The Coldwell Banker Previews International® program has been marketing luxury homes since 1933. This luxury home marketing program has been exclusive to Coldwell Banker affiliates since 1980.
“2012 was a milestone year for the luxury real estate market with a surge in both buyer interest and several major record-setting sales. Coldwell Banker Previews International® has remained at the center of much of this activity. From historic sales to the volume of luxury sales we handle everyday, our numbers show the depth of our leadership in the affluent space.”
Previews agents participated in more than 16,400 transaction sides of homes priced at $1 million or more in 2012.
Read the full article on Chicago Real Estate Daily by Crain’s Chicago Business, here.
“The Illinois Association of Realtors said Thursday that 5,935 single-family homes and condominiums sold in the nine-county Chicago area last month, up more than 20 percent from 4,936 sales in February 2012. The month was the most active February since 6,807 homes sold in February 2006.
February also marked 20 straight months of year-over-year sales gains, an encouraging sign for local housing as it enters the busiest part of the year. Yet some speed bumps remain, including the rising number of local homeowners whose homes are worth less than their debt.
The recovery is just starting to take hold in pricing, with Chicago-area home prices rising 2.2 percent last year from 2011 but still lagging national gains, according to the closely watched S&P/Case-Shiller indices.”
Radon is an odorless, tasteless and invisible gas produced by the decay of naturally occurring uranium in soil and water. Radon is a form of ionizing radiation and a proven carcinogen. If you are selling a home, or purchasing one, you will be asked to disclose any known knowledge of radon. Radon tests are strongly encouraged when one purchases a property and repeatedly after that to be safe.
It can be dangerous: EPA estimates that about 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S. are radon-related. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Read here for more information.
Here is a list of radon levels by city and zip code: Cook County ; Will County ; DuPage County
Talk with a radon tester or a radon mitigator for more information. If your level is higher than the level the state is unsafe, they would probably recommended radon mitigation.
From the EPA: “For most Americans, their greatest exposure to radon is in their homes; especially in rooms that are below grade (e.g., basements), rooms that are in contact with the ground and those rooms immediately above them… It’s never too late to reduce your risk of lung cancer. Don’t wait to test and fix a radon problem. If you are a smoker, stop smoking. Consider quitting. Until you can quit, smoke outside and provide your family with a smoke-free home. (www.epa.gov/smokefree).”
Are you looking to invest in real estate, but want some guidance on how to make it happen?
1 – Here is a free guide with Five Tips to Land Your Dream Home in 2013, from the National Association of Realtors.
2 – Whether you are looking for real estate guidance, to help you in your home purchase – or sale – contact The Judy Glockler Group. We are local professionals in the Chicago area with national connections. In other words, we can help you, or someone you know anywhere in the United States. It is one of the many great things about working with a well-known national brokerage like Coldwell Banker – our connections benefit you!
