more appealing.

3. PERKS. If you’re considering a purchase this winter, know that many developers are looking to move as many units as possible – giving you individual purchasing power through the negotiation of extra discounts or “perks” such as paint, crown molding or even a free plasma TV.

4. LESS STRESS. Have you ever tried to get a moving truck for the first weekend in April? Nearly impossible. But if you find a new home in the winter, moving is a breeze. Moving and utility companies aren’t very busy in the winter and can work around your schedule.

5. BEST DEAL. Get in before the prices go up in the spring while taking advantage of current low rates. This will help you get the more house for less money.

BONUS! Clients interested in purchasing second homes or investment properties should know that purchase prices are typically less in the winter months – and contracting and servicing agencies are more readily available for immediate home improvements that may be necessary.

This article compliments of Mary Markis, Senior Loan Officer, Perl Mortgage, 312.651.5357, mmarkis@perlmortgage.com

RISMedia - Residential Real Estate’s Largest Independent News & Information Service - Immediate access to industry news,top real estate professionals,and the nation’s most respected product and service firms real estate referral,real estate tr: “Most of us are mindful of protecting our credit card numbers and pin numbers although so many are still stolen every year.

Here are some suggestions on how you can protect yourself: “

Could it be true? Microsoft and AOL have merged…and all you need to do to help them with their market research is to forward an email? And then Bill Gates will send you a huge check to reward you for your services? And this time, it’s definitely real, because the person at the beginning of the email chain named “pdiddy234″ really did receive a check! It’s true!Whoa. If you believe this one, there are all kinds of unsavory folks out there waiting to dish you more of the same.

It’s just like Mom and Dad used to tell you - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers, spammers, phishers…they’re out there in full force, and waiting to jump into your inbox, hoping they can rope you, your friends, and your family into their nasty corral. They pull at your heart strings with notes about missing or sick children or money needed for seemingly good causes…but then may attempt to nab your personal information to take advantage of your great credit. And worse yet, they often do it so well that you feel the need to pass this “important” or dramatic information along to all of your friends, family members, colleagues, and sometimes clients. But what if you passed along information that created a financial hardship for someone you know? No matter how legitimate an email looks, it pays to do a little research and get the facts about emails before you hit forward.

Let’s take a look at two easy sites you can use to check those emails out…or just visit to see some of the funny, interesting, and downright scary spam emails currently floating about the net.

You can get all of the dirt on the emails that you are receiving with just a few clicks of the mouse. You can visit www.truthorfiction.com to check the story out quickly and easily. Categories of topics are clearly listed, along with their determination of if the email story is indeed Truth…or Fiction. This site also lists many of the current viruses and worms traversing the internet, and gives you tools and information to help remove them.

Another great site is www.snopes.com, helping you easily find out if the email you received is the truth, a hoax, or something in between. Simply hit the “Inboxer Rebellion” icon, then choose the topic that the email may fall under (e.g., boycotts, charity, missing and sick children, petitions, phishing expeditions, etc.), and each claim listed under that category will be marked with a color-coded indicator. For example: green identifies true statements, red identifies false statements, and yellow identifies statements of undetermined or ambiguous veracity. Treat the findings like driving a car, green means go and red means stop. So, if the email you receive is marked with a green dot, feel free to forward on, if red trash it, and if yellow, do a bit more research before passing it along…or do your email list a favor and just delete it.

Additionally, think twice before sending the poems, stories and clips that tell the recipient to send on to more people within a certain period of time, so that they will enjoy good luck, prevent disaster, meet the person of their dreams…etc. Do your friends really appreciate receiving these? And how does this reflect back upon you? It may be all in fun, but think twice before blindly hitting forward.

We all like to share valuable, interesting or funny information, or attempt to help someone who appears to be in dire need. And it is so easy to go into your address book, choose the emails of recipients and just hit forward. But taking the time to do a little research first and think twice before forwarding will save you money, time…and perhaps even a friendship.

Compliments of Jon Miller Chicago Bancorp