Location - Education access

Location, location, location - Part 2 – Education

From pre school to post graduate studies Bucktown and Wicker Park has the options and the opportunity to reach your goals.  Our parents work with the locals schools to ensure the best quality education is available to their children.  We have several great public schools to walk to and others that are available options. To find out more on the Chicago Public Schools for your address go to http://schoollocator.cps.k12.il.us/   Our neighborhoods have multiple private schools providing choices to parents and offer quality pre-school education and care.  High Schools and Colleges are easily reached by the great transportation options we talked about last week.  Our local demographics show many residents have post graduate degrees or are working towards higher education goals. 

Chicago-area home sales post best January in five years - Residential News - Crain's Chicago Business

“Motivated buyers and sellers moving in what has been a mild Chicago winter have helped move both distressed and traditional properties,” Bob Floss, president of the Chicago Association of Realtors, said in a statement. "

Read it all here:

Chicago-area home sales post best January in five years - Residential News - Crain's Chicago Business

Location - transportation +

The mantra in real estate has always been “location, location, location.”

In Wicker Park and Bucktown, we have several location strengths, beginning with our easy access to the Blue Line and hence to downtown and our airports. CTA buses are readily available, as are taxis. Metra schedules provide an easy link to the suburbs or Loop, and a favorite way to attend Ravinia concerts in the summer. Bicyclists enjoy the bike lanes on Damen and Milwaukee , as well as on Armitage.  There’s new orange bike racks, too.

Those that drive have many ramps in which to enter and exit the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) and those in the know know that there’s some great side streets where you can usually avoid congestion, too. All of these location-related boons continue to make Bucktown and Wicker Park a desirable location in which to live, work, and play.

Tax Preparation 2012

Spaces January 15, 2012

Tax preparation season is upon us.  Now is the time to create a Taxes 2011 folder for all the pieces that come in the mail and to collect the information you will need to fill out your return.  Home ownership provides you with deductable mortgage interest and property taxes.  If you bought or sold real estate, or refinanced, this past year, pull out the HUD or RESPA form that was part of your closing documents and provide that to your tax preparer.  Consult with a CPA or tax professional for more details on this and deductions for the new child in the family, education expenses and charitable donations.  As with everything supporting documentation is very helpful. 

Bucktown/Wicker Park closings this past week: 1 Detached single family houses, 2 Attached condos. 0 2-4 unit building:

Detached Single

1406 N Bell, 4 bedroom, 3.1 bath, $622,000

Attached Single

1641 W Le Moyne #3, 3 bedroom, 2.1 bath, 1 parking space Condo-Duplex, Penthouse, $399,000

1304 N Wood #3, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, garage space, Condo Duplex, Penthouse, $445,000

Quick take - What’s on the market now? 

Type, (number), Max, Average, Median, Min Price

Detached (64 properties), $4,400,000, $1,019,329, $762,500, $250,000

Attached (161 condos), $1,099,000, $378,416, $375,000, $79,000

2 -4 units (31 properties), $849,900, $498,925, $499,900, $179,900

*** Information sourced from MREDLLC; 1/15/12. Residential properties - Bucktown (Ashland, Western, Fullerton, North) and WickerPark (Ashland, Western, North, Division)

Have a topic you’d like to see explored or a real estate question send it in. 

If you’d like more information on properties currently on the market or selling your home just drop me a note at EvaB@atproperties.com

Freddie Mac to give unemployed homeowners a break

When job loss is the reason you are unable to make your mortgage payments the banks have the ability to defer your payments for up to 12 months now. See the following article for more on this assistance in avoiding a short sale or forclosure.

Freddie Mac to give unemployed homeowners a break

New Years Resolutions 2012

Like most Americans, I'm not very loyal to my New Years Resolutions.  It just seems like too much emphasis on change in the month of January.  I tend to spread my resolutions around over the course of the year.   That said, the surveys of people this 2012 New Year have shown the usual weight loss plan has been beaten out by building a savings plan this year.  So I wish you all well on them both. 

The following article takes a look at New Year's Resolutions and how you can point them at your home.  I'm continuing with #6 and adding more of #9

http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/home-thoughts/houselogic-new-years-resolutions-home/

Chicago-area homeownership rate dips | Residential News | Crain's Chicago Business

Chicago-area homeownership rate dips Residential News Crain's Chicago Business

Some very important points in this article. How do you think this affects you?